Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1834-03-20
Congress of the United States,
IN SENATE, March 7, 1884.

|
| rise, sir, to perform pleasing du.
ty. II is TO lay before the Senate the
proceedings Oft meeting of the Build.
ing Mechanics of.the City and County
of Philadelphia, convened for the pur.
|; pose of expressing their opinions on the
present state hecountry, on the 24th
Of February. This meeting consisted
ofthree thousand persons, and was com.
posed of carpenters, masons, brickma-
kers, bricklayers, painters and gla-
ziers, lime burners, plasterers, lumber
merchants, and others, whose occupa-
tions are connected with the building
of houses. am proud, sir, that so
respectable, so important, and so sub
stantial class of mechanics, have en-
trusted me with the presentment of their
opinions and feelings, respecting the
present distress of the country, to the
Senate. lam happy if they have seen,
in the course pursued by me here, q
policy favorable to the protection Of
their interest, land the prosperity Of their
families. These intelligent and sensi-
bic men, these highly useful citizens,
have witnessed the effect of the late
measures of Government upon their
own concerns; and the resolutions
which have now to present, fully ex-
press their convictions on the subject.
They propose not to reason, but to tes-
tify; they speak what they do know.
! Mr.. President, the members of this
meeting have not transmitted their pro-
ceedings by mail, nor have they rested
satisfied with merely causing them, in
any way, to reach the two Houses of
| Congress, and to be read and disposed
of in the ordinary manner. They have
forwarded them by committee of
thirty persons of their own body, and
those thirty persons are now within the
walls of the Senate. | wish, sir, that
honorable Senators would converse
with these gentlemen; wish they would
use the opportunity of satisfying them
selves Of their intelligence, their fair
ness, their freedom from the influence
| of all oblique or improper motives, and
the unquestionable truth Of the exist
ence of that distress, which they come
here TO represent. Such communi.
cation would convince honorable men,
bers, that there is no pretence, no fic-
ton, no exaggeration in the whole mat
ter; but that all their words are words
of truth and soberness.
} Mr.. President, Congress has now
been good while in session. When
J we left our respective homes, the pres.
sure had not come on, and we left our
} friends and neighbors prosperous and
happy. We have been here three
months, without intercourse with our
constituents and our neighbors; in the
meantime, the whole condition ofthings
is changed, fearfully changed; and,
verify believe, we do not fully know or
feel the full extent of this change, and
all the difficulty and distress which now
pervade the people. If we were at
: home, if we were each in our own re-
spective circles, amidst the. men of bu-
siness, and mingling with all classes.
and five were hearing, as in that case
we should hear, every hour, of more
and more trouble, of new individual
disasters, and of still increasing fear
and alarm; and if we could witness, as
we then should witness, the desponden-
cy of those heads of families whose &C.
equations and means ofliving have been
thus suddenly cut off, we should be con-
WINGED that it is the imperative and So
lemn duty of Congress TO relieve the
g country without a moments delay
Sir, if half the time and the study (which
are now devoted to the finding out Of
plausible arguments to justify the Sc
cretary, were given to an honest anC
! thorough inquiry into the real state o
the country, fully believe all would
see the absolute necessity of immediat,
, redress. Sir, while we sit here in long
, debates, the country is plunging deep
err and deeper in distress. We mus
not turn away from this. Sir, let US
> keep our eyes earnestly on the country
for, be assured, the eyes of the country
are kept earnestly on us. And let us
sir, take this occasion to look into facts
q and examine particulars. Let us SEE
whether there be any thing, and, If so
what it is, of which these, our fellow
citizens, complain. Do they only jeil
! in general cry raised by others! d.
they deal in unmeaning generalities
and set up an underlined and invisible
cause of distressl Sir, listen to tn
: statement; hear the facts. The Com
mittee state, sir, that eight thousan'
. persons are ordinarily employed L
= building houses, in the city and count,
of Philadelphia; a number of which
with their families, would make quite
:, considerable town. They further state
. that the average number of houses
h which this body of mechanics has bull
> for the last five years, is tretre hun
,s dred houses year. The average cos
loi these houses is computed at t'r