The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-02-19
TIE EIGHr.HOukLAM.

Senator Morrill, made the principal
speech in the Senate on the bill for the
of the accounts of employees
of the Government arising under the
eight-hOur law. He said he had the deep
conviction that not was only the eight
hour law of 1865 fundamentally wrong,
but that the attempted resurrection of it
in the pending measure, instead of being
beneficial to the class to which it is spec
tally intended to benefit, would in1lict
upon that class and upon the country at
large grave and possibly an irreparable
injury. He referred with approval to
the statement of Edward Atkinson, that
the cight-hour law would work in the
interest of capital and against labor, that
it would be perniCious, and would result
to the great disadvantage of labor.
Some theories, he said, might be scientif-
ically refuted, but unsound political
theories often waited for refutation until
their operation brought disaster. The
settlement of the claims against the Gov
emment under the eight-hour law from
1868 to 1891 would cost millions, the esti-
mate of Secretary Whitney, for the navy
department alone, having been some
years since S3,000,000. The pending
measure was not asked for or prompted,
so far as he knew, by the best workmen
or by those longest in the public service.
These were content with steady employ
ment, with wages promptly paid and that
were not less than the maximum wages
paid throughout the country for equal
skill and service. The United States
Government should not set an example
of prodigality where no State, city or
town could afford to follow. If the bill
became n law it would insure the re-
moval and change Of all day labOrers
and mechanics in the service of the Gov
ernment at every change of the National
Administration. The civil service law
would not protect them, and members Of
Congress would be instrumentalities of
their removal. The hour of labor in for
eign countries were from ten to twelve
hours, and yet it was the immigrants
from these countries who were the chief
agitators for an eight-hour law, although
many of them were receiving double as
much wages as they had received in their
own countries. FreebOrn Americans
were not hungering for an eight-hour
day of labor. What they wanted was
more work and more pay. The eight
hour scheme, if generally adopted, would
separate Ille larger HAL VI llC NOlhiIb
men of the country from the smaller
half, which was employed mainly in
large workshops and factories, while
those owning farms or working thereon
would still work ten, twelve and often
more hours a day. With a gateway lead
ing to less work and more pay, the pres
sure for employment in favored trades
could only be restricted by the exclusion
of all new men and apprentices. Those
trades would combine and become a
close corporation, with no new subscrib-
ers; and farmers would object to the
building up of a favored class, either by
National or State Governments, at their
expense. With an eight-hour law Amer
lean markets would be opened to be pro-
ducts of foreign countries, and the ex-
ports of eight-hour-products would be
necessarily impossible. Any general
law or intleXible rule on the subject
would usurp the place of free will and of
personal independence. If any motion
were made to postpone the bill till the
9TH of next March, he would feel bound
to vote for such motion.