Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1840-10-05

these very causes he, the honest and industrious
mechanic, is crushed to the earth and yet we are
told this is system for promoting the interests Of
the poor
AMERICAN LABOR CONTRASTED WITH
EUROPEAN LABOR.
This leads me naturally to the great subject OF
American Labor, which has hardly been consider
ed or discussed as carefully as il deserves What
is American Labor? 1t is best described by say
ing it is not European labor. Nine.tenths of the
whole labor of this country is performed by those
who cultivate the land they or their fathers own
or who in their workshops employ some little cap.
ital of their own, and mix it up with their labor.
Where does this exist elsewhere? Look at the
different departments of industry, whether agri-
cultural, manufacturing or merhanical, and you
will find almost in all, the aborcrs mix up some
little capital with the work of their hands. The
labor of the United States is the United States
-. strike out the uhorers of the United States in
GLIDING therein all who in some way or other be-
long to the industrious and working classes, and
you reduce the population of the United States
from sixteen millions TO one million. The Amer
lean lnhorer is expected to have comfortable
home, decent, though frugal living, to clothe and
educate his children, to qualify them to take part,
all called to do, in the political affairs and
government of their country. Can this he said OF
any European laborcr? Does lie take any share
III the government of his country, or feel 1t an oh.
legation to educate his children? There nine
tents of the laborers have no interest in the soil
they cultivate, nor in tie fabrics they produce; 10
hope, under any circumstances, of rising them
selves, or of raising their children above the CON
ditiUn of day laburer at wages, and only know
the government under which they live, by the
expressions which they have no voice i'll mtiga
ting.
10 compare such state of labor with the In
Dor of this country, reason from that to ours
ia AM ~ no Inctriup Z a
Of individuals only but of the Administration
that the wages of American labor must be brought
down to u level of those of European.
have said that this is not the doctrine of u
few individuals aud on that head think injustice
has been done 10 Senator from Pennsylvania
who has been made to hear large share OF the
responsibility of suggesting such policy. ii
mistake not, the same idea is thrown out in the
Presidents message of -, and in the Treasury
Report. Hear what Mr.. " oodbury says:
"Should the States not speedily suspend more
of their undertakings which are unproducllve
but by new loans or otherwise, find means to EN-
ploy armies of lahorers, in consuming rather thar
raising crops and should prices thus continue II
many cases to he unnaturally intintedas they have
been of late years, IN the face of a contrnctin.
currency, the effect OF it on our finances wo"''
he still more to lessen exports, and consequently
the prosperity and revenue of our foreign trade
lie is for turning off from the public work'
these "armes of laborers," who consume wIthol
producing crops and thus bring down prices o)ll
Of crops aud labor Diminish the mouths tina
consume and multiply the arms that produce, ant
You have the Treasury prescriptions for miIIga
ting distress and raising prices! How would tina
operate in this great State? You have, perhaps
some $4,000 men employed on your public work;
works OF the kind that the Secretary calls sun
produclive'-and even with such demand II:
they must produce for provisions, prices are yer,
low. The Secretary's remedy is 10 set them tt
raise provisions themselves, and thus augmen
the supply while they diminish the demand. 1t
this way the wages Of labor are to he reduced, u
well as the prices of agricultural productions -
But this is not all. have in my hand an extrac
from spcech i'm the House OF Representatives
of gentleman from New Hampshire, MIR. Burke
Jealous supporter of the administration, witt
maintains that other things being reduced IN pro
portion, you may reduce the wages OF labor, with
out evil consequences. And where does he seel
his example? In the Mediterranean. He fiSe
himself upon Corsica and Sardinia. But what /
the Corsican laborer, that he should be the mode
upon which American labor is to be formed 2
Does he know any thing himself? Has he AN
education, or does he give any to his children: =
Has he a home, Il freehold, and the comforts o
life around linn? No. With Il crust OF brea'
and handful of olives, his daily wants are salts
fed. And yet from such state of society the la
borer of New England the laborer of the Unite
States, is TO be taught submission to low wages.
The extract before me states that the wages @
Corsica are, for
"The male laborer, "a cents day
And the female do III cents do"
And the honorable gentleman argues, that OWN
TO the greater cheaphess of other articles, this
relatively as much as the American aborer gets
and he illustrates the act by the following bill q
clothing for Corsican laborer:
II