THE FARMER AND THE LABOR QUESTION. 389 



As a proposition by itself this can not be sustained except 

 upon the supposition that eight hours is a proper clay's work 

 and the sum paid for such a day a fair price. As a matter of 

 fact, what is demanded is that the state shall pay for eight 

 hours at least as much as individuals pay for a longer day. 

 Another matter to be considered is the logical effect of making 

 an eight-hour day for all workingmen, "All" workingmen 

 include the employees of farmers. As farming life goes, eight- 

 hour days are impracticable. The work must contiime longer, 

 and I do not think ftirmers would be satisfied to continue 

 work for three or four hours while the employee smoked his 

 pipe and looked on. And yet it is difficult to see how the 

 state can discriminate in favor of one class of workmen and 

 against another. It is difficult to see, but not impossible. As 

 a matter of fact, the state can do, and ought to do, what is for 

 the general good of society, and if that should be seen to 

 involve an eight-hour day for one class and a twelve-hour day 

 for another, that ought to be the law. 



The question then arises whether it is just that the farmer 

 work twelve hours — as he must — while the artisan works 

 eight, and especially that the farmer should aid to pass laws 

 for securing to the artisan that advantage which he is not able 

 to obtain by unaided efforts. It is also ^ question how much 

 workingmen can be helped by the eight-hour day. In the 

 end, unless society comes to the aid of the artisan, the result 

 must be a lowering of wages, but the advantage will doubtless 

 be gained of a wider distribution of wages. These are ques- 

 tions which must be settled after more profound study than 

 can be given here, upon the principle of doing that which is 

 best for society. There can be no question of the deplorable 

 condition of a large fraction of humanity, or of the economic 

 wisdom, saying nothing of the moral obligation, of affording 

 relief At first thought the interests of the farmer would seem 

 to lie in the direction of opposition to the eight-hour day and 

 permitting the full operation of the law of competition among 

 workingmen, and between them and their employers, but I 

 am not at all sure that that would be the conviction after 

 final thought. 



