Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1846-09-23
THE POOR MANS FRIEND.

ool IudH, we congratulate you our
friends are like the sand of The sea, nuns
berless Legislators are constantly busy
for your advantage! Patriots love poor
men! Alas that, with so much friendship
flowing towards yon, your poverty should
still continue! But there is very obvious
reason for it. Your poverty being the
cause Of all this friendship, it is deemed
best it should not leave you, lest. when it
does, the friendship of your kind patrons
should fly away with it.
Says one blanks are essentially the poor
mans friend'' says another" Without a
Protective Tariff the poor are ruIned''-and
so on. Every law made is for the particu-
lar benefit of the poor, if we may trust the
professions Of its advocates. On the other
hand the opponents of nearly every meas
ure are more disposed to throw themselves
upon The protested sympathy with the Poor,
than upon the justice of their side Of the
controversy.
There is no measure so obnoxious for its
injustice, or for lis severity upon the produ-
chg classes, but it will be commended that
il is calculated to benefit the poor, and this
pretended benefit to the poor is put forth
as an atonement for all sorts Of iujustice and
oppression. We think that the day has
passed for such appeals 10 have much lolce,
even with the class to whom they are ad-
dressed. Long experience has demonstra-
ted the hollowness CT these loud profess
sions of Friendship for the poor, by whomso.
ever made, and has shown that no law
however unjust can be permanently advan.
tageous to any but greedy adventurers.-
The laborlng classes VINO are generally in
cluded among the poor, although constitu-
ting large portion of the property holders
of the country, spurn these sordd appeals,
and ask for themselves nothing more than
the same justice that they render TO Others.
They ask no charity.
But there is class of poor men to whose
existence legislative bounties seem necessa.
ry; men who "cannot dig, and TO beg or steal
they are ashamed" These men are on a
constant look out for some fuctuation in
legislation which will give them a chance
10 put their hands into the store,house OF
wealth, without participating in the toll
which produces it. Such men acknowledge
necessities which the ordinary rewards of
industry, applied to vulg trades, will not
supply; and, in pitiable accents, they APP
peal TO government for some continuance
to bring into their hands enough of to main
tain them in ease and affluence With this
class the protection of American Industry is
a special subject of interest and and decla.
nation. Fearing that too much competi
ton wall destroy the prosperity ofour labor.
ers, they periodically abstain from all labo.
| themselves.
The labor Of the United States is in such
close connection with the great property o.
the country-Real Estate-thatit is creative
OF very false impressions to speak of the
laboring class as poor. The road to wealth
as also the means of its preservation, is la
Dor; it is in this dignfied condition OF labo
that our safety as people consists, anC
without which our democratic institution:
would be a curse, instead of blessing
Educated, owning land, experienced in the
ways by which money is made and lost, on
laborers are not taken in easily by an argu
men! which assumes them to be paupers il
order to justify taxes on themselves for thu
purpose, as claimed, of relieving their ne
cessites, nor do they bele'e it a compliment
that every pretender who mouths love fo
the poor, hopes thereby 10 fater their ava.
rice, and concliate their support.
The poor man. who is also laborns
man, asks for no legislation for his benefit
Depending upon his daily work. he simply
asks that he may be let alone, in peaceful
and full enjoyment of what his industry
produces. He demands that in the scram
bic of adventures for legislative favor hi:
positive rights may not be disregarded
This much is due to hun by the legislature
-" hen more is pretended, and laws are
passed professedly Tor the benefit of the poor
man, we may be sure tina, there is cat
under the neal But. Courier.