The sun., 1900-03-08
Thursday, March 8, 1900.

LABOR organizations are again agltating
the question OF reducing the number OF
hours in the working day. This is an
old question, SO old that discussion ]
about it is threshing old straw. More
than twenty-five years ago the labor
organizations of the country began
movement designed to make the legally +.
recognized work day consist OF eight
hours.
The genesis of this movement if
we remember right was inopportune, in
that it occurred during the business de-
preston incident to the resumption OF
specie payments after the civil war.
Depression preceded resumption. The
rush of business incident to the war
had continued for about ten years after
the close of the war and the country had
seen the marvellous absorption of the
discharged soldiers in the active labor
market. The foreseen necessity for this
had created some apprehension of danger;
whether all these men could find places |
in which to work, and whether the
mass of them would, after their
army experiences, want to find such
places had been discussed by thinkers
and writers on such subjects, and to
many of them it appeared improbable
that the soldiers could, or would be
transformed into the ordinary work.a-
day citizen. The unexpected happened.
The apprehended danger was avoided,
and for ten years industrial activity had
continued.
Whether right or wrong-it is too
late to discuss that now-the deci-
sion of the governmental financiers to
resume specie payment fell upon the in
dustries cf the country like blighting
FROST The financing of the war had en-
hanced values until, upon paper, the
country was rich beyond even the
dreams of avarice. Work was plenty;
wages were high. The working people
were earning and spending vast sums of
money without apparent thought OF
possible change of industrial condi-
tions. The proposed change of financial
methods meant the reversal of all
this. Resumption meant shrinkage
OF values. 1t meant that the great vol
ume of manufactured goods must be con-
sumed before new stores could be manu-
factured under the new order of things
Work ceased. Consumption that should
have been increased almost stopped
Labor was drug in the market. There wa
too little work and too many idle men
Under these conditions the movement tt
shorten the work day was begun. Or
gaize1 labor proposed the substitution o
eight hours for the ten hours of the lega
work day. 1t is probable that no othe
labor proposal has been so violentl
opposed as that one was. The countr
proposition was denounced as revolu
tionary and destructive, and the work
lag man who wrote or spoke in favor c
it was regarded as a conspirator agans
the public veal. Editors. lawyers, doC
tors, manufacturers and merchants
wrote and argued against the new labc
idea; and although the facts, the fact
making some such shift necessary (
meet the conditions, were in labor
favor the movement failed. The argl
ment that reduction of work houi
meant room for twenty per cent more
the idle men had no force. 1t was m,
with demand for a reductia
of wages This labor could not afford
comply with. Work was too slack an
employment was too hard to find whC
once out Of work. The workmen ther
selves had 10 desist. Labor reiorn
could not be pushed to successful co
clusion+ with the country full OF tramp
What might have been mitigation
this evil had been rejected.
The movement was not stopped. II II
been kept alive and has been successi
in making eight hours a days work
all the governmental departments, Al
in several OF the leading mechanic
trades. It has been taken up now by t
Machinists' Unions and a new nation
movement started. While the circu
stances are different-work now plen
where it was then scarce, and busint
brisk where il was dull-tbe argume
is still on labor's side Of the question
issue, and it is generally conceded Il
its demand for shorter day is a r.
sonable one. Another thing in labo
favor is that labor organizations ha
become practical, and have at last be
accepted as reputable and needful.
this were not true the universally
organization in every known interest
capital would be reason enough for lal
to organize.
The two demands in this n
movement are reasonable. The n
chinists ask for a nine hour day, a
they ask for the abolition of the pie
work system. AS we have said t
reasonable ness, the necessity for shor
hours is generally conceded. The pi'