Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1837-12-16
THE p1aN1rY OF THE LABoRER.

Whosoeyer studies modern history
with any care, must discern in il .
steady growing movement towards
lone most interesting result, mean to-
wards the elevation Of the laboring
class Of society. This is not recent,
accidental turn Of human affairs. We
can trace its beginning in the feudal
times, and its slow advances in subse-
lquent periods, until it has become the
master movement of our age Is it
mot plain, tibet those who toll with
their hands, and whose productive in-
|dustry is the spring of all wealth, are
rising from the condition of beasts OF
burden, to which they were once re-
|duced, to the consciousness, intelli-
|gence, enterprise, self-respect, and pro-
per happiness of men? Is it not the
strong tendency of our times to diff
fuse among the many the improve
ments once confined to the few. He
who overlooks this has no comprehen-
sion of the great work Of Providence,
Tor of the most signal feature Of his
times; and this is an age for effort to
extend and perpetuate an institution,
the very object of which, is to keep
down the laborer, and to make him
machine for another's qualification.
/ know it has been said in reply to
such views, that, do whut we will with
the laborer, he is and must be in reah-
fly, slave. The doctrine has bern
published at the South, that nature has
made two classes, the rich and tie
poor, the employer and the employed,
the capitalist and the operative, and
that the class who work are to all in
tents, slaves to those in whose service
they are engaged. In report on the
mail, recently offered to the Senate Of
the United States, an effort was made
| to establish resemblance between sla-
very and the condition of free laborers,
for the purpose Of showing that the
shades of difference between them are.
not very strong.
Is it possible that such reasnrs"s es-
capped from man who has trod the
soil Of New England, and was educa-
ted at one of her colleges? Whom did
he meet at that college? The sons Of
her laborers, young men, whose hands
had been hardened at the plough
Does he not know, that the families of
laborers have furnished every depart
ment in life among US with illustrious
men, have furnished our heroes in war.
our statesmen in council, our orators
in the pulpit and at the bar, our mer-
chants whose enterprise embrace the
whole earth? What! the laborer Of
the free State slave, and to be ranked
with the despised negro, whom the
lash drives to toll, and whose dearest
rights are at the mercy Of irresponsi-
BILE power! If there be firm, indie
pendentspirit on earth, it is to be found
in the man who tills the fields Of the
free States, and moistens them with
the sweat Of his brow. / recently
heard Of visitor from the South COM
passionating the operatives of our man.
ufactories, as in worse condition than
the slave. What carries the Young
woman to the mandatory? Not gen.
orally the want Of acomfortable home:
but sometimes the desire of supplying
herself wardrobe, which ought
to satisfy the affluent, and oftener the
desire Of furnishing in more than
decent style the home where she is to-
sustain the nearest relations, and per-
form the most sacred duties OIL Cen
orally speaking, each Of these young
women has her plan Of life, her hopes.
her night dreams, her spring Of actiou
in her own free will, and amidst toll
she contrives to find seasons for intel
lectual and moral culture. 1t is COM
mon in New England for the sons of
farmers to repair togthe large towns,
and there to establish themselves as
domestics in families condition
which the South will be peculiarly des-
posed to identify with slavery. But
what brings these young men to the
|cityl The hope Of earning in short
er time sum with which to purchase
a farm at home, or in the West, per-
haps to become traders; and in these
vacations they not unfrequently rise
to consideration, and to what, in their
places Of residence, is called wealth. /
have in my thoughts an individual dis
tinguished alike by vigor and elevation
of mind, who began life by hireing
himself as laborer to farmer. and
then entered . family as domestic;
and now he is the honored associate I'll