158 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
8, 1829. The presiding officer was an appraiser,, and the two 
secretaries and chief speaker, merchants. 51 Resolutions cover¬ 
ing frauds, etc., were prepared, and it was further “Resolved, 
That these evils are continually increasing, and unless speedily 
and effectually checked, threaten to involve the mechanics, mer¬ 
chants and manufacturers in one common destruction.” 52 
This takes us through the part of the Yew York Anti-Auction 
struggle which assumed a, political character. We are forced to 
conclude that this was only a segment of a larger movement; 
that it came about as a result of a variety of causes, chief of 
which were the importance of Yew York City as an importing 
center; to frauds upon the revenue due to lax custom regula¬ 
tion ; to the policy of granting credits for custom duties; to the 
dumping policy of England; to the monopoly which the state 
fostered; to the unwillingness of Yew York to give relief to the 
merchants, because of the revenues from auction sales; to the 
refusal of the regularly nominated candidates of the old political 
parties to pledge themselves; and finally to the determination 
of the mercantile class to stand together for the redress of their 
grievances. 
Yow passing to the other half of this paper, viz., the Work¬ 
ingmen’s Party and its connection with the Anti-Auction Move¬ 
ment, we find a decidedly different set of circumstances. 
The Workingmen’s Party was started in a general meeting 53 
April 23, 1829., for the purpose of protesting against a change 
in the length of the working day. A Committee of Eifty, to 
supervise the general movement was appointed at a meeting, 
April 28, 1829, and reported at a meeting Oct. 19, 1829. At 
the October meeting Isaac Odell 54 was chairman and the Sec¬ 
retaries were Wm. G. Tillow and Robt. D. Owen. 55 In the 
Report no mention was made of the ten hour day, but the things 
5 1 Workingmen’s Advocate, Dec. 12, 1829, p. 3, col. 4; also Niles Reg. 
Yol. 37, p. 303, Jan. 2, 1830. 
52 Workingmen’s Advocate, Dec. 12, 1829, p. 3, col. 4. 
53 Morning Courier, Apr. 25, 1829 (copy). 
54 A Carpenter. N. Y. Directory, 1828-29. _ 
55 Owen says that he was unacquainted with the purpose of this 
meeting and went to it as a stranger. Workingmen’s Advocate Oct. 
31, 1829 (copy), also N. Y. Spectator Oct. 30, 1829, p. 1. 
