The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-27

tAsaf t3SllAas OF u fersiSve v doms other nlscs
peyo0a The rsach oftbis htsu 6>sbls composition.
the former oase they rAmalB fbr life, loiling in
one eternal round like the criminal on a tread
the gvavs. aad h,bjscAAd 70 ~ win Of a p,astsr
who ln4icas rigid system Of ekedisnce, tar worse
than thaa Of siav4. Thsis m1aasnts are number
ed; they must eat their meals III 20 many minutes.
rest "a many minutes, and svsry action Of their
lives 10 regulated BY me striking ola clock, or the
toiling ola bell. In short, they have no will of
their own and are brought under system of pas.
sivs obedience. They become mere machines
snbservent to spinning jennies and steam power
This il no, the way 10 make ffeemen. The same
thing occurs IN canal and railroad corporations
Every man connected with these is in state of
AFFECT dependence on ths directors or admns,ra
tive officers, and must do az hs is bid lie has
neither personal nor political independence, and
the tenure Of his Office 10 that Of moral and politi
cal subserviency. Each OF these corporations
forms a rotten borough whose representative is re-
uraed to the proprietor, 40 was formerly aud still
Is 10 some extent the case il England When
their common interests are in question they all
combine together by the force Of attraction, and
never fail in the end 70 overpower the unsteady
opposition OF the great mHsseS Of the people who.
unless it becomes party question, seldom, fever
combine for any purpose whatever. The busy
few IRE always an overmatch for the idle MANY
and even in country where free suffrage prevails,
the minority governs in nina cases out of ten, if
united IN one common effort. II has never vet
been possible to unite the farmers Of any country
IN defence OF their peculiar inteScsts but nothing
is more easy than to bring together great concen,
tralions OF capital having common interest, to
operate on legislation. They act by inevitable
sympathy: they'feel the same magnetic influence.
and unite and stick together by tie stronger than
that Of chemical affinity.
In what are called the manufacturing States the
| IRA II s,<~f IL
subservient to few corporate companies in the
hands OF mlllionares, WIN raise the cry of ruin
and destruction, whenever they can't divide some
hflsen or twenty per cent. profits Instead OF taxi
ing the chance Of loss and gain which individuals
encounter at every step in their progress through
life. whenever by any Of those great reactions and
revulsions, which no prudence can evade and no
humsn power prevent, they are subjected to
temporary depression after years Of uninterrupted
prosperity, they call upon Hercules government
for aid. Other men suffer in silence, and patient
y wait for better times. Rut these corniorants,
after having heaped up immense gains by enor-
nous profits, the moment the tide ceases, and be-
gins to ebb, come clamoring to Congress for pro
lection, AS ifthey had any better claim to legis-
ative bounty than the Industrious cobbler' or
tinker, who works in his hove for his daily bread
The demand of the people to submit to our tax es
to enable them to continue their inordinate gains
ard while farmers and other holders of real prop
erty. are forced to be content with sic per cent,
and often two or three per cent. profit on their la
Dor and capital. these lordIy monaires require
Of government that it shall enable them to divide
fifteen or twenty, at the expense of that unlucky
class called consumers, which, though by far the
most numerous, is always disipberit by legs-
lators. and seems to have been created only for
the purpose Of being devoured like the children OF
Saturn by it's own parent.
In my next, and last communication on this
subject, shall proceed to show that this growing
system Of special legislation is one Of the most
fruitful sources Of the corruption Of the people,
and their legislators.
A NORTHERN MAN AND
FRIEND OF THE UNION