Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-11-07


the manufacturing establishments, which are
owned and controlled in that centre of capital and
influence? More than are allowed to any OF the
officers appointed under the government OF Mas
sachusetts. Independently of the Judges OF the
Supreme Court, whose labors and expenses are
very great, there are no officers in the Common
wealth whose salaries equal to those OF the
agents and treasurers of manufacturing estao-
lishments, the cashiers of many banks IN
Boston, or of the heads of railroad COM
panies in the State. Boston capital Is enabled
to call to its service, i'll these various offices,
Judges from The bench, and senators from the
senate board, as well as lawyers from the bar.
They may turn their backs upon all the patron
age in the State. The offices which most val
liable are conferred substantially by the capital
lists of Boston, and, where have this influence
and power been used l could call to mind
dozen instances, at this moment some of them
IN this county, where public men, political men,
have been called from the services WHICH they
were rendering to the public to offices of agents,
of moneyed corporations, the salaries of which are
far above the salery of any office in the State
and it has so happened, in all parts of the State,
that men who could influence public opinion,
leading men in political life, have been selected
for these offices and inst nces have occurred, in
all parts of the State, within the knowledge of
many gentlemen where voices which had been
heard before, on the side of human rights, have
been, through the influence of such appointments,
hushed i'll silence forever, or made TO sing the
sustain, laws oppressive to men, and disgraceful
to our age. That is one source of power and in
huence, of the city of Boston. let me refer to
another She will send, under the new Constitu.
ton, her So representatives to the Legislature
Do YOU believe that those representatives will
have no more power than an equal number from
the County of Franklin Can it be 500 Cen
tlemen go down from the small country towns,
strangers to the city, and strangers to the repre-
sentation OF other portions of the Commonwealth,
DE- a., 81, 81
taking of the rights of the city of
Boston--whO are they Oftentimes
of eminent talent in their professions, known
throughout the StAe, or merchants, trans
acting business in all parts ofthe Commonwealth
They are men, not only having power and talent
themselves, but they have friends and influence
in all directions, and means to promote the OBJ
jeets for which they are sent to the legislature
altogether beyond any that can be possessed by
persons coming from the interior parts Of the
Commonwealth. Not only so, but what are the
surroundings of the city of Boston? That vcini-
ty is filled up with men who actually engaged
in, and Unidentified with, the business of Boston,;
and, if you look into the Legislature, you will
find, not only those who are chosen specially to
take care of the interests of Boston, but Others
from thesurrounding towns, ear or more remote,
from Charlestown, Cambridge, Melrose, Win
chester, Dorchester, or Roxbury, and many
others-men who scarcely ever see the country
by day -light-who go there to sleep, but whose
buSlnGSS as SOCldllOuS INTERESTS, ana occupations,
are all in the city of Boston and who are as much
the representatives of Boston, as the 35 or A
whom she sends.
Now, gentlemen with this centrallzing posi-
ton, with this immense wealth, with this diverg-
ence of railroads in all directions to all portions
of the State, with this vast patronage with these
35 representatives, and with the influence from
neighboring towns, also, ask you. what that
gentleman could be thinking of, when he declared
that he was, or would be "distranchised" if the
proposed Constitution was adopted? l do not
know what powers or privileges he claims for his
share, but think that the man who has so much
granted, cannot, but with very i'll grace, ask for
more (Cheers.)
Irepeat do not envy, but we rejoice in the
prosperity of the City of Boston; but, when we
look at her power and influence we cannot fail to
perceive, that the danger is not that she will be
crushed under the power of the little towns in the
country, but that predominant influence shall
go forth from her, which shall control the State
to its utmost limits | might have added, that
the State House is there; the sessions of the
Legislature are there. l might allude to her
able presses, and to many other circumstances, to
show the immense influence which centres in that
city. And any candid man will be convinced
that Boston, least of all has a right to complain
of the measure of power given her by the new
Constitution.
Gentlemen, believe you will come to the con-
clusion, Notwithstanding the great clamor which
certain distinguished persons make, that in the
auJuslheh. OF power under the new Constitution,
the Capital has no reason to complain of inius-
'ice, and that, after all, you will allow the rural
towns their right of representation in the egisa-
ture so far it is secured to them. You will re-
member, too, the liberaty with which, in other
respects, the city of Boston has been treated;
that, in the Constitution of the Senate, the float
ing population, which is there to-day and gone
tomorrow, is numbered, and constitutes part of
the capital upon which she is entitled to r. pre-
sentahOn. When you consider the lberality
with which power is thus given to Boston, think
you will say, that, to reject the Constitution
because greater influence has not been afforded to
her IN the House, would be injustice of the gross
est kind, to the rights OF the interior portions of
the State
But, gentlemen 1t IS SAID that the Convention
might have resorted to the district system and
then, the argument IS that the citizens of the
country towns would have their right of repreSen-
tatlon' because they might vote in representative
districts. My friends for conservatives to Make
this is scheme of the most destructive charac-
ter. 1t is breaking into the most firmly founded
institutions of the State; it is breaking up that