Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1889 edition. Excerpt: ... cember, 1888--Machinery rules the man--Until the masses control machinery, land, and currency the machine will control the man and dictate his hours oi labor. LTHOUGH the demand for a reduction ** the hours of labor to eight per day was made by the National Labor Union in 1866, and still later by the Industrial Brotherhood, the agitation did not assume very great proportions until the Knights of Labor took up the question by the adoption of the preamble of the last named society in 1878. Before entering upon the task of placing before the public the history of the movement since 1878, a brief survey of the field of operations previous to that date will prove instructive. In 1825 the question of reducing the hours of labor to ten per day was begun, and it was continued by the organizations of that day until it was recognized by the United States government. In 1837 Martin Van Buren entered upon the discharge of his duties as President of the United States, and one of the most important acts of his administration was to issue an order making TEN HOURS A DAY'S WORK in all government workshops, although the employes of other establishments doing similar work, obliged men to work eleven and twelve hours a day as before. The employes of the government worked but ten, and suffered no reduction in wages. Those who take pains to study the question of machinery and its effect on labor will at once admit that it is absolutely necessary to reduce the hours of labor. The contrast between the hand labor of thirty years ago, and the machine labor of to-day furnishes a sufficient argument for those who take the side of shorter hours for the mechanic. I will not attempt to detail the efforts of Congress to give to labor a recognition of its ability to...