Year: 1866

Oihers-Reselutions,m Music, Fireworks,


and Enthusiasm.


A mass meeting Of the wOrkingmen of New
York. Jersey City, and Brooklyn. in favor Of the Eight
Hour movement was held last evening at Union
square, -Four stands erected In the vicinity OF the
Mason Doree and in consequence of the mildness OF
the evening" well the interest felt In the under
taking the attendance very largo. Shortly after
o'clock delegations from the different Trades Unions
with banners music torchlighs and transparencles
marched to Unionsquare and took up their allotted
positions around the several stands. Shorty aiter
O'Clock Stand No. was organized by the appointment
Of Mr.. John Reid President OF the Workingmen's
Union, as Chairman aud MIR. H. a. w Wnltueiu as oeo-
retary. -


After thanking the meeting for the honor conferred
Mr. Reid said: We are not unaware OF our strength
physically and politically neither we Ignorant OF how
it might be eectualy used but 1t Is our glory and our
boast that we have reached q higher standard. we
can afford TO put this question upon the very highest
ground. The mean intrigue Of the demagogue Is be-
meath our plan Of action; to II hope we will never de-
scend We choose rather to appeal TO the justice anu
consideration of the citizens Of this great metropolis to
whom have never appealed III vain when our cause
right ard reasonable. .


Acknowledgment. you know that speak the truth.
and your sentiments, when say that we would DO no.
thing to impair the prosperity and position OF our elty
or country If more sacrifices were needed, II
toll and labor were wanted to sustain them we
would gladly furnish i-but Of this We are not con-
yineed We all know that labor can be prosecuted on
two principles that of strength and swkwardness. and
that Of skill and ingenuity. The age OF the former Is
past and gone. We not now in the ages OF wheel
barrows and hand-carts but in that Of locomotives and
steam engines. 1t folly II Is madness. II is suicide
for a man or men, to work himself or themselves TO
DEATH when the forces energies Of nature lie slum.
bering In bills and valleys waiting for science and
skill to harness and operate them We know that labor
in q reasonable measure. Is still necessary ana that
"root hog die" is still natures mandate and must
be obeyed; but also know that the less hoggshness
that enters into the roofing there will be the more sue
cess to chronicle. We are willing to do all the labor
that IA necessary but not one stroke more. and 1t is
neither lust nor generous TO ask IT, We fully con
ynced that the system OF cooperation or sehep Is the
great and only solution OF the labor problem aud favor
its adoption speedily and universally possible but
this remedy or measure can only be made partially
available present The great mass must get along on
the old wages system for some time to come. That
| il NAV vet be reached 1 make doubt
Al series Of resolutions were then adopted regretting
the defeat of the eight hour bill in the Assembly ask
ing the adoption Of the ordinance blythe Common Coun'
ell Of this city and Congress- congratuating ONO on
the action Of its Legislature and uphodns the system
| OF cooperation In case OF strikes.


| Mr. sPESCEBs REMARKS.


Mr.. SPENCER, after giving expression to the pleasure
which be fel, in addressing them the workiDgmen OF
New.York said that he had hoped to be preceded In
his remarks that evening by the Hon Mr. Brandreth
but circumstances had prevented him (Mr b. from at
tending. However he would read q letter RON Mr..
Brandreth which he hoped the reporters would note.
Mr. SPENCER then read Mr.. Brsndreths letter, re-
GREETING his inability to attend and fully indor'ing the
i


| Mr. Spencer then proceeded to say that they have
assom bled to show TO the Congress Of the United
States their discrimination to perseyere By every ess
DAYS work. The mechanics OF this city gathered
around these stands night spoke In unmistskabic
terms the fact that the conspiracy against the rights oil
obor shall be crushed and ground TO powder ii was
bnt short time since this movement was inaugurated
and already the Judiciary Committee at Washington
| reported TO the House fsyoraby on the subject oi
making eight hours a days work We may dlner on the
of Congress In other respects but We all heartily
ndorsed them on this point and ne did % n1s tnlna
The bill making eight hours galdayswork has been
defeated IN the Legislature but vote OF "a In its
favor assures OF success In the future. froniheh'
among its supporters were Messrs. Tremain Little
John with the disgraceful exception 81 Mr. Stevenson
lIHsses He had spent great portion OF bis hie IN
endeavorng to emancipale the black slaves OF tne
South and now he hoped to devote few more years 70
the dsenhrament Of the white slaves OF oyerwrough'
labor at the North. LCheers He believed eight hours


fair days work and THAT taking one year WIN anoth
er the man who works eight hours day would accom-
Il plsh as much the who works IL. The stands
were breaking down. but that was another Illustration
in favor Of the movement; "Ihe stands VIII 40 wei
enough II you do not overload them lCheers


Mr. Sponsor spoke length on toe SUBJECT cohcuuin0
his remarks amid much applause


The Hon. HORACE GREELEY was next Introduced
| and received with immense cheering, which lasted
several secoDds.


Mr. GREELEY's REMARKS.


Mr.. GREELEY said that he had been asked by theil
Chairman 10 address them tonight on the Eight Hou





and appropriate arrangement that we should have one
third OF time for sleep onethrd for labor and one
to him lust and bencent result at which we should
all aim and to which he believed and trusted we shall
ultimately come He bad not yet been able TO ge'
down to ten hours day yet and In that respect his
experience had been similar to that o. per
hnps. the majority Of those who heaId him
The fault Of this age is that workers. whether with
hand or brain labor too hard and too long We have
too many idlers and too many who do great deal
more than mans part. 1t appeared that the result
ut which they arrived and TO which he trusted modern
society tends is TO diminish the labor OF the too.hard
worked and increase that OF another class, the
idlers. lAppausel We have too many iders He
did not wish to excite prejudice against any man who
is able to live without labor In this city we employ
more than 100000 persons who add nothing what
ever to the wealth of the world. They are
mere distributors. There has been too often q
prejudice S0,er sgaI, %Ssn
sewing. machine was invented, the instrnmen,
which does the work Of thousand needles, 1t wal
said there now the needle women have got to sarye.
We see that there has been 10 such result. In the
same way with the steam engine The steam.engine
has increased the Iooductycness OF human labor He
had not much faith in legislation for reducing the hours
OF labor. His experience had been that legislation has
done very little because II has been able 10 do very
little However he willing to see the experiment
tried, though he did not place much trust in It, We
must first double and Quadrupe labor and decrease
very much the distributors Of IL Labor should take
little more responsibility on itself Why should
not the shoemakers sell to the housebuders directly
! ana not through tno agency oi eo
with other trades He hoped time would come when
Labor would 20 to work, choose Its own suPerintend.
ents and make their own plans. The Improvement In
the condition of labor Is ~ great extent the work OF
the aborers themselves, by thrift by forecast by plan.
1t very thing to talk dsparagjngy OF head
labor that it is no work but the man who can tell US
how to save ton million days work In the build.
ing OF the Pacific Railroad. lsbors as much as
| if be took up shovel and helped to dig 1t.
Heads are az much needed In work az hands, He 70.
gsrded the future with hope. This work Of reducing
the hours Of labor Just and desirable and he trusted


and belle we'd that by constant steady work they would