The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-01-17
CITY OF WASHINGTON. FRIDAY MORNING JANUARY H. 1851


glory Of his country, while he reoices that wealth
lists TO advance we'll It's splsndox.
Who would not rejoice NJ 90 pleasing and peaceful .
harmony in The political and social system And yet u
10 but the consammston Of true democncybut the ful
lmeat of the designs OF fathers when they declared
" that governments established among 10 Sc
cure the absolute the inaienabe right to life. liberty. aud
the pursuit OF happiness with which were endowed
by their CREATOR" Cement thus the affections Of the
people to your government and institutions, and the ete
nal pyramid stands not firmly its base, than will
this republic and the UNION stand upon their foundation
But things now progress and tend, we can console
ourselves with no so pleasing contemplation We are
huyng on 10 day OF destiuton and dependence to the
laboring multitude and OF danger to the country, much
faster than many would suppose who suppose without
reflection investigation We are approaching much
rapidly than the fight Of time, the increase OF pop
ulaon, aud the aggregation OF iand would alone
to indicate Improved machnerya great and providen
tia blessing in ITSELF under properly regulated political
and social syslemls now performing labor which the
most numerous laborng population could not perform
True. there slight compensation in the fact that this does
not consume the necessaries OF life, and affords cheaper
fuel and some other necessarles to the abong In
large cities bat If you exclude the poor and landless
from the soil, and monopoze their labor elsewhere by
machinery, how they to obtain OF these necessaries
even the superfux OF luxuryl ta
In report on manufactures, made in 1892, Mr. ADAMS
estimates the mechanical machinery OF Great Britain in
1915 70 have been equal TO the labor Of bundled w
lions OF psons! u will now least double the amount Of
y.
fusnisAed by McCuioch. il appears that with the present
machinery. each hand in cotton mill pesforuas more
work than two hundred could without il eighty years
ago. We have the testimony OF FAREY and DR.. TAYLOR
to the same purpor Reduce these performances to those
of indv dnas, and you will find that the manual ener
gee OF teniold our present population would be unequal
TO them From this we can appreciate our rapid increase
ia laor-numbers Now, bear mind that this machinery
wo competition with the aborer but rarely for him,
and you will perceive the extreme justice and necessity Of
allowing him to turn for subsistence TO the soil, when
you have supplaned him in his labor by machine But
much more plainly will you perceive this when you
fleet that in addition TO the other embarrassments of the
sustain and foster thai competition, by forcing him pay
tribute tariff TO forty per cent upon its products!
Could there be more garng instance to show that not
only are the mere incidental wants OF edh held supe-
rior to the absolute necessities of man. but that
bis very lfes blood ITSELF il not his blood his bread
must be taken TO minister to and crafty them. In Justice
payment optional by allowing him the alternative OF dig
gng subsistence from the earth Tariff protection Wh
free land, might be consistent. but 1ci.oM it-NEvER
But il may be said that the laborer receives eQuiya
lent for the competition OF machine labor in the reduced
price at which he is enabled to purchase the products
Of that labor for his own use and consumption, This
reduction Of the price Of machine products produces cor
responding or greater Reduction in the prtcc Of manual
labor Machinery yer-produces, and consequently its
products fall The machine owner wM not produce
wthou, profit he cannot lie idle without loss He
therefore takes from the wages Of his manual labor not
only what will the fan in machine products but
and reducing. little struggle follows-a
strike pehapsbut hunger, and the fearful appeals OF
hungry children or of aged parenls soon bring back the
oller TO her scantier crust. vi. ID aaE a...
Now, sir, if land be dear, what alternative has the
andess aborer in such extremity but to surrender his
lie his freedom but TO starue to become abject
iependant' And land is sure TO become dear Ma
,hnery having driven SO many from the bench, the
anvil and the workshop, to take refuge in the soil, like
everything else the soil becomes and in
proportion to the demand ill at last il no longer be
wealth permitted speculate. its quantity cannot be
increased the demand is enlarged Starvation or pas
ave dependence is the result 10 andess industry while
in the language OF LORD JOHN RUSSELL, "the higher
rlasses advance in luxury beyond measure" The world
looks on, agape and wonders why is The true re-
hsededmay sec and tell he esass s"s and
remedy; but no one hears--no one p!ties Over the
Greai men sill supnely by and cry All well OF con
sole themselves and their country with the reflection, that
he future wretchedness and enslavsment OF their orn
race are TO prove the more % wreahed emanepshon o1
facts manifest-and which they cannot reste or an.
they urge on labor to the brink and gull
have mentioned, and claim at the same time that they
are the only hberty-oving patriots oil the land.
To illustrate the effects of land monopoly and machine
labor, let advert TO the history of labor in England.
By statute OF EDWARD Ill, passed 10 1850, the daily
wages of farm-laborers were fixed al SD Al that
wages were fixed by HENRY Nv at sd. per day, wheat
being worth Cd to I'd per hushe oxen las to los and
butter three farthings per pound IN harvest-hme a
laborer could pay for pair OF shoes with a days
labor, and with the wages of week could buy
cloth for suit of clothes, with the same
could buy four bushels OF wheat Al little later
PERIOD we find the British statutes mentioning 'beef
pork vea and mutton "being the food OF the poorer
sort" Now the value OF bushel of wheat is, and has
long BEEN ST. 95 while weeks wages are but about
81 49, Beef is worth thirteen cents per pound mutton
fourteen cents; fat sheep $40 to $2; butter, twenty
per pound and cheese, fourteen cents or course
the aborer have comforts "The farm aborer is
compelled to feed his family potatoes and salta very
little bread and lard, with some scalded milk lie must
toll necessarily 10 preserve animal existence for
the mind the future he can make no provision. And
this is labor's life in Brtainl The British Queen might
well excaim. with old King Lear
"Poor naked wretchc., whcrcsoe'er you are,
That bde the peng Of this Pitiiess storm,
How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,
Your Ioopd and wndow'd raKgedness defend you
From seasons such as these1 oh have ta'en
Too little care ol this"
Cross the channel from England, and in Ireland the
case is still We have the auth orIty OF speech
made in Parliament by Mr.. HENRY GRATrAN for saying
that there pershed OF starvation hundred and
sirtesn thousand psrsons during the late famine Nearly
as many perished in the famine OF 1922. These are
OF the fnghfal results of the causes have men
toned under the very throne of England, and within
days sail OF America lin county, too with
population not exceeding thirty millions while her best
authorities admit her land to be capable OF sustaining in
tions if the people were aHopsd to cultivate it-in
country, furthermore, where 'he higher classes have
advanced in iurury BEYOND MEASURE"
n since Henry VIII England has advanced beyond
precedent in luxury useful knowledge and the arts and
sciences il has been this fearful expense TO life and
human comfort, through almost total neglect OF the
wants and necessities of her people. While machinery
4 Al ~~gh lAh hpF m