Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 8.djvu/542

 522 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

The eight-hour day is not a new question. As early as 1842, and still earlier, in England such a working day was agitated, but so far in advance of the hours then worked was the demand that little attention was paid to the movement. The agitation for the eight-hour day has been materially affected by historical and industrial events. The Civil War postponed the whole question of shorter hours for several years, and the movement was just gathering strength when the panic of 1873 again post- poned its consideration. In the next twenty years the railroad strikes of 1877, the industrial depression of 1883, the Haymarket riot of 1886, and the panic of 1893 kept the question in the background; but after the long series of difficulties, during a time of great prosperity, the eight-hour day again made its appearance for serious consideration.

The basis of this extraordinary movement is a philosophical one, strongly stated and widely believed. It may be briefly put as follows : Economic ills come from poverty, poverty in turn is due to overproduction and the presence of the unemployed in large numbers in society. Society can be relieved from this burden by larger wages and shorter hours of labor. Shorter hours in turn mean an increased standard of living, wider con- sumption, and in consequence a larger demand, causing the crea- tion of goods at a lower price and the continuous employment of labor in order to meet the demand and furnish the supply. In such a philosophy the standard of living is governed by wants, and wants are determined by the social opportunities of the masses. All of this can be accomplished by reducing the hours of labor. Wages under such system, it is argued, will be increased in two ways: by reducing enforced idleness and by creating new wants and raising the standard of living.

The arguments back of the philosophy of the eight-hour day may be grouped under the three heads of economic, social, and human necessities. It is demanded by economic necessity, for the reason that the modern factory can turn out more goods than are needed to supply the wants of people. Machines and inven- tions are continually introduced, resulting in no higher wages for the worker and the piling up of goods for which there is no