Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1837-11-03
Address to the Mechanics of New York.


tonight
Address to the Mechanics of New YORK.
MECHANICALLY calling your earnest attention TO
the GREAT MEETING, to be held this erentng IN ram
many Hall, for the purpose Of consulting on your
affairs had some thoughts OF addressing you thus
"Gentlemen this" :" gentlemen that" gentlemen
tother thing'-as they do in Masonic Hail. and such
like places where those who cant pay their debts are
made officers or become speakers. But hope you
will not be offended if OILY call you hardy veterans
of industry" honest men IN corrupt wofid =
''freemcn whose spirits and thoughts cannot be oroed
and bought by the rotten banks OF Wall street.
The appellation of gentlemen" has OF late become
term Of reprosch among yrtaous people IL Wouu
be an insult to call you SUCH They were gentlemen
who visited and patronsed the Saloon OF fasnloh
in Thomas street. They were gentlemen who seduced
the unfortunate Ellen Jewet and afterwards murdered
her in cold blood with a nice little Ratchet with
tassel TO the handle. They were gentlemen, yes
"young gentlemen of responsibility" who set up
Rosina Townsend, and arrayed her in gaady silks.
And above all, he was gentleman-"a gentleman
of great responsibility in the Seventh Ward, who
shielded the murderer, the seducer and the inccndla
ry from conviction and punishment for the deepest
crimes, and who is now placed by club Of gentle
frages for an office worth 900 year, as reward
for his genlemanly services on that and other gentle
manly occasions.
Such being now adays the real practical meaning
of the term gentleman" think you will say, as the
man in the play, "fl none of it," No, hardy vete-
rams Of indusrycreators of wealth-the fabrlcators
of every element of national glory and greatness ]
will not insult you'll will only call you honest men,
and as such ask you together tonight and take
into consideration your interests menaced by fac
ton the most detestabe that yet appeared in this
city.
An impudant unbeevng Jew in this city who
has shaved off his beard to seand stuff pncushlons
with has called you infdels agrarans and other OPP
probrious names. Heed not the daring slanderer-
You or your ancestors not agraran as TO run
away from Egypt with all the old breeches and second
hand linen Of KING Pharaoh, that when he got
up in the morning, he had not pair TO put on. Pay
not attention to the young bockheads who, at Masonic
Hall the other evening, formally accused you of
desire 10 disturb the rights of property or the laws OF
the land-rights and laws more outraged by the
banks than by all others put together.
You came together TO inquire what sort OF a system
of banking that is which has caused the terrible ex-
pansions, contracuions failures, exctements, and
general disturbance in all the relations of society,
during the last few years. Examine the matter
closely. You will find that the great error in osr
system has been The corrupt union Of politics and
banking, which was begun in the establishment OF
the Safety Fund system, and contaminated in the
State Bank Opposite system, now blown to atoms,
never to be united. Both these unions are only parts
of the same general system, producing the most ter
rble effects upon laws society, order, civilization,
morals and religion.
This corrupt base and treachcrous union has crc-
ated an OLIGARCHY, founded on paper credits and
worthless scrip who assume to be the people, and to
govern the country as they please This dcesablc
OLIGARCHY call themselves Conservatives, and
are attached to every party. They the stockhod-
ers, borrowers and directors of banks. In this city
they probably number about thousand scoundrels
20 thirty thousand honest men. Throughout the
state they may number 5000 conservative rascas to
$4,000 honorable citizens and free voters. They
20 all in;cnts and purposes more deesable, grasp
ing, unprnciped, vulgar arisocracy than any that
ever appeared in any country. In England the no.
blity arc polished, educated intelligent and civilized
men, They are ambitious of power only for the eclat
Of welding il. They generous and humane.
But the olgarchy here, consisting Of the banks and
their agents, only gang of Shylocks mean
cowardly de,sstable Shylocks, who would sell their
mothers corpses 10 divide ~ per cent year as the
Bank of America has divided. Their pattern hero Is
the worse specimen of the Jew race
Since 1929, this oligarchy has well nigh changed
the constitution Of this country. In this state who
has forgotten the annual scenes of corruption and
prongacy in granting bank charters dividing bank
stock and in sharing the spoils among the confede-
rates Who mas forgotten the scenes recently en-
acted in tins city by the officers Of the State Bank
in Wall street, in which Rosina Townsend had no
share publicly so announced They are not 10 be
paraleed in the world except you look at the conduct
Of the same banks during the years 1886 and 36 to-
wards the industrious hard working honorable mer
chant. During these years il is calculated that the
merchants paid s6OOo000 or perchance sl0,000,00o
in usurous interest to sse banks Who furnished
that Part of il was made up Of the profits Of the
bewildered, broken-dowH merchants-but the great
bulk are the sweat OF your brow-the labour Of your
hands. You are the original creators and producers
of wealth On you at last all the terrible exacons
of the banks-the corrupt banks fall.
Not content with these terrible crimes against the
rights Of property, for the banks are the only real
aeShrians in order TO their profits they had the
daring insoIence to suspend specie payments last
a l. r.. - -