The Daily Missoulian., 1912-09-21
THE PROGRESSIVE PLATFORM
V-Eight Hours and One DAYS Rest.

V-Eight Hours and One Days Rest.
Out here in the mountain states, we do not appreciate
fully the significance of the declarations Of the progressive
party support of social and industrial Justice In nearly
all lines OF occupation, the eight-hour day has become
either by by CUSTOM the rule this region And
all of feel that the employer and the employed the
better for it. But in the central and eastern states where
work in mills and factories for twelve hours each
day. the significance of this championship of industrial
justice is great.
1--WE pledge ourselves to work increasingly in state and
nation for One days rest in for all wage workers
and the eghthour day in continuous twenty-fourhour
industries"
This is one of the items in the progressive partys con-
tract with the people To such laws will bring about
this condition. there will be open opposition, but there
will be-and there isabundant subtle Influence at work
against it, Everybody believes that even from the physo
logical viewpoint continuous labor without day of rest is
bad Nor will anybody venture to oppose the proposition
upon moral grounds The body the mind the very soul
|of the worker cry out against ceaseess grind.
Nevertheless there industries which glad press
their workers into days OF continuous labor it they
can In instances the strength OF abors organization has
been sufficient prevent this but there have been many
other in which poverty has exerted such pressure
upon the workers to force compliance But the attitude
of society be strong against this continuous employ
ment before the conditions what they should be-
Legislation against continuous labor is in this coun
try though there other nations which have done much
to prohibit it, People depore the socalled continental
Sabbath but it s-even at its Worsbetter than the Amer
Sabbath of continuous labor for increasing groups OF
people, However, the argument for day of rest wisely
bases itself upon the unanswerabe argument that men and
women for their physical welfare must have periodical
rest The religious argument strong but is not neces
sary in political propaganda upon this subject.
Similarly the eight-hour day in operations which are
continuous which is important to the worker
and to the community The progressive platform declares
specifically for the eght-hour day. There many in
dustra plants which operate continuously the whole twen
your hours of the day In these occupations there can
be no question that the aborday shoudnot exceed eight
hours The labor is exhaustng and the worker cannot
long endure the of than eight hours OF it. In
the steel districts Pennsylvania the operation OF the
mills continuous days in the week and tWenyfour
hours day-week in and week out goes reenessly
and increasingly. There Sundays, no holidays in
this industry Worse yet the workers have to labor
twelve hours day.
1t is for the relief of such conditions these that the
proposition made that the orkday shall be only eight
eight hours and that there shall be day OF rest each
week. The steel industry heavily protected by the tariff
vet the laboers receive pfuy small pay their strenuous
labor highly profitable to the protected employers the
profits of the steel industry are enormous yet none OF the
benefits of the protective tariff find their way into the en-
velopes of the the payroll
The progressive platform insists that the day shall be
divided into eighthour shifts and there there shabe one
day of rest in the week for these continuous occupations
This stand s,taken uncompromsngy upon the ground
that the waste of human life must not be permitted to con-
tnue for the selfish profit Of the employer when it means
the injury of the the destruction OF human hope the
bunting of human intelligence the stuntng OF the human
soul It is in the interest of industrial justice, which
places human rights above property rights And who is
there who will deny that this is the correct principle
II Hvniann and Sanitation