Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-04-19
From the Public Ledger.
DIGNITY OE LABOR.

duty Of every human being TO exert all
his faculties for the good Of the whole,
and the duty Of all governments TO protect
the iaborer with head or hand, 10 render
him secure in The dignity OF his labor,and
the certainty Of IFS reward. Democracies
only can do this, and no slate of society
is democracy in which it is not dcne.
Arislocracies profess to divide the rewards
Of labor unequally, and every thing is
aristocracy under which this is done. -
All aristccracies are alike in spirit; for
all stamp labor with degradation, as their
instrument for governing the many
Those Beautiful lines of the lliad,
!" Joye fixed il certain, that whatevr day.
Makes man a slave, takes hall his worth away"
apply TO all mankind, OF all races, all col
ors, all countries, and in all ages. The
man who bears the brand of degradation,
whether bond o. free, black or white, feels
inferior to the man who puts this stamp
upon him. He feels greater effort nee
essary to stand up before his neighbor and
say, I" | am as good as thou" than his
neIghbor does to say, 81 am better than
thou" The mark of degradation lays
upon him like burden, and bows his
spirit. All aristocracies have understood
this, and have therefore been solcitous to
degrade labor As agriculture and me-
chanics, the creation of something with the
hands, either by cultivation or cons!ruc-
ton, must occupy the majority OF man
kind when redeemed from the savage life
OF the hunter, all aristocracies have aimed
at the comparative degradation Of those
classes. All who lived BY the labor of
others, have, in all times, assumed super.
iority over the laborers. and have invaria-
bly, preached and practiced the doctrine
condensed in single line OF Goldsmith,
"For those that think must govern those that TOLL"
We will consider these aris,ocracits
separately. The slayeholding ars,ocracy
Of this country includes scarcely more
than 100000 olcaers. The whole popu-
lation Of the slave states IS about seven
millions. OF these, three millions consti-
tute the poorer portions OF whites and the
few free colored people, who do not own
slaves; two and a half millions constitute
the slave population; OF the remaining
L. 100000, not more than one third are
heads of families, the remainder conpre-
hending women and childfen. OF how
small portion of the white population Of
the slave states, does the slaveholding
aristocracy consist And The non slave
holding white population of three states,
constituting two thirds, are as much in.
terested in restraining the dominion of the
slaveholding aristocracy, as are the white
population of the free states. Yet incon-
siderable as this aristocracv appears in
physical force, it possesses and eAerls all
the moral force Of the slave states. 1t
makes all their laws, establishes all their
public opinion, and controls all their Ia
tor. And not satisfied with this, it con.
trolls the legislation of the Union, and
lives upon the labor OF the free states.-
We ask our southern brethren who do not
belong to this aristocracy, and yet consti-
tute two thirds of the white population of
the slave states, to think of all this care.
fully and candidy, for we offer it to their
consideration in the spirit Of cordial fra
ternity. Let US then inquire into the
principles Of this aristocracY.
An eminent public servant from slave
state, has declared, from his seat in the
Federal Senate, that "the proper condi-
ton Of the laboring class is slavery, and
the capitalist ought always to own The la
borer." This is the spirit OF all aristo-
cIacies. Thus far will all aristocracies
go whenever they can and the author OF
this memorable declaration is the very in
carna,ion Of the slaveholding arstocracv.
Upon this declaration we shall make no
appeal 10 the laborers Of the free states;
but we recommend Ito the free white la
borers Of the slave state, and ask them how
they are pleased with doctrine which
robs them Of the highest attributes Of hu-
manity, and reduces them 10 beasts Of
burden2 Are they prepared for the
yoke! The spirit which they displayed
in defence Of what they believe 10 b. their
rights, induces US to believe they would
not bear it patiently, when conscious of its
presence. Then let them see,if they do
not bear il unconscious!y, at least in part.
The author Of this memorable declaration
makes no Distinction of color. He ap.
DllCS Ills uOCLfluC " Utt ldOpI, SAYS
that the laborer should altoays be owned.
If. then, while laborers Of The South
you are not rich enough to oaon labor, TO
live upon the labor of others, you must
yourselves be owned, for laborer should
aI,oays be slarei And what prevents
this slave aristocracy from extending this
ownership over white labor, as we'll as
over coIored2 NOto it has the till
And when white abor shall be Sufficiently
degraded, and degradation is The tenden-
cy OF labor in the estimation of all aris-
tocracies, the will Of the aristocra, 10 own
the laborer, without distinction Of color,
will De exerled. The white Greeks aud
Romans of antiquity enslaved all whom
they conquered. The Turks of.mordern
times do not confne slavery 10 color
The ownership Of all, without distinction,
is the tendency OF the system, and the