The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-10-06
Working Hours.


Democrats and Republicans alike
are fully aware that when the war
closes in Europe that European coun-
tries those of the allies and those of
the Centrap Powers as well, will each
organize to capture. so far as they
can. the markets of the world for the
distribution of the outputs OF their
industries.
Democrats and Republicans alike
realize that when the disbanded arm
les return to their homes, and the re-
turned soldiers seek employment at
their former vocations, the mills.
the shops, the factories of Europe
will be offered labor at low prices,
and that every wheel apd every loom
and every forage and every furnace
will be put to work using that low
priced labor. and that its outputs will
be pressed for sale in our markets
as well as the markets of-every 9TH
n country on the face of the earth.
British and French, German and
Russian, Austrian and japanese, Bel
gian and Turkish industries will be
supplied with millions of men who
have for years endured hardships and
privations upon daily pay that would
not provide PHI average American
family with bread alone, and these
millions must work, and will work at
starvation wages. and the markets of
other nations will be swamped by
their cheaply produced and cheaply
sold outputs.
The gold that these countries have
parted with since the war began.
these foreign Governments, foreign
bankers, foreign manufacturers, for
eign merchants, with their foreign
fleets. of merchantmen" will organize
to regain, and they will strive their
utmost to regain it from the people
of the United States, who now hold
much of it in their possession.
Society in the United States may
favor an eight-hour day,as President
Wilson says, and every person in this
country would be delighted if our
farmers and our farm labOrers, our
merchants and their clerks, our man
ufacturers and their operating forces,
our mine owners and our miners, our
contractors and their workers could
all afford TO work but eight hours or
five hours or three hours and make
profits over and above expenses on
their work at those hours. But how
about it when society in foreign lands
completes with our outputs through
its outputs of workers on one-third
wages admirably organized and very
efficient working 10, - and even II
hours per day in foreign countries
What chances for keeping our trade
in foreign markets under these cir
cumstnces? What prospect of keep
ing our own markets from being
saw ny hibhNi
duties?
1t will take all the energy, all the
knowledge, all the wisdom of our
statesmen and of our business men
after the close OF this European war
to prevent disaster to our manufac-
turers in many lines, and to prevent
shutdowns and lockouts in our indus
trial districts.
II the interests of the United
States are not made the paramount
interests by the Government of the
United States, if theories do not give
place to thoroughly practical ideas
and methods, if stalwart American
ism does not succeed to idiosycra-
cies in our foreign relations, il will
not be question of eight hours
work in our mills and shops and
mines and factories, but a question
of shutdOwns and no work at all
Enquirer.