Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-08-27
On THE MECHANIC VOCATION.

II the House of Representatives. n Mr.. Hoo
bait, of Leicester, undertook L. ridicule the
population of Boston; calling them +" set Of
printers, b,"k-binders, BARRIERS. tailnrs and
tinkers, moving here and there without any
per nancnt places of abode Mr. BAyIiEs,
of Taunton, replied in the following happy
manner.
have had some experience i'm legislation, !
having held scat in different legislative bo-
dies Tor ten years. have listened u many
legislative debates, aud have heard many
extraordinary speeches, but | confess the
most extraordinary was the one which WAS
made by the gentleman from Leicester, yes
terday. Is that gentleman aware ni the cha.
ractci of his proposition? In adjusting the
Terms ui an amendment TO the constitution,
lie advocates the establishment of 4 principle
which would tolerate bona .f,ie aristocracy
lie has yrarciy urged upon TINS assembly,
the pr, ,riciynf giving To one class ot CHI.
zens greater privileges than arc allowed IL the
other classes. Ii his ropositon prevails, one
class musi be favored at the expense at the
other, and those thus favored, bnco,re virtu-
ally an aiistncracy; fir 1t Is not titles that
cnIistit ute an ist"cracy, but privileges. lie
would deny an equality III rights and pr'vl!e.
blacksmi;hs, .ublers, tail"rs, baIb"rs aud tin
kcrs; or in other words, the mechanics of
our state, an whom he has lavishcd his sncrrs,
aud whom he endeavnurs to cnver with CON
tempt. He speaSs of Them as birds al pas
sage" I" moving planets, as devoid both OF
pairintisu and local attachments, as men
without home, who hang un society as IN.
cumbrances and he has placed them la hu.
initiating contrast with the culivatprs ui the
soil la which class lie cUmplacently tells us
HE belongs.
Sir, there are none who cherish more
sincere respect ior the yennlanry, e farmers
OF Massachusetts, than myself know their
worth ! knnw their virtues | wunid .ive
them their full share of civil and political
privileges, hut ] would give them no more
and III understand their feelings, they would
ask no more. am certain they would never
contend for more than an equality of prvic-
yes; and believe them 10 be the last who
would undertake To wreSt from their neigh
bours one lite of their right.
The gentleman from Leicester has called
mp his revolutionary "reminiscences, and has
told us nf his peis nal knowledge of the pat
riots and heroes who composed the plunuus
band "f revolutionary Chiefs tine men who
were engaged in the nobest enterprise o.
modern times. But, sir, | can tell that gen
OF that country of Worcester, that ho can
look for these daring spirits, who gave The
hrst impulse which resulted in that mighty
event. In twn little rooms in this city, were
assembled the men who devised the project
Oh eiiIancipatiny anatlnn-thc pioneers oi the
american revolution were the Mechanics al
aston. In then meetings they dchberatrd
on the highest obiccls ol human cone, rnmrnt
IA nations rights and having asceitaimed
the strength of the fnuudatInn they had no
dread at the issue, and cuuried the conflict
can transport the gentleman - aunihe:
pace the Carpenters Hall in The city uf
rhiiideiphia In that place, on IL day mem
ornblein our annals, the 4,h day uf July,
'"o, deed was done which has no parallel
I'm That day in tint place, was assembled the
most august pulitIcai body that ever del,be,a-
led na.ion's destiny. Five men had been
selected as the elite of that assembly, the
greatest amongst the nations wrongs. A
m"ng them was n man by the name of BEN
janin Franklin. (thc gentleman from Leices-
ter, IN his Uu!tiariDus reading. may have
read oi him y man mighty amongst The
sons at men, who by common consent. stood
at the head III the philosophers Of America
and at Europe, whose deep Investigations in
t. the secrets at nature, had given him the
I'm 'wledIe of her suatlcst, most mysterious,
IL,
winch he disarned at its power Yes SIR, he
played with the t"rked iighinngs as with a
timed snake /; and yet, the elements OF that
marvellous wisdom, which enlightened and
ast"nIshed the world, We're gathered la a
Printers Office, and this great man was
Printer.
There was another, not the inferior of
Franklin in sagaciiy: his superior in sound
Practical knowledge ofpnlitiGs: u man whose
opinion we're the essence of st.nnp Common
scuscs, The results nj he united action oi il
clear head and an honest heat The name
oi this man was Roger Sherman (Ihe gentle
man "f Leicester has heard Of him } This
Roger Sherman wrought at the trade al Il
shoemaker MANY years after lie had reached
the age of maturity.
There was yet another, not a mechanic
himself, but the son ola mechanic, and bread
III tn" family of mechanic. ] will now
lake the gentleman from tile room where the
statesmen at America assembled, to that i'm
which The Philosophers ui America assembled
In The chair Il the last, he once would have
seer David RIttenhouse, Matchmaker, ono
OF Tie greatest astronomers and ,uatheu,aii-
clans of the aye.
Will take the gentleman a little farther.
even INTO the State of South Carolina and MS
lie lvcd III revolutionary Umes he might
once nave heard nf % general who was one of
lie hrst OF military men, genius who could
appropriate the benefits of his enemy S victo-
RES 10 his "wn use, and triumph in defeat.
and whose victories were conquest His
name was Nathaniel Greene, a blacksmith
like my worthy friend from Ilinsdale, (Mr.
Emmons) tie went forth from his snithery
to lead armies and to WIN gIory-a hero AT,
Il pairut.
Il will now take the gentleman To Germa-
ny and as he has Disclosed ln us that he is a
reader OF the scriptures by plentiful quota
lions aud aIlusons, will show him The man,
without whose aid he might possibly have
never seen bible. ! mean sir, John Fous-
tus, printer, and the inventor of the art Of
printing.
Will now take the gentleman to England.
tn Introduce him To person by the name of
brlndlcy, The constructor of these nugnifi.
cent Canals which in the course of twenty
years trIpied the wealth Of England. This
nan was Millwrght There was another,
VINO, hy giving to the sieam-engne its high
est capnciiy, swelled the stream of British
weath w yet greater ratin-his name was
Ja.bcS wait, a maker of n,tho,n,ticoI ;nstru