The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-11-10

eight hours than he does within a
more extended day, and the whole
theory of it-a theory which is sus-
tanned now by abundant experience
is that his efficiency is increased, his
spirit in his work improved, and the
whole morale and vigor of the man is
added to.
This is no longer conjecturaI.
Where it has been tried it has been
demonstrated.
"And, therefore, l said to those
gentlemen on both sides at the very
beginning: The eight-hour day ought
to be conceded!' But they said: 1t
will cost us an immense sum of
money How do you know how much
it will cost your
you remember there was a case
decided by the supreme court of the
United States. 1t was known as the
S0-cent gas case where, by legislation
in the State of New York, so cents was
established as the charge for the
unit of the supply of gas, and the Jaw
was contested upon the ground that
it was confiscatory, and therefore I'M
constitutional.
"And when the appeal reached the
supreme court of the United States, it
said: Nobody can tell until you try
to manufacture gas at 80 cents
whether it is confiscatory or not. Go
ahead and manufacture gas and sell
it for 80 cents and then, if it proves
impossible to conduct your business
upon that charge, come back and dis
cuss with us the confiscatory char
acter of this act And it may be re-
marked in passing that the company
never went back to discuss it.
81 said to the railroad executives:
You are asking that the result of the
eight-hour day be predicted and the
prediction be arbitrated. You are
asking for an arbitration of a con-
the figures of experts based upon an
entirely different experience, and if
you were to ask me personally to
arbitrate such a question, | would say
am not competent to arbitrate it,
"'The reasonable thing to do is to
grant the eight-hour day, not because
the men demand it, but because it is
right, and let me get authority from
congress to appoint a commission of
as impartial nature as | can choose
to observe the results and report upon
the results in order that justice may
in the event be done the railroads in
respect of the cost of the experiment.
That was the proposal which l
made to them before | conferred with
congress, which l urged upon them at
every conference, and which when the
one side rejected and the other side
accepted | went to congress and asked
congress to enact. | did not ask either
side whether it suited them, and | re
quested my friends in congress not to
ask either side whether it suited
them.
II learned before the controversy
began, so far as I was concerned in
it, that the whole temper of the Iegis-
Iative body of the United States was
in favor of the eght-hour day.
when I carried it to congress some
very interesting things happened. In
the house of representatives the plan
was passed, was sanctioned by vote
which~included, l am told, about 70
republicans, as against 81 republicans,
and in the senate, am informed, that
the republican members of the senate
had a conference in which they de-
termined to put no obstacle in the way
of the passage of the bill. Now, this
was because the proposal was reason
able and was based upon right.
But, ladies and gentlemen, that is
not the end of the story. This thing
ought to have been done, and it had
to be done at the time that it was
done, so as to bring about a reason
able trial of the eight-hour day, and a |
careful examination of the results of |
The eight-hour day. But that does not |
finish the matter Let me call your
attention to what | believe we ought !
all to be thinking about, so as to set
he stage for this and all similar cases.
There are some things in which
society is so profoundly interested !
nat its interests take precedence of
he interests of any group of men
whatever. One of these things is the
'upply of the absolute necessaries of
lie. 1t would be intolerable if at anv
Inc any group of men by any process
should be suffered to cut society off
rom the necessary supplies which
sustain life
But these supplies are of no use.
lnless they can be distributed. and in
ne matter of the distribution of goods.
PARTICULARLY of the goods that sustain
lie and industry, the interest of So
'lety Is paramount to every other in
crest, and the difficulty about all
mutations like that which we have just