The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-10-12
"A WAGE Garner
IN OPEN Letter
TALKS IN AN INTERESTING
MANNER ON WAGE
PROPOSITION.
DISCUSSES SHORT HOUR DAY
Says the Eight Hour Law Will Not
Restrict Production.
DISCUSSES SHORT HOUR DAY

To the Editor Of the Morning Pal
ladium:
After hearing and reading a num-
Der of addresses upon the wage prop
osition and knowing so many en-
ployes to be against the shorter day
and less pay for longer ones, I take
this opportunity of addressing myself
to the wge workers and the public,
and ask that you give my poor opin-
ion space in your valued paper.
Should the workingman concede
reduction in wages in order to OBJ
tan a shorter work day? or will the
shorter work day increase the cost
of production or lessen the output?
Temporary lower wages may in
some cases be conceded as a method
of getting the shorter work-day. Re-
striction is already rare.
The shorter work-day will not in
crease the cost of production nor
lessen the output.
| have prepared some observations
upon the history of achievement of
shorter days in the building trades
and its results. 1t is an important
fact that the eight hour day now OBJ
tains throughout THE United States
The history of how this condition was
brought about is pertinent. The first
practical step was taken in 1866,
when the first National Trades Con-
gress held in Baltimore, adopted a
resolution favoring the eight hour
day and appealing to the unions in
the several states to agitate the cause
and to obtain official bureaus of sta
tistics to prove it's practibility. In
the same year the journeymen stone
cutters Of North America ordered
strikes for the eight hour day. They
were successful, and that is the single
trade that has maintained the eight
hour day, without interruption, from
that time to this. The movement
progressed in other trades with vary
ing success. The agitation was re-
fected in the introduction of eight
which was presented by Representa-
tive George Julian Of Indiana in 1867.
In 1871, the local organization of
painters in New York City struck for
the eight hour day. This strike soon
involved nearly every union in the
country, the length of the day thus
prevailing was from eleven to twelve
hours. Many mass meetings were
held and some bloody riots occurred
Year after year saw May day demon
strations for the shorter day. These
kept the subject before the people
in the larger cities.
In 1866 the American Federation
of Labor formally declared in con-
vention at Cleveland in favor of the
was a rivalry among the affiliated
was a rivalry among the affiliated
national unions for the distinction of
leading in the fight. The convention
selected the Brotherhood of Carpen-
ters to head the movement That
Brotherhood ordered many local
strikes, which were so successful that
within a year or two that many
strikes occurred in other building
trades. By 1890 the movement had
progressed so far that the eight hour
day had become established through
out many building trades, although in
some, where the eleven and twelve
hour day had been practiced. COM
promise on nine hours was effected
From 1890 even these exceptions grew
more and more rare, until by 1896 it
could be said that eight hours had
throughout the building trades of the
United States.
There are, it is asserted, not more
than dozen towns of noteworthy
size where the old longer day still
holds good.
Inferior habits are as much the
cause as they are the results of low
er wages. Reducing the hours of la
Dor acts more directly on the habits
of people than any other. heretofore
proposed How far is the truth of
this proposition proved by the actual
experience of the building trades'
The habits and standards of life
among a. workers of all grades. in
the build trades have been visibly
and mater ly elevated since 1856.
This is clear the result of the short
er work day, which has enabled the
heads of families to devote more