The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-07-02
EIGHT HOUR FIGHT
Gus Miller Arrested on Com
plant of Clarence ComOn
FOR WORKING TOO LONG
Charged That One of the Men
Worked Ten Hours.
FOR WORKING TOO LONG

When Clarence Cowan went into the
city court yesterday and swore out d
warrant for the arrest OF Gus Miller.
ex-member of the city council. the crowd
about the court house concluded that
there was something new under the sun
after all. The idea like a man like Mr..
Miller being arrested under criminal
| proceeding was a sumner, but the nature
of the onense charged against him was
what caused the commotion at the court
house. Mr.. Miller has actually been ar
rested on a warrant charging him with
wilfuuy and purposely permitting man
to work more than eight hours during
one calendar day There have been any
number of men arrested in this city for
not working and charged With vagraney,
but this is the first time a man was ever
arrested for letting people work too
much. OF course, the complaint is that
Mr.. Miller has violated the eight-hour
law Of the state of Kansas. and the out
come of the case Will be watched with
a good deal OF interest Following is the
complaint:
Clarence Cowan, Of lawful age being
duly sworn, says that at the county Of
Sedgwick and state Of Kansas. and on or
about the 21st day of June, A. D., 1901,
one Gus a. Miller, being then and there
q contractor with the board Of education
of the city of Wichita, Kansas, for ard
on the behalf Of the said city, compris-
ing a school district Of the city of Wich-
ita, within said county of Sedgwick, state
Of Kansas, as having heretofore made
and entered into & contract with said
Of education Of the city OF Wichita, state
Of Kansas, acting for and on behalf OF
said city, a school district comprising
the city Of Wichita, state Of Kansas, said
school district being then and there the
principal corporation and municipality
Of the state Of Kansas. by which contract
he, the said Gus Miller, contracted and
engaged TO and agreed to, for certain
consideration, to do or cause to be done
ell the labor and TO furnish ali the ma
terials for the painting Of the interior
woodwork Of the Lincoln street school
building. a public school building Of said
school district OF the city of Wichita,
state of Kansas, which contract was then
and there in full force and effect, and
having heretofore hired one Daniel Eek
ert to perform for him as such contrac-
tor certain labor in the painting Of said
building, towit: The labor OF painting
said interior woodwork. did then and
there knowingly wilfully and unlawfully
permit and require the said Daniel Eek
ert as aforesaid to work more than eight
hours, towit, ten hours. on said calendar
day at and upon said labor, there being
then and there no extraordinary emer-
gency arising in time of war, nor any ne
cessity for said Daniel Eckert or any
otrhers engaging on or about said work
to work more than eight hours for the
protection of property or OF human life.
contrary to the statutes in such cases
made and provided and agains- the peace
and dignity Of the state of Kansas
When the warrant was handed over TO
Deputy Marshal Tom Voss. several par
ties at the court house offered to so
along as a possicomatatus, but the big
deputy marshal said he guessed ne o.
manage him alone. The idea of arrest
ing a man for working was too much
for the court house crowd and when Mr.
Miller is arraigned before the city court
Judge Harvey will have a full house.
Mr.. Miller was not seen after his arrest,
but it is a well known fact that the con-
tractors are rushing the work on the
school building in order to get them
ready for the opening of school in Sep
TENDER and this viii probably be the ex-
cuse that vii be offered for the extra
time on the building.
It seems that the eight-hour law makes
it fneable onense to allow workmen
to put in more than eight hours in one
day on public works and Mr.. Miller has
been arrested under this section of the
law. II is reported that some Of the
labor unions are behind the prosecution.
but this is not confirmed.