The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1837-11-21
THE WORKING GLASSES.


Extract of Mr.. Lgares Speech IN hs HoHe Of Re
PreScRtatires
Sir, rs Southern man, | represent equally rent,
capital, wages, which are all coniounded IN our
esiaies-and protest against attempts TO array with
out cause, without color OF prelext OF plausibiy
the different classes of society one against anoiher
as H. in such country this, there could be any ma
tura hostility or any real distinction between them
Ia country in which all the rich, with hardly en-
exception have been poor and AL the poor may one
day be richa country in which banking institutions
have been Of immense service, precisely because
they have been most needed by people, who all had
their fortunes to make by good character ana lhdus
triouS habits. Look at that remarkable picture
remarkable not as a work Of art but as monument
of history-which you see in passing through The
Rotunda. Two out of five Of that immortal COM
mittee were mechanics and such men' In the
name of God sir, why should any one study 10 per-
vert the good sense and kindly feelings OF ms moral
and noble people, TO infuse into their minds sulen
envy towards one another, instead OF that generous
emulation which every thing in their situation is
fitted TO inspire, to breathe into them the spirit OF
Cain, mutering deep curses and mediiaiinS despe-
rate revenge against his brother, because The smoke
of his sacrifice has assembled TO Heaven before his
own! And do not they who treat our industrious
classes as if they were in the same debased and
wreiched condition as the poor OF Europe, lnsulI
them by such an odous compariSonf
Why, sir you do not know what poverty is--we
have no poor in this country, in the sense IN which
that word is used abroad Every laborer, even the
most humble in the United States, soon becomes
capitalist and even, if he chooses, proprietor OF
iandfor the West with all its boundcss fertility, is
open to him, How can any one dare TO compare the
mechanics of this land, (whose inferiority in any
substantal-parcular in intelligence in virtue, IN
wealth. tothe other classes of our country have yet
10 learn) with that race of outcasts, OF which so
terrible picture is presented by recent writershe
poor of Europe A race, among no inconSlderable
portion of whom famine and pestilence may be said
10 dwell constantly-many OF whom are without
IL adj H.
out God and may be said 10 know society only by
the errors of lis penal code and TO live in perpetual
with IL. Poor bondmen! Knocked with the name OF
liberty that they may be sometimes tempted 70 break
their chains in order that after few days of starva-
ton in deness dissipation, they may be driven
back TO their prison house TO take them up again,
heavier and more Calling than before; severed as
has been ouchingly expressed, from nature, from he
common air and light of the san; knowing only by
hearsay that the fields green that the birds sing
and that there is perfume in fowers.t And is IT
with race, whom the perverse institutions OF Eu-
rope have thus degraded beneath the condition OF
humanity that the advocates the patrons, the pro-
tcctors Of our working men, presume to compare
them
Sir, itisto treat them with a scorn at which their
spirits should revolt and does revolt Just before
left Charleston there was meeting called for some
purpose which was regarded by the people of that
city as unfayorable to public order. There was
something suppose in the proceedings which look-
ed to the invidious distinction of which have been
speaking for it led, have heard, to an expression
of sentiment from one of mechanicst which
struck me as noble beyond praise. He said he Won
dered what could be meant by addressing TO the in
duslrous classes particularly all inilammatory aP-
pealS against the institutions OF this country, as II
they were not part Of the community-as much in
terested in its order and peace any other-as if
they had no ties of sympathy or connection with
their fellow citiZens-above ALL as if they had not
intelligence and knowledge enough to take care of
their own interests, but were reduced TO state OF
perpetual pupilage and infancy, and needed the Of
fcous protection of self constituted guardians !
Sir, that was sentiment worthy Of freeman, and
which may be recorded, with honor among the say
ings of heroes.
Franklin and Sherman, Sgners of the Declaration.
tMichelet.
Mr. Hardy.