Ten-Hour Circular
(Boston, 1835)

At a very large and respectable Meeting of House Carpenters, Masons and Stone Cutters, assembled in Julien Hall, Boston, May 4, 1835, to consider the subject of the hours of labor in order that Ten Hours should at all times constitute a day's work, the Undersigned were appointed a Committee to address a Circular to our brethren in all branches of Mechanical labor in the City, the Commonwealth and elsewhere, to inform them of the state of things in this City, relative to the subject under consideration. In performing the duties assigned to them, the Committee, by the authority in them vested for that purpose, and in the name of the Carpenters, Masons, and Stone Cutters, do respectfully represent --

That we are now engaged in a cause, which is not only of vital importance to ourselves, our families, and our children, but is equally interesting and equally important to every Mechanic in the United States and the whole world. We are contending for the recognition of the Natural Right to dispose of our own time in such quantities as we deem and believe to be most conducive to our own happiness, and the welfare of all those engaged in Manual Labor.

The work in which we are now engaged is neither more nor less than a contest between Money and Labor: Capital, which can only be made productive by labor, is endeavoring to crush labor the only source of all wealth.

We have been too long subjected to the odious, cruel, unjust, and tyrannical system which compels the operative Mechanic to exhaust his physical and mental powers by excessive toil, until he has no desire but to eat and sleep, and in many cases he has no power to do either from extreme debility.

We contend that no man or body of men, have a right to require of us that we should toil as we have hitherto done under the old system of labor.

We go further. No man or body of men who require such excessive labor can be friends to the country or the Rights of Man. We also say, that we have rights, and we have duties to perform as American Citizens and members of society, which forbid us to dispose of more than Ten Hours for a day's work.

We cannot, we will not, longer be mere slaves to inhuman, insatiable and unpitying avarice. We have taken a firm and decided stand, to obtain the acknowledgment of those rights to enable us to perform those duties to God, our Country and ourselves.

Our opponents have no arguments to adduce against our determination. We have invited them to the contest in a fair and honorable manner, but they have declined. They have used trickery, obloquy and abuse instead of reasoning. We warn all brother Mechanics, especially Carpenters, Masons and Stone Cutters, to beware of advertisements for hands. Be assured in all cases from this time, now, henceforth and forever, that whenever a Carpenter, Mason or Stone Cutter, advertises for a large number of hands as wanted in Boston or any other city or town, that it is a mere trick, to deceive and oppress you. They never guarantee to you one single day's work, and you will, as in all similar cases, get only your 1abor for your pains. There are men enough now in this city who are skillful, able, and willing to work on an equitable and just method, and the advertisements for hands are only traps to "Catch Gulls." In no instance, in no part of the United States have such calls for hands been designed for any other purpose, than the most unjustifiable and wicked deception.

Beware also of the offers of high wages. We have not asked for an increase of wages, but are willing that demand and supply should govern the price as it does that of all other disposable property. To induce you to assist them to form shackles and fetters for your own limbs and your own minds, they offer you an increase of wages. Will you be deceived by this old and shallow artifice? We believe you will not-we know you will not.

When you understand that we are contending for your rights, for the rights of your families and your children as well as our own, we feel full confidence that you will make no movement to retard the accomplishment of the glorious and holy enterprise, both yours and ours. It is for the rights of humanity we contend. Our cause is the cause of philanthropy. Our opposers resort to the most degrading obloquy to injure us. Not degrading to us, but to the authors of such unmerited opprobrium which they attempt to cast upon us. They tell us "We shall spend all our hours of leisure in Drunkenness and Debauchery if the hours of labor are reduced."

We hurl from us the base, ungenerous, ungrateful, detestable, cruel, malicious slander, with scorn and indignation.

We assert and challenge the world to controvert the position that excessive labor has been the immediate cause of more intemperance than all other causes combined. Physical exhaustion craves and will have excitement of some kind, and the cause of Temperance never will prevail until slavery among Mechanics shall cease from the land.

We are friends to temperance "in all things," but any man who requires of us excessive labor is intemperate; if he is not actuated by ardent spirits, he is controlled by a spirit of inhumanity equally fatal to human happiness.

It is not a long period since some of our opposers made it a rule to furnish a half pint of ardent spirits to each man, every day, for no other purpose than to urge the physical powers to excessive exertion; thank God, those days have passed away, but they will ever remain a foul blot on the pages of History. Now we are told that excessive labor is the only security against intemperance.

To show the utter fallacy of their idiotic reasoning, if reasoning it may be called, we have only to say, they employ us about eight months in the year during the longest and the hottest days, and in short days, hundreds of us remain idle for want of work, for three or four months, when our expenses must of course be the heaviest during winter. When the long days again appear, our guardians set us to work as they say, "to keep us from getting drunk." No fear has ever been expressed by these benevolent employers respecting our morals while we are idle in short days, through their avarice. We would not be too severe on our employers, they are slaves to the Capitalists, as we are to them. "The power behind" their "throne is greater than the throne itself." But we cannot bear to be the servant of servants and slaves to oppression, let the source be where it may. We will be so no longer, for it is rank injustice. Further, they threaten to starve us into submission to their will. Starve us to prevent us from getting drunk! Wonderful Wisdom! Refined Benevolence! Exalted Philanthropy!

The property holders in this city are dependent night and day upon the Mechanics, to man their Fire Engines; good policy might seem to dictate to them the expediency of providing a new set of firemen, before they starve the present ones or drive them to the extremity of leaving their Engine Houses desolate unto them. We are willing to bear our portion of the burthens, and perform our part of the services of social life, if we can be treated as men and not as beasts of burthen. We claim by the blood of our fathers, shed on our battle-fields in the War of the Revolution, the rights of American Freemen, and no earthly power shall resist our righteous claims with impunity. When we hear men, not only Employers, but "highminded" and honorable Merchants and Capitalists, as they are called, who are not only dependent on us for the protection of their property, but for a safe night's rest. When we hear such men say that we shall all become drunkards, and they intend to starve us into submission to their high will, we pity their infatuation and have painful apprehensions for the safety of the social Fabric. But the public mind is with us. The glorious work goes nobly on. Many employers have acceded to our reasonable demands, and in a few days we sincerely hope and believe that the victory over old prejudices and antiquated customs will be triumphantly complete.

Mechanics of Boston-stand firm-Be true to your selves. Now is the time to enroll your names on the scroll of history as the undaunted enemies of oppression, as the enemies of mental, moral and physical degradation, as the friends of the human race.

The God of the Universe has given us time, health and strength. We utterly deny the right of any man to dictate to us how much of it we shall sell. Brethren in the City, Towns and Country, our cause is yours, the cause of Liberty, the cause of God. Respectfully yours, A. H. WOOD, SETH LUTHER, LEVI ABELL–Committee.

Editors of newspapers in the United States who are in favor of equal rights, are respectfully requested to publish this Circular. THE COMMITTEE. Boston, May 8, 1835.