, 1891-10-29
men. rs were the members Of the

thing it is to get even a majority Of 4
trades organization to stand up and te
counted on the side of a demand upon
their employers. The only exception is
where wages are materially and directly
concerned. Our struggles for the eight
hour day in this country will illustrate
the point. 1t is not necessary to here
consider why this is SO; that it is so is
sufficient for my point. Toe many work
ingInen are willing to bear their ills and
blindly trust 20 the future to see them
selves righted. Hence in many trades
where the thinking, intelligent men
would demand the eight hour day, more
than the one-third necessary to defeat it
could be found among the ignorant,
cowardly and Indifferent. But these
same elements will operate to put the
law in force under the provisions of the
final amendment adopted by the CON
gress. Most of those who would not vote
for the eight hour day (and especially
those who would not record themselves
upon either side, under the first amend
ment, would, and generally for the same
reasons, refrain from casting their bal
lots against it under the second amend.
ment. The Newcastle congress was wise;
4 y utCluCu tutb COWdTulCt, luullItTtuCt
n ignorance should not stand longer in
the way of progress.
Secretary Wilson, of the English Sea-
men and Firemen's union, is advocat-
ing the eight hour day for seamen, where
upon many newspapers in London and
the United States are railing at what they
call "a preposterous, impracticable pro-
r.naal " This uhnrua haur Yfnfafr tha N t-ar
age capitalistic editor is and how reluc-
tant he is to let go of any of the advan-
tages his class possesses over the work
ingman. Five minutes thought will
convince any one hat an eight hour work
day is just as practicable on shipboard
as it is on land-if enough men are EN-
ployed. Under a work day of any length
it is understood that emergencies may
arise on "A ship when a mar at rest may
be called out, but as there is certainly
10Y a system of shifts at long hours, it
is as certainly possible to sail the vessel
on shifts of short hours. Accidents are
constantly occurring upon the sea as we'll
as upon land because men are overworked
and strained beyond their capacities, and
many ships ave been lost in gales be-
cause they were shorthanded-a thing
that would not SO often occur If a sufh-
cient crew were shipped to reduce the
hours of "A shift to eight. The rules that
govern in ~railroading will hold on ship
board, with the exception that in the lat
ter case the men have TO be carried on
the vessels, while in the former they
change at divisions.
The labor organizations of Buffalo and
Detroit are taking n hand in enforcing
the alien labor law. In both cities, it is
claimed, men who live in Canada and
are citizens of that country work in the
United States. AT Buffalo they cross
twice a day on the bridge over the Mag
ara river, and the ferries carry them
back and forth between Windsor and
Detroit. To these special cases are of
course added those who come from Can
ada and take up residence here, tempo
rary or permanent, as the employment
and wages determine. Some of the cases
which have come up in the two cities
show nov a~ggravating and subject to
unjust application is the law. 1t seems
hard to refuse IA man the right TO work
because he lives on the wrong side
of n river; but the unions of Detroit and
Buffalo are not to blame. If we annex
Canada some time in the future, we will
look pack at these alien troubles and
well. we may feel foolish.
There is one word in the language
which stirs up the ire of the work
ingman every time he sees it. That
word is ~demagogue. 1t has been used
SO recklessly and unfortunately by
writers for the capitalist press when
referring to leaders in the labor move
ment that it has not only lost all its
force. but has come to be considered the
trademark of jealousy and spleen. If n
labor orator or union official says any
thing that displeases their royal high
nesses of the press he is forthwith
denounced as a demagogue, and every
man who has in his whole life said ten
words that were of any benefit to the
labor movement has earned the title.
The men who have been "wise leaders"
one day have become "demagogues' the
next, and vice versa. such men as
Powderly, Gompers, p. j. Mcclure and
MeNeill have been treated to this light
ming change. If he title was bestowed
and moi taken away it would be some
thing to be proud Of. Three cheers for
the labor ''demagogues," franks" and
"kickersI'
There is a famine in Russia and hum
dreds of thousands of peasants are living
(no, starving) on ''hungerbread, /" made Of
chopped straw and dung; ten thousand
Russian exiles are landing on our shores
each month, and the relief associations
are out of funds; but a Russian capitalist
is going to put up a display at the Worlds
fair which will cost $3.50 900. He intends
to reproduce a street scene from Mini
Novgorod. This man, Ivan Malokoff, is
said to be a wealthy capitalist of 81.
Petersburg. Wonder If he will put into
his reproduction a family of starving
peasants, a ban of prosecuted Jews and
n few chained candidates for Siberia!
The Worlds fair is going t. be a great
show, and especially interesting to the
poor people of this country and Europe.
Jos. r, BUCHANAN.
THERE Is NONE BETTER.
DIR. X. l.. St. John of Rowland, Put.
nam county, Missouri, takes espec,a