Daily National Intelligencer And Washington Express

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE

The Eight-Hour System.

"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." Such is the opinion of the house-carpenters in this city. Thursday night last they held a meeting for the purpose of considering the fact that the hands now at work on the new post office building in New York are made to work ten hours per day, in violation of the national eight-hour law. When Congress passed that law it was intended that all public work should be done at eight hours per day, and to evade it now, is trifling with the feelings of working men.

The carpenters that held the meeting the other night were independent of the association of this city, but the meeting was respectable in numbers and intelligence. They adopted, unanimously, the following preamble and resolutions:

Whereas we have been informed that the contractors erecting the post-office building in the city of New York are working their hands ten hours per day, in violation of the plain intent and meaning of the national eight-hour law: Therefore-

Resolved, 1. That we now more than ever see the necessity of uniting the labor interests of the country so that we may act together whenever circumstances may require it.

2. That we are in favor of holding a State convention of delegates to organize a "Mechanics State Council" for the State of Maryland and District of Columbia and to adopt a plan for effectually uniting the labor elements.

3. That we request the Workingmen's Assembly of the District of Columbia to fix a day when such convention will meet in this city, and to take such steps as may be necessary to insure success.

4. That the newspapers of this District and State of Maryland are requested to give publicity to the proceedings of this meeting and encourage its objects.

We publish their proceedings with pleasure, and will do all in our power to advance the interests and better the condition of the toiling masses everywhere: it is their industry that makes the country. On them we depend for everything necessary for our present and future greatness.

The mechanics should, by all means, have a convention, consult about what ought to be done, and do what they may think right and needful.

The plan suggested for organization strikes us favorably; it is to have in each city, county, or town, primary associations of each trade, and where there are not enough of one trade to form a society, to unite the trades in one association. These trade societies are to elect one delegate for each, and an additional one for every one hundred members thereof who together are to compose a convention to form a State council for Maryland and the District. After the organization of the council, they will provide for the organization of city and county assemblies, to be composed of delegates from the primary associations. The assemblies will be charged with the duty of doing whatever may be necessary for the good of the associations in their jurisdiction, and will elect delegates annually to compose the State council.

This plan seems to meet with favor among the trade societies in this city, and will more than likely meet the views of those in Baltimore and other cities in the State and District.

We hope the associations will send their most intelligent and best men to the proposed convention, that good may come out of the movement.

It is not designed to interfere with any organization of laboring men, but to harmonize and unite them in undertakings for the general good of all of them.

As the associations act upon these resolutions we shall be pleased to have a report of their proceedings.