WITH AN INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF THE

SAN FRANCISCO LABOR MOVEMENT

BY

LUCILE EAVES

Late Flood Fellow in Economics at the University of California
Associate Professor of Practical Sociology at the University of Nebraska

1910

BERKELEY

THE UNIVERSITY PRESS

A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE,

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

THE SAN FRANCISCO LABOR MOVEMENT

Reasons for the Leadership of San Francisco

Forms of Labor Organizations in San Francisco

The Early Period of Trade-Unionism, 1850-1870

The Workingmen's Convention of 1867

The Labor Movements of the Seventies

1

6

8

16

20

27

36

40

The Knights of Labor

41

The Internationalists

42

The Convention of 1885

43

The Federated Trades of the Pacific Coast, 1886-1892

44

New Trade-Union Aims and Methods,-Boycotts and Strike-benefits 47

The First Organized Opposition of the Employers

50

First Employers' Association

52

54

57

59

63

69

75

79

The Workingmen's Party of California, 1877-1879

Influence of the Workingmen's Party on the California Constitution

Growth towards a Unified Trade-Union Movement, 1878-1885

PAGE

1-81

Struggle between the Employers' Association and the Sailors' Union

Results of the First Contest with Organized Employers

The Revival of the San Francisco Labor Movement, 1897-1901

The Second Great Struggle of Organized Capital and Labor

Teamsters' Strike of 1901

The Labor Unions in Politics

Recent Tendencies of San Francisco Trade-Unionism

CHAPTER II.

SLAVE OR FREE LABOR IN CALIFORNIA

The Slavery Question Prior to 1849

Discussions of Slavery in the First Constitutional Convention

Compromise Measures by Which California was Admitted to the Union

Efforts to Exclude Free Negroes

.82-104

82

83

89

Increase of Negro Population

Attempts to Secure Concessions to Slavery

Movement for a Division of the State

The California Fugitive-Slave Law

The Last California Fugitive-Slave Case

CHAPTER III.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION FOR THE EXCLUSION AND REGULATION OF THE

CHINESE, 1852-1867

.105-125

105

107

110

113

114

117

119

122

The Beginnings of Chinese Immigration

The First Efforts to Secure Anti-Chinese Legislation

Opposition to the Chinese in the Mining Camps

Exclusion of Chinese Testimony from the Courts

Preliminary Summary of Anti-Chinese Legislation

Local Regulations of Chinese Labor, 1852-1867

Combined State and Local Regulations, 1855-1867

Attempts to Exclude the Chinese by State Laws, 1852-1862

The Workingmen of the Cities Take Up the Campaign Against the

Chinese

CHAPTER IV.

FEDERAL RELATIONS WITH THE CHINESE, 1840-1871

The Burlingame Treaty

Effect of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments

First Congressional Debate on the Chinese Question

CHAPTER V.

The Anti-Chinese Movements of the Early Seventies

San Francisco Ordinances Regulating the Chinese

State Anti-Chinese Legislation, 1870-1876

San Francisco Anti-Chinese Demonstrations of 1876

PAGE

90

91

92

94

99

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION FOR THE EXCLUSION AND REGULATION OF THE

CHINESE, 1867-1880

.136-161

The Workingmen's Party and the Chinese

The Chinese Question in the Constitutional Convention

Continued Efforts of the Labor Organizations to Secure Chinese

Exclusion

125

126-135

126

127

129

136

142

145

148

150

150

161

CHAPTER VI.

FEDERAL LEGISLATION REGULATING CHINESE IMMIGRATION, 1871-1902..162-196

Naturalization Laws

Laws Prohibiting Contract Labor

Early Efforts of Western Congressmen to Secure Chinese Exclusion

Joint Congressional Committee of Investigation of 1876

The First Restrictive Legislation, the Fifteen Passenger Bill

Bitter Resentment of the Veto of the Bill

Negotiation of a New Treaty with China

The Exclusion Law of 1882

Amendments to the Law of 1882

Feeling Against the Chinese in the Later Eighties

The Exclusion Laws of 1888

Renewal of the Exclusion Laws in 1892

Renewal of the Exclusion Laws in 1902

CHAPTER VII.

THE LENGTH OF THE WORK-DAY IN CALIFORNIA

The Ten-Hour Law of 1853

The Eight-Hour Movement of the Sixties

Efforts to Assist the Passage of the Federal Eight-Hour Law

Enforcement of the California Eight-Hour Law

Loss of the Shorter Work-Day

Workers

Recent Progress of the Eight-Hour Day, 1900-1908

PAGE

CHAPTER VIII.

LAWS FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE WAGES OF LABOR

General History of This Class of Legislation

Lines of Development of the Mechanics' Lien Laws

Extent of Application of Lien Laws

Funds to Pay Lien Claims

162

163

163

164

167

171

172

.197-228

197

198

206

207

212

Continued Agitation in Favor of the Eight-Hour Day

213

215

The Eight-Hour Law Advocated by the Workingmen's Party

The Eight-Hour Provision of the New Constitution

216

216

Trade-Union Efforts to Shorten the Work-Day, 1882-1890

Renewed Efforts to Enforce the Eight-Hour Law on Public Works ... 219

Amendments to the Eight-Hour Law, 1899-1901

221

Laws Restricting the Hours of Labor of Certain Special Classes of

179 1

224

225

229-260

229

232

233

236