Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1855-01-25
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. MUST NOT BE
CuOOSERS.

SAOOSERS.
Young as is this Republic, it is yet cursed
with two curses--Demagogue and Agrarians
Demagogues are ambitious and unprincipled
men, who aspire to place and power and adop,
any means, however rascally, to consummate
their designs. Agrarians are lazy wretches
who, afraid Of work, desire to profit by the la
bors OF others. They would dress WELL feed
well, and appear well. But as the common
pursuits of industry do not yield enough to
crafty their tastes, and rs they have no dispo
sltion to work, they pretend to an uncommon
share Of patriotism-that "last refuge of a
scoundrel," and turning liberty into licentous-
ness, they appeal to the poor to break down the
rich and divide among them the spoils. Europe
is filled with these people. Her large cities,
are filed with lazy paupers and indignant
patriots. But pauper in Europe is not
the degraded creature that pauper in this
country is, and an indignant patriot there, is
not SO base as an indignant patriot here.
There, the press Of population, the competition
of labor, the want of work, and the scarcity of
provisions, force many men to be either mendi-
cantsorindignantp patriots, which last words mean
Agrarianism. Here, we have free FARMS"
plenty of food, and unending labor. If men
cannot succeed in.our large cities-if they get
IN debt and cannot provide for their families,
they are not put in jail and kept there like
ielons. They have the liberty of the streets.
II in our largest cities, owing to the rush of
emigration and the competition of labor, they
cannot get work, they have the new world
before them" They can change their places
Of residence. II, instead of doing so, they pre-
Ter to stay in the same place and frequent their
old haunts, they ought to bear idleness and
starvation without grumbling.
In these latter times, so prolific of evil-poli-
teal evil, religious evil, moral evil-we have
superadded, social evil. The widest vagaries
that ever took possession Of the minds of luna
tics or slip-shod scholars have been sprung
upon the country. This would be natural in
demagogues-bu it is unnatural, in this coun-
try, among men who profess to be laborers
We have the highest respect for laborers. Our
most imposing edi6ces, our greatest works of
art and internal improvements, our cities, our
streets, our canals, our country houses, our
best cultivated farms, are the product of their
hands-but that they should suffer themselves
to be carried away by vagaries is, indeed, as
tonishing.
The large cities Of the North ring with the
clamors of these people, and the parks and pub
lie grouna. daily witness their tumultuary gath
erings. They hold meetings and the burden
of their defamation is denunciation Of the
rich. They clamor about the want of bread
and the want Of work. Well, these are hard
times, especially in cities, more especially in
our large Northern Cities but laborers are not
confined by rigorous laws to cities. The whole
unsettled wilderness is before them. Settled
Territories are open to them, where they can find
work and food to their hearts content. Towns
and villages, only few hours travel from them
are suffering for mechanics. They can change
their place of residence, if they will, and with
it their circumstances. But they win not-and
yet they complain Of poverty. Soup houses
have been opened for them; private and pub
liccharities have provided food and clothing and
yet their insane clamors continue They COM
plain Of those who have good houses to live in,
good clothes to wear and good food to eat. They
demand that houses shall be pulled down in
order that the rebuilding Of them may afford
them employment and money. They declare
that they do not want TO live by charity; but
they give out vague yet significant indications
that they must live, and that,th rich must fur.
nish them with the means of living.
What right have they to demand that either
public or private buildings shall be taken
down for their benefit? What right have they
to wage war on those who either, by their own
industry, or that of their ancestors, enjoy the
comforts and Injuries of lfe2 These meetings
and these complaints are omipous Of evil. They
are the first symptoms OF A grarianism that have
appeared in this country, and the men and the
meetings that exhibit them should be promptly
Crushed out"
That there are many poor, feeble and help
less men, women and children who need char.
ity, we know full well, and we would be the
last to deny that charity. We hope that we
would be among the first to bestow it. But
when great army Of beggars assemble in
this abundant country and claim that either
public or private property shall be sacrificed TO
give them bread, and threaten violence if it is
not done, then we are in favor of putting them
down very summary, if need be, by violence
lflaborers cannot get work. jim one place, they
can in another, and if they do not choose to &c
to that other, the fault is their own. Thi:
country is not yet ripe for Agrarianism.
CONVICTION UNDER THE FUGITIVE
SLAVE LAW.
Our readers, no doubt, remember the dis
Oracpful conduct of Sherman M Pooyb ,,Lo