The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-07

were open his trade would show great
falling off.
The boycott will be renewed tonight.
Ira Burdick, president of the Clerks
union, who clerks for the Clements COM
pany, said: Nearly all the merchants
are satisfied that the amount of trade
they will lose by early closing will not
amount to as much as the cost of their
electric lights. When people know that
they not buy things at night they
will come in the day time. Early clos
one, and it will be a great blessing to
the clerks. Under the old system they
have to work two or three hours after
other people stop.
We. White. who clerks for Burg E.
Zeis. and who is corresponding secre-
tary of the union, said today: 1T is
mistaken idea that we intend to close
cigar stores, confectionery stores, fruit
stands and that class of business, but
only the regular retail establishments
whose business will not be injured by
early closing. Most people prefer to do
all their trading with dry goods stores,
clothing stores, shoe stores and estab
lishments of that class in the day time,
and very few will be inconvenienced in
the slightest by the stores closing at
$780,
]. w. Robinson, of the Palace Cloth
ing company's store, said: IF some of
these little stores remain open their
self-prOtection, and then others will
stay open until every clerk in the city
will be compelled to work two or three
hours after supper. People would just
as lief trade before $50 as afterwards
if they know the stores close at that
time. There is no use of fixing any time
at all to close if it is made later than
$50 because then both clerks and en-
ployers' will go to supper and come
back, and when closing times comes one
man runs out and sees his neighbOr still
open, so he stays open a little longer
too, until it gets that they close
just when they please In this case it
Is a matter of these two men closing
their stores or two hundred clerks work
ing three hours every evening. There
are lots of grocery clerks in Topeka
who have been working 15 or Is hours
day simply because some grocery stores
persisted in keeping open and if part
of them kept open all had to-
The officers of the Clerks union are:
President, Ira Burdick; corresponding
secretary. w f. White; financial secre-
tary, c. c. Coulson; treasurer, ]. H.
Rean.
There isn't any question that the posi-
tfon of Messrs. Samuels and Affron is
wrong. The whole trend of public opin-
ion and of business life for the past 25
years has been toward shorter working
hours. In many states including Kan
sas, there is legislation along this line
Eight hours is, ordinarily, long enough
for any man to work. Human beings
have only one life to live. so far as
known. and the scheme of creation
probably did not intend that they
should devote their waking hours en-
tirely to drudgery.
If merchants desire to keep their
stores open fourteen hours they should
hire two sets of clerks-a day shift and
a night shift. That is the method re-
sorted to by mine. smelter and rolling
mill owners to keep from working their
employees to death.
The fact is, all businesses should close
earlier than they do, particularly in the
summer months. In New York all
financial business and most offices close
promptly at p m, and all stores cease
business at noon on Saturday. New
York does more business than any
other city in the country, and there is
no noticeable decrease in the amount
done, due to early closing.