Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-10-09
|, c. CROW FIGHTS
H|GHT.HOUR BILL
PRESIDENT OF FARMERS UNION
TELLS HIS POSITION ON
SOCIALIST MEASURE.
(From Sunday Spokesman-Review,
September 27.)

OcplcuUcT Zl.J
To the Editor Of The Spokesman
Review: In last Sundays issue of
The Spokesman-Review you say:
If the proposed sweeping eight
hour law should be adopted in No.
vember the result, and it's deplorable
consequences to the farm, orchard,
dairy and live stock industries of
Washington, will be attributable to
the insistent assertions of it's sup
porters that it has the approval Of
the official heads OF the Grange and
the Farmers Union. II the asser-
tions are not emphatically refuted
thousands of voters will say: The
Grange and the Farmers Union are
for it. SO it must not be bad thing
for the farmer"
For the supporters of the eight.
hour law to infer that and the or
ganization / represent are in favor
/of 1t from the simple fact that we are
interested in a legislative program
that has no relation to the eight-hour
law whatever, it seems to me is
very far fetched conclusion. The
Grange. the Farmers Union and the
federation of labor are agreed on
legislative program widely known as
the 'seven sisters" five of which are
to be placed on the ballot at the COM
ing election. This legislative pro-
gram has been explained many times
by our leaders as bearing no relation
to the eight-hour law.
Nothing Said About Support.
When this program was outlined
and agreed upon nothing whatever
was said concerning the eight-hour
law, for the good reason, I suppose,
that 1t was we'll known that we could
not agree to it's support. What Mr..
Kegley may have said, either before
or after this time, do not know.
What Mr.. Hughes may have said or
done, either before or after. do not
know; but do know there has never
been a mention of the eight-hour law
at any session of the committee when
/ was present, and l know that the
committee is not supporting 1t.
To be perfectly fair with organized
labor 1 do not believe they expect us
to support the eight-hour law. In fact
as understand it the bill was not
drawn by organized labor. but by the
Socialist party, and placed on the ball
lot by the Socialist organization. Mr..
Hughes is a member of this, and also
of organized labor, and / suppose Is
supporting the eight-hour law as
party measure.
No Quarrel With Labor.
With organized labor have no
Quarrel, but believe it is mistaken
economic policy even for them to ad-
vocate this eight-hour law. Their
wages will be reduced in proportion
to the hours of labor, for l am quite
sure their wages could not be increas-
ed and leave any margin to the FAR
mer. The only kind Of eight-hour
law the farmer could stand for would
be eight in the forenoon and eight IN
the afternoon, and then let some one
else set the price on his products.
At least this is what he has always
stood for and I don't see any mater
ial change.
The manufacturer can curtail the
output II the hours are reduced or he
can double the crew and run night
shift, but not so with the farmer, VINO
is in a class by himself. He works
for one or two years producing a
crop and has many thousands tied up
in machinery which can be used bus
few days in the year, and must ne
cessarily be used in as economic man
ner as possible.