The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-04-18

ment Of all who want work necessary to
produce all that is required. We want
such workday for three prime reasons
that the workers may have as much
time to themselves as possible; that
those who want to earn a living may
have the opportunity, and that the army
Of unemployed, which stands as a men
ace to the wages and conditions of the
employed, may be wiped out.
The phase of this question which
bothers me more than any other just
now is that we have been so slow in Sc
curing the reduction to eight hours that
the machines have got ahead of us. Since
1885 the eight hour day has been secured
quite extensively in some of the skilled
callings, but the progress in general has
been too slow, and we have been falling
behind instead Of gaining. do not be-
heve overestimate the growth in meth
DDS of production and distribution when
say that day of seven working hours
would about fit the present situation, and
and thoroughly if we expect to keep up
with those troublesome inventors Those
gentlemen never sleep. But we have be-
come SO accustomed to seeing wonderful
things that we are liable to be Indifferent
to announcements that should make ev-
cry man who works for living tremble
for the future of his class.
Some such thoughts as these came to
me the other day as watched the move
ments of a typesetting machine. Not
more than two years ago nine-tenths of
the compositors in this country sneered
at the idea of machines ever invading to
would set up items about new loom,
an improved shoemaking machine or
some sort Of labor saver that would do
the work of 10, 20 or 100 men, but they
gave no thought to the effect these things
would have upon the workers in the
particular industry affected and indi-
rectly upon the working class as a whole.
But two years have brought about a great
change in the composing room. The erst-
while independent and skeptical COM
positor now stands with look of con-
sternation on his face and watches the
monster Of steel, driven by the devilish
little dynamo, performing the work his
brain was wont to do. He Knows now
what "labor saving machinery" means.
Doubtless most Of my old fellows of the
stick and rule will resent it flor your
comp was always a. spunky one), but
the feeling that comes over me as see
the machines at work is one of sorrow
and pity.
Where will it end? is the question
asked by every man who thinks. A
thousand laborers in Buffalo the other
day attempted in their blind rage to de-
stroy a road grading machine. Hereto
fore the grading of Buffalo's streets has
been done by manual labor. Now they
have machine which will do the work
Of 80 men in, it is claimed, more sat-
isfactory manner. A thousand Polish la
borers set out to demolish it, but were
beaten off by the police. History repeats
itself. Something like 60 years ago the
weavers in England tried to prevent the
introduction of power looms, and many
Of the machines were destroyed before
the opposition to their use was crushed
The weavers could not read the future
and lacked experience. The Polish la
borers at Buffalo are ignorant, but the
American workingman is supposed to be
intelligent. He should know how to
deal with the labor saving machine prob
lem. Probably when he gets real hungry
he will try the remedy Of the weavers
and the Poles-and get licked just like
they did The thing is easy to handle,
but there must be thorough organization
and unity first. Talking about shorter
WOrkday- Jos. R. BUCHANAN.