The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28
For the National Era.
SENATOR CLEMENS.

Senator Clemens of Alabama has recently as
serted, that the factory operatives of the North
are in much worse social and moral condition
than are the negro slaves of the South, and that
assertion finds an echo in the Southern press gen.
orally. Miss Harriet Farley, in a recent letter,
giving details of the varieties and qualities Of
food partaken Of by her in factory boarding
house &c. Indignantly repels the assertion, and of
course the Northern press for the most part agree
with her.
Now, viewing them from my stand point, must
take exceptions to both IT. as says the old adage,
gin ignorance there is bliss" chGitel slavery
would be infinitely preferable to rages slavery
Many say, however, give me true happiness as
found in full SOeial liberty, or keep me in state
of bondage, which precludes the first conception
of what real happiness is. But would say to
them, nay, we must make haste slowly-all can
not ascend from darkest depths of ignorance to
transcendent knowledge-but, inspired by hope
and faith, struggle on and ever and the discipline
Of these transtionsry steps will enable us to en-
ter into fullest eDjoyments of a more harmonious
period. Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof
But to resume: Mr. Clemens's idea of liberty is
this-a landed aristocracy, who hold in absolute,
perpetual ignorance and ignominy, large num-
Der of their fellow men, depriving them Of all the
fruits Of their labor, merely returning therefor,
because il is for their interest so to do, sufficient
of the physical comforts to keep them in good
condition.
The mass of Northern men are little higher
in the scale of civilization as general thing,
their conception of liberty is a delverance from
chatte slavery the right to vote for some Of their
rulers, the guaranty of fair moral and scientific
education and tame almost immovable adherence
to the blightipg rule of a moneyed aristocracy,
which caps 20 t1e. TaaY producers of all wealth
with freezing, calculating, calmness, "toil thou
ceaselessly, ! am content Do few complain,
they have the alternative Of starving, and are
told either that al it always has been So" or else
" that it has been worsen
Northern men will descant eloquently on the
manifold evils of chattel slavery but they fail to
they themselves are pdgig, viz that between
the vigilant, unwearing dollars, and human, NOR
tai, sinews and muscles 1t even escapes their
notice that in the division of the profits of joint
production of capital and labor, the former gets
the lions share, and, natural result, that the
constantly decreasing few are kept in luxurious
profusion, while the as constantly increasing
many have to toll harder and longer and be con-
tent with less and less return.
This system of Northern slavery, or abject SER
vtude to capital is one to be severely criticised,
and gradually remedied in course of coming years
its enormity has heretofore been absorbed in
greater. | rejoiced when read the report of Mr..
Cemens's speech it has produced precisely what
| expected retort from the operatives, and from
the Northern press generally Since truth must
and will prevail, let US hail agitation
G. II. M.
Boston, February, $50.