It was progressive compared to the attitudes of a century earlier: "Poverty ... is a most necessary and indispensable ingredient in society, without which nati

It was progressive compared to the attitudes of a century earlier: "Poverty ... is a most necessary and indispensable ingredient in society, without which nations and communities could not exist in a state of civilisation. It is the lot of man – it is the source of wealth, since without poverty there would be no labour, and without labour there could be no riches, no refinement, no comfort, and no benefit to those who may be possessed of wealth." — Patrick Colquhoun, 1806 Also, there was a simpler argument against a decent wage: If you give Those Sorts any more than the bare minimum needed to keep body and soul together, they'll just squander it on loose women, drink, and riotous behavior, leading to the decay of the family and the end of our Christian society. Fighting for the eight-hour workday amounted to fighting against this perception. > The eight-hour day, another said, would encourage "loafing and gambling, rioting, debauchery, and drunkenness." http://www.dickmeister.com/id368.html http://www.dickmeister.com/id368.html