Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-11-24


schools, throughout the Commonwealth; if this
is what is meant by ga general system of such
schools supported at the public erpense." But
am ready to try the experiment of such school,
fully and fairly and to do it, either at the ex-
pense Of the state or town OF Charlestown. GU
know, my friends, that it is now hard upon TWO
hundred years, that the people of Massachusetts,
under certain limitations prescribed by law, al,
low towns to provide their own schooling.
cannot say | am quite prepared to give this up,
though am strongly inclined to the opinion,
that the plan, which they pursue in New FORK,
where the state gives to each district out Oh tne
School Fund, much as the district itself Will
raise by taxation is the best plan. But at all
events, If our brethren of the workingmen's par
ty. wish to try the experiment of manual labor
schools We need not wait to put out Governor
Davis and put in MIR. Allen, but let US go right
to work. Bring forward the plan OF such a
school as you desire in Charlestown, to serve
as model il you please, for Others for one
will support it cordially and zeaously. Let any.
petence, say how much l ought to pay as my
share of the expense, and will lay down three
times the amount tomorrow. So will you Mr..
Moderator; so will Major Walker, who sits near
me; so pledge myself shall every friend, with
whom have the slightest influence. But do
not, in the name Of Heaven, take up so very un-
founded and unjust an idea, as that we are OPP
pOSeu 10 any ulCuSuio, ioi uih"Si"S WV
blessings Of popular education.
9. The second measure is " the abolition OF all
chartered monopolies." This requires eXpla-
nation. We must not go to work so rashly, as
to run against insupera5le obstacles. Some
charters are of the nature of contracts, which
cannot be abolished, under the Constitution of
the United States. Such charters will be pro-
tected by the Supreme Court, in like man.
ner as the attempt Of the state government Of
New York to make chartered monopoly OF
the steamboat navigation OF her waters, was,
| by that same Court, resisted and put Gown. All
charters which are within the purview OF the
| tenth section Of the first article of the COnst-
| tuition must stand; but as to future grants, go
with the workingmen, in thinking, the legisla-
ture of the state should be more sparing, and
| that none should be made, not prOmotlve of the
public good But | understand that il is against
the banks, that this principle is chiefly aimed,
and that our working brethren are against them
in toto. Itis possible we may all come to this con-
clusion. l am free to say that think we have
great many more than.we ought to have, and that
the soundness Of the currency requires the sup
preston of all bills under five dollars and the
consequent increase ofthe specie basis. One OBJ
lection in my mind to the course OF policy pur-
sued by the administration toward the Bank of
| the United States, was, that the breaking down
] that bank would tend to increase the number of
state banks, and the amount of state bank pa
per; and did think the bills Of the Bank of the
! United States little better than Farmers E.r-
| change or the twelve hundred thousand dollars
| of broken bank paper, which have been lying
| fifteen or twenty years in the treasury. When
| the removal Of the depostes from the bank OF
| the United States was first proposed by the Ad-
ministration, as a measure contested with the
extinction OF the bank, the only substitute for
| its paper suggested was that of the state banks.
Not word was said OF gold and silver. To
every thing tending to an increase OF the me-
tallic currency, We are as favorable as the work.
ingmen. Ii was recommended by Gov Davis
before it was by President Jackson. The gold
bill, in Congress, was supported by Mr.. Web
ster and Mr.. Adams, and with some change
in the ratio Of the two metals, it would
have passed unanimously. portion Of the
Wing members voted against it, thinking, (what
| the event has Proved that gold was under
valued in the old coinage, silver was underval-
ued in this, and would be apt to leave the coun-
try But to the general policy Of increasing the
quantity of circulating coin, the opponents Of
the administration were as friendly as its sup
porters, notwithstanding the efforts made, by
the Jackson presses, to give the question a par
ty aspect. One of the foreign coin bills passed
in an amended form, drafted by my colleague
Mr. Gorham and myself
If our brethren-(said Mr.. Everett)-are
against banks and bank paper, they must begin
by repeating the bank tax which, paradoxical as
it sounds, is the first cause of their inordnate
multiplication. 1t tempts the legislature to be
prodigal of charters, by the facility with which
revenue is obtained by this tax When this is
DONE let the small bills be suppressed, and you
will cease to be overloaded with banks or bank
paper. But so long as you have small bills, it is
not possible to prevent their driving out the COIN
The law of currency, which causes this, is as
unerring as that which heaves the tides from the
depths of the ocean.
3. A third measure, which our working breth-
rem claim, believe, as their own, is the abolition
ofimprsonment for debt; but if they so regard it,
they are greatly in error. 1t is measure of no
one party; it is the conquest gained by the civil
cation aud humanity of the age. remember
three or four years ago attendnga meeting of the
friends of this measure at Faneuil Hall, when
letter from Mr.. Webster was read to the assem-
bly,. NV own humble voice had already been
raised in its favour. 1t was not exclusively the
representatives of the workingmen who carried
the measure of abolition at the last session ofthe
General Court, for there could not have been a
dozen members Of that description in the House
No party, sir, has right to appropriate to itself