The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-05-08
The Eight Hour Law.

New York papers contain the text of a
decision which will interest employer
and laborer alike This decision was hand
ed down by the highest tribunal in New
the eight hour law. According to Wal
ter Wellman. the correspondent of The
Chicago Record Herald the laboring peo
pie are likely to carry the matter to the
highest court in the land in order to de-
termine whether the legislature of
state can decide the length of time that
the employer may or may not require his
men to work. The point is that if people
may be lawfully prevented from working
bore than eight hours, they can, with
equal reason, and justice, be prohibited
from working more than six hours, or
four hours, or two hours, and before
the federation expends any more time
and effort in securing such laws their
constitutionality ought to be tested.
An interesting personal point connect
ed with this case is that Chief Justice
Parker who is so widely discussed as a
candidate for the presidency assented to
the opinion although it was prepared and
rendered by Justice Cullen, one of his
Democratic associates upon the bench.
Hitherto Judge Parker has been noted for
his extreme views upon labor questions
and his opinions rendered from the bench
have been invariably favorable to the
contentious of the labor unions until
now He has judicially approved boycott,
the right of a union to prohibit non
union men from working, the union label
and the prohibition of the sale of prison
made goods and those who had followed
fidently expecting him to sustain the
eight hour law, but he has evidently
taken no thought of the morrow, and has
not considered the effect of lis judicial
opinion upon the action of the Demo
cratic national convention in 1904.
1t is pertinent also to speculate as to
the effect of this opinion upon the eight
hour bill now pending in congress. 1t
passed THE house of representatives at
the last session, was favorably reported
by the senate committee upon education
and labor and has been earnestly sup
ported, perhaps for political reasons, by
the most prominent leaders of both poll
| teal parties who were anxious last Win
| ter to display their zeal in promoting its
passage. Had it not been for the insis-
| tence of Senator Quay in forcing his bill
| for the admission of New Mexico and
Arizona upon the senate, the eight-hour
bill would certainly have become law,
| although considerably modified from the
| radical and comprehensive form in which
it passed the house.
The house bill went 50 far as to pro-
hibit the use by the government of the
United States and all contractors and
other persons employed by the govern
ment, of any materials or merchandise
or supplies of any kind, for the army or
| the navy, or the Indians or in any branch
of the public service, made or produced
by more than eight hours work day.
This would apply to the farmers who
grow wheat that goes into the bread
| eaten by the soldiers and sailors, and
the cowboys who herd the cattle from
which their beef is made and the garden
er who raises their vegetables. The SEN
ate committee struck out this provision
and another which prohibits q man en-
ployed upon government job from
working more than eight hours, even if
| he wished to do SO. The bill as reported
simply provides that persons employed
| upon government work should not be re-
| quired to work more than eight hours a
day.
For good house, well located in Man