Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-05-13
NDB PRBS SIS
SPEECH OF ABBOTT LAWRENCE,
Before the Shoe and Leather Dealers Contention
at Hosfon

0G0re inc SR0c anu LedtneT DedterS COurentt0
at Boston.
We have heretofore noticed the more importan
proceedings Of this Convention. On referring to tn
pamphlet report of its proceedings just published W
find embraced IN it a number ofneresng documents
Among them is a statistical account of the shoe AM
leather business of the town OF Danvers, furnished b.
acommittee, consisting of five members. According
to this statement there are manufactured annually il
that town $4,000 pairs Of shoes and boots of the es
tlmatel value Of S6500O0, of which forty per cent. II
the produce of labor. The persons employed arr
1855 males, and 9i6 females. In tanning and curry
ing the number fmales employed is 325,-the capi a
invested in tanneres and mills 1923 000-and 1913 Sol
sides ofeather made annually, of which the estimated
value is S792 900. There are also l90 900 skins mann
featured, in which business A males are employed
$500 cords of bark are used in the tanneres; Il
vessels of so tons each, are employed in the trans
portation of bark, and vessels of two hundred tons
in the importation Of hides. The gross amount o
snes of boots and Shoes leather aud skins is 5Si
500.
A number of speeches made in the Convention ar,
fully reported among which is the following, by thu
Hon. Abbott Lawrcnce,-the following resolution
beng under consderato n.- Boston Patriot.
Resolred, That while tho productions Of American
machinery may successfully compete with the pro
auctions of any other country the productions o.
American dbor, unless guarded by wholesome legis
lation, must fall beneath the shock Of European com
petition.
Mr.. Lawrence being present by invitation, having
been called upon from various parts Of the chapel
rose and addressed the Convention as follows:
NJ. Prcsidcnt--I appear before you without having
had time for the slightest preparation 10 make 4
speech on this occlsi)n having received your invita-
ton to take scatn the Convention but few minutes
before enered the no Sc. | should most certainly
have declined the invitation with which you honored
me, had anticipated being called out to take part in
your deli eratons. You. Mr. President, and many
Others present, know that am man of dcols rather
than words-a plain business man, and not addicted
to publ speaking As it is the pleasure of the Con-
venton that shoull say something upon the resoln.
tion under discussion ! will proceed to do so, and
like my able and distinguished friend who preceded
me, on the mos trIhlng nmation given that am
taking up too much OF your precious time, will at
once bring any ren1rks to close
1t gladdens my heart, Mr. President, to see before
me so large and respectable a representation of the
4OUOU persons engaged IN the manufacture of leather
in this Commonwealth a branch of industry very
much underfatcd, being in reality amongst the mo >t
lmpor ant, and pehtps II would he safe to say, the
largest mechanical and manufacturing interest in
amount IN the country | rejoice to the people
are awake TO their tue interests and that they have
Sent You here to consult and deliberate upon tho best
manner OF procuring security and hereafter to the
laborers in his branch of business. | look at this
Convention, assembled without distinction of party
as the dawn Of brighter day." and hail il with
Joy as the com ncncement of general movement of
the people IN all the state favorable to the proec-
ton OF our own iabor hoping that strong expression
OF pubic opinion may produce the adoption of a sys-
TEN OF measures by our government, which not only
the people, but the government itself reqAires. The
remedy of the evils under viii n we now suffer, is in
your own hands. You are the sovereigns and can
make and nnmake our ru,rs; it is at the ballet box
that he question Of protecting our labor is to be
tied 1hc great majority of the people of this country
are wor ing men, aborers upon the soil, in
one OF the mechanical trades and when they in the
consciousness Of their integrity and WORTH rise and
assert their rights by sound arguments you may be
certain hey will be heard and respected BY the Con-
gress of he United States.
| ask YOU fellow citizens to look for n moment to
me condition of our country. Have We ever seen any
thing like it in time of peace before? Or even since
we have existed as nation 7 In two birds of the
states we hnvea paper currency not convert lie into
CON- without a standard of value. The credit of
several OF the States gone, and their stocks selling
for one fifth of their par value. The treasury Of the U.
