The daily union., 1854-07-27


the purity of his character and who Is manufactures of
iirearms-says in his report
"T The military system, connected with those armories
is everywhere looked upon wrong principle dangerous
to the rights and privileges Of freemen, entirely
rance with the true spirit Of civil institutions.
cherished principle with the American citizen 20
keep the army separate and distinct in its appointment and
empoymeni and when military placed civil
ian its natural tendency produce prejudice
tent, If not dstrust and class of sensitive,
in this respect than body of industrious mechanics
skill is their only capital. lFur
For the foregoing reasons and Others the of which
is in the testimony think proper unite with majority
of the commission in recommending the President change
from the military to civil superintendent of the public
armories at Springfield and Harper's Ferry"
/ These distinguished commissioners were influenced by
other considerations equally important recommend the
abandonment OF military command but have selected
those parts only Of their reports which pertinent that
branch OF the subject am discussing II is for the
purpose OF proving that the majority of the commission of
1858 and the select committee of this House harnonized
upon this point they did all other branches of the
inquiries
| No man, Mr. Chairman, who will discard his preudices
fail to believe that the intelligent and independent me-
chanic will feel degraded under military dominion whilst
engaged in civil pursuits. The strong of
the great mass of the people must Indignantly repudate
the system which encourages and is calculated perpeu
ate measures that rannize in the exercise of
honorable profession Every institution consecraed to
liberty; all our habits and manners; every impulse
which has been of the growth Of great magma
every consideration of eprvatons shared in common
revolutionary sres and the blood shed by them on
sangunary plains in the accomplishment of their great
purpose and every subsequent rally of the American
around the bright aud beautiful and glorious ensign of
country in the support of national honor instinct
lively epes the cultivation of ideas which draw nvdious
distinctions between useful class of citizens and
another and which shake the foundation of
| national supersructure--PoLITIcAL EQUALITY
The condition of the artisans and mechanics in these
United States not in the man such respects as
challenge the envy Of those who toll less and better
Their energies their hews and snews already taxed
too near to the maximum of endurance their reward APP
proximates too close TO the minimum Of indispensable
wants hence none much less the government should
courage the adoption OF the tendency of which
even remotely subtract from their comfort depreciste
the living manly sentiment of Independence "The condi
ton OF the great body of the people of country is the
dton of the country" This is rusm which will
gainsay The preponderatng majority Of the people of
this country be found in It's agrcuurs its mechan
les and artisans its miners and those who recognised
under the cognomen of laboers These the essential
elements OF productive wealth The prosperous condition
Of nation is not TO be judged of estimated by the
dundant Golfers of the national governments the beautiful
and costly structures and the decorated ans 4acous
grounds of the wealthy farmer by the prncey pal
of the city monaire; the spires and turrets which
adorn populons towns by walike navies which with
lie in every port and harbor and gulf and sea- by
armies terrible in their strength but it be reck-
oned by the prosperity, contentmcnt and morals of
the great mass of the people Whilst this favored
don shall exist agriculture will dispense its blessings;
science and the arts, and commerce, viii ourh tera-
ture will make its impress upon the minds and the
OF the people, and religion spread abroad its benign ntu-
ence Rome and Carthage, Athens and Sparta Persia and
Armenia and other cities and States have presented
dences of power and grandeur far surprising the concep
ons of the present But their grandeur has departed
their palaces deserted their redundant population
has declined degenerated their decay hath dried up
realms to deserts am not Mr. Chairman, of those who
believe such fatal results Of the preordinaon of D
vine Providence They of the fruit of the eternal fixed
rules of cause and effect The histories of the mighty
tons Of antiquity and Of the middle ages have told us Of
their prolonged wars of spoilers and depoed of wealth
wrune from the ter of the soil and from the hand of in
gennty to sustain luxury and pomp of drafts of countless
millions from the fertile fields and from the workshops Of
industry fight the battles of boed and insatate power
the ploughshare exchanged for the sword the hammer
was laid aside for the war spear luxury and ease the
| 1n,ntn Anf in
patons degraded and despoled Of its fruits and hon.
est enterprise had ennobling incentive Can not
causes for national degeneracy and decay? Should not
CLEAN from these dark histories enough to of the
dread fate which is the certain end of nations that fail to
recognise obedience to the prmeva merorious
of honor and reward? Certain that the sun will rise in
the eastern horizon and gd with its departing beams the
western sky certain will the rising glory of this country
depart whenever honest industry shall be stripped of its
fruit and hearess speculation and pampered pride and
vanity lord the hand of labor Yes sir the glory
rise again in spendor but share the inevitable doom of
nations that have wanedstruggling through success
ye convulsons until the last vesge of prosperity shall
have disappeared.
| @ a thousand wears scarce serve to form a State
] An hour may lay it in the dust and when
| Can man its shattered spendor renovate,
Recall its virtues back and vanquish time and fate 2"
have said that the of this country interviewer
WITH and dependent on the condition of the producing
interfere between capital and labor at the time ii
should not through any of its agents pcrpetrate acts
which either degrade overask underpay labor In the
history of national armoes under the military rule
these of injustice appear evident to Hence
opposition to the continuance Of that supernendency
In all the convusons OF nations and in all the struggles
Of classes for the mastery productive industry has
been in the ascendant do not desire to encourage by any
OF mine similar catastrophe in the United States of
! America
There pride of profession up in this matter OF oppo
ston to the arnories at present conducted There is
deep feeling of hostility to the system which will pervade
| workshops filed with nearly million of strong and
other than the public
sentiment which condemns IT, that consideration would in
uence my action in reference thereto. The public voice is
against itand that is seldom wrong and always potent
The pcrpeuity of free institutions in measure
depends upon the confidence rcposed in those who make
and those who charged with the execution of the laws
and il is vitaly important that in the fuflmen of these
responsible duties clearly established rights should be
invaded adopted the tendency of which s to
| ALLEVIATE a class or classes from the government
Are not the men who are looking this Congress for
The satisfactory settlement of the matter under
deraton mertorous Of the most respectful consideration!
Their enterprise and genius and skill have been ackuowl
edged throughout the civilized world The workmanship
of their hands contributes thousands of comforts 10
Their voice Of industry is heard upon every hilltop and
in every valley They daily opening up great high
ways for civilization and with iron bands connecting the
EXTREMIST points of broad domain. They not only
great the Of peace but formidable in Sincerely
attached to the country and its free institutions they are
amongst the first obey the AT the trum-
pets first sound they lay aside the hammer and the plane
and the saw and leave rowel and the deathess stone
the unfinished WALL sustain their nations honor and
independence Sir these do not ask for the bounty OF
that government TO which they much devoted they
do not ask to be pensioned "a retired id when age
and labor have stolen vigor from their lmbsthey only