Year: 1871

Of Congress to vote for it before the holi.
days. The gentlemen might as well set
their sails to meet the coming storm.
There had been a little process
sion In the streets of New
York last Sunday. The men who
took part in it meant business. They could
not have their agents go before Congress as
the capitalists had, but they were coming
to the conflict in 1872 between labor and
capital. 1t would be one of the most re-
markable events in the history Of the coun-
try. The clans were gathering. They
would come from the mountain top, from
the valley, from the plains, from the far-ofI
frontier, from the sea, from the river and
from the lakes, in one common union against
the wrongs inflicted upon them, and tie
motto on their banners would be Equality
before the law"


MIR Briggs said the Democratic party was
the natural protector Of the laboring classes
and the Republican party had extracted
more money from the working men in the
past ten years than the Democrats had in
4lyears. The gentleman from Massachusetts
(Hoar) could not talk any more about the
negro, and now he wanted to get up little
sympathy from the laboring men, but they
understand this There was not an intelli-
gent man in the House who believed that a
man could obtain livelihood for his wife
and children by working only eight hours
day. What right had the State to come
and say that a man should not work ten
hours or twelve hours or fourteen hours a
day if he saw proper to do so. Ii the gen.
tieman wanted to regulate the relations OF
labor and capital, he should go to his own
State and set the example, instead of ex-
citing the whole laboring classes by the in
Producing of such measure as this.


Mr. Bingham advocated the proposed In
Vestigation, which he believed should be
made by the Committee on Education and
Labor. An investigation would tend to
allay the wrong impressions of foreign
workingmen coming to this country. He
had no fear Of the result. He was perfectly
willing that an investigation should be
made. He wished the whole record OF
American labor to be made as clear as the
sunlight to the oppressed men of other
countries. They would then understand
that it is the pride and boast of America that
here for the first time and by the di-
rect Intervention of law, has been Sc
cured a fair days wages for a fair
days work. He cared nothing what might
be advocated by the Internationals or the
Commune. The people of the country
were enlightened. They knew their rights,
and knowing dare maintain. Let the in
quiry be made, and the fact would be made
to appear, that within the limits of Ohio.
for example, where there were no more
than $4,000 square miles of territory, and
100000 people, there were more free
holders, more men who had a permanent
stake in the soil, than there were in Great
Britain with her 100000 square miles of
territory and her 27,000,000 of people.


Mr.. Stevenson sent to the clerks desk
and had read letter received from William
Latin, the President of the Iron Moulders'
International Union of Cincinnati, stating
that the eyes of the laboring classes were on
the fate of Hoar's bill.


Mr.. Hoar closed the debate. He eharac-
terized Mr.. Campbell's amendment TO refer
to select committee as an attack upon the
President.


Mr.. Campbell disclaimed any such mo-
tive.


Mr.. Hoar said that two things were to
be accomplished by the investigation, first a
and fair ascertainment of the
facts and second, the satisfaction of the
country with the result. Both these were
under the proposition of the
gentleman from Ohio. The President was
a man of courage, but there was one thing
which he dared not do and that was to de-
vote this commission to political or partisan
purposes. The President was to exercise
the authority conferred on him in the eyes
of the anxious expecting aroused sentiment
of the laboring classes.


Mr.. Campbell asked Mr.. Hoar if he
thought the President would appoint a
Democrat on the commission.


Mr.. Hoar thought the President would If
he could find a Democrat thoroughly
capable and interested in the investigation.


In reply to a remark made by Mr.. Briggs
in relation to the miserable condition of the
factory boys and girls of Massachusetts,
Mr.. Hoar said that if single boy or girl of
is years of age, instead of being in the
common school or in the bosom of the fam
lily, was working in a factory until nature
failed and water had to be thrown in its
face, the cost of the commission would not
be thrown away, il that one thing alone
was disclosed and held up in the face of day
and remedied. He would ask the gentle
man from Delaware if the Massachusetts
law which forbade the employment of chill
dren in factories, unless they had no oppor-
tunity to attend school, was not better than
not having any common school and sending
ignorant boys and girls to the pillory or
whipping post.


Mr.. Briggs said it was right and proper
for Massachusetts to establish her labor bu-
reau, but she should not come to Congress
for that purpose. As to the whipping post
in Delaware, that was an institution which
the people of that State were proud Of. 1t
had only been established for felons and
and thieves and robbers, and it
was to be said to the great glory of the
State that no man had ever been brought
back second time after being properly
whaled. [Great laughter.]


Mr.. Hoar inquired whether no women
were ever whipped there a second time.


Mr.. Briggs was unable to say, but there
had been quite an emigration from Dela-
ware to Massachusetts. Uaughter.)


Mr.. Hoar said if the gentleman or any
one else thought the system Of Della
ware better than that of Massachusetts,
be was welcome to do SO. Who would dare
say he would refuse the investigation de-
manded by all the organizations of labor,
and refuse to have it made by the ablest and
most impartial and most competent person?
On these two propositions he would rest
the bill, and call for vote on it.


The vote was first taken on Mr.. Burch-
ards amendment directing the investigation
to be made by the Bureau of Statistics,
which uae nepatived The vote tVas tbaD
taken on Mr. Campbell's proposition for the
of joint committee, and it
was negatived. The vote was then taken
on Mr.. Killinger's amendment requiring
one of the commissioners TO be practically
with the laboring interests of the
country, and limiting the term of the COM
mission to one year, and was agreed to.


Mr.. Farnsworth moved an amendment to
Mr.. killinger's amendment by requiring
the three commissioners to be practically
identified with the interests of labor.


Mr.. Hoar said he would accept that.


Mn. Garfield objected on the ground that
the Commissioners would all be on one
side of the question, but he subsequently
his objection.


Mr. Hoar then objected, but he too it'll
drew his objection.


Then Mr.. Killinger objected.


Mr.. Farnsworth then limited his proper
ton to two members of the Commissioners.


Mr.. Pierce objected.


A vote was taken on Mr.. Pierce's amend
ment requiring the Commissioners to be Sc
lected solely with reference to their charac-
ter and capacity, and was agreed to.


The last amendment was that offered by