States empty, and its credit distusted that rea-
sury notes are al a discount, and government loans
cannot be negotiated The general government can
not pay its debts. Some of the States cannot paw.
Banks do not pays and is it surprising that indvid-
uals do not pay?
Mr.. President the grea, business of this great coun-
try is paraiyzed; every branch Of Industry is almost
a, stand still, and this too in country blessed with
every thing man can desire with all the elements of
prosperity in it; and his suffering is brough, upon
the people y the want Of very moderate amount of
honest and wise legislation.
The nation, several of the States AMI individuals,
are bankrupt. Strange as it may appear in tn pos
t".e Of our affairs it i? p,oPoood to dea', f'"m 'l,e
uniform policy by which we have been governed
since the adoption of the Constitution, and try the
experiment OF low and UNIFORM d tiles upon imported
merchandise. Sir am opposed TO experimenting
upon the labor of the country. Il is mere expert
ment upon The iab0rer aud little experience will be
SUN sent to prove my assertion. We want no more
foreign merchandise al present. We have already
quite too much, more than we can pay for. We i'm
port too much, and manufacture to, lille. "The
whole question is in nut she'll" and can be at
glance: our distress arises chiefly from the surplus
otforelgn products, forced upon Us in many instances
by foreigners, under the COMPROMISE Act an ad
loren duties. Who are the men in our country that
feel most scnsby the effects Of the fluctuations in the
currency, excessive impotations, and revulsons in
business! sit the merchant, the farmer, the pro-
fesslonal man. or tho mechanic? All men and all
interests are less affected by these changes;
but, sir, II is the hard working frugal industrious me-
cham: who is the greatest sufferer, and in one
branch Of mechanical labor does the pressure of the
times cause greater embarrassment hpnamong those
engaged in the maauacture of leather for it is pro-
duced IN large amounts for export to ether parts Of
our Union, AMI when link in the chain receives
blow, vlbraes TO either end tn force that is Sc
verely felt by all The annual product of leather
when manufa turei in al its branches has been es-
umaed AT $50 900 000 aud large proportion f this
enormous amount Is made up boots and hoes and
shall this vast interest be suf red perish for the
want of moderate protection from the general gov
e.nmcnt! Shall il be sacrificed upon the altar of an
abstrdction called free trade? No. sir, it requires
protection, and must have it. You have right to
call upon Congress to protect your labor against the
d 'tressc and miserable pauper labor OF Europe We
SHOULD have protection that will secure the 10 rney-
man and the apprentice, well as the master work.
man. 1t is the laborer who requires The fostering arm
OF government.
have already said, tina, the great source of our
trouble s, that we import 90 much and manufacture
TOO little. Why, SIR our imports for the last ten
years have far exceeded our exports. We have run
mp debt in Europe the amount of which is truly
frlghiiul. The amount of state, city, bank and other
corporation stocks held abroad, which we have sold
AID pledged, amounts to tro hundrcd millions Of
d'tiars. Besides this principal sum, we pay Tor
sloud do 5 } near a million of dollars every month
f'r interest Yes, sir, more than $500 900 goes every
~'ek TO Europe to pay interest on this debt. Now
| ask what la We TO 81 0 ~ { this two hundred mi
Ions Of debt, created in the last years under the
Compromise Ac, Of low duties and no duties al all on
one haref all our imports? Why IRE hare had a
great amount Of champagne and French ribbons
dHI a LITTLE RAIL ROAD IRON. | confess that the
r"cklessness with which public alairs have been
managed IN this department of our national economy
IS abs lntey appalling. Our country literally mort
glged not at home, u, abroad for two hundred mil
lions Of dollars, for which we have received the sur
pllsscs of the manufactures of every country in
Europe, TO the permanent injury Of our farmers
mechanics merchants, manufacturers, in fact o
esery individual, whatever his occupation or condition
may be.
Mr.. President the question comes up at once, wher
we look to the condition of the country, what can h
done restore lost prosperity and ra Sc the fail