The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-11-28

Democrat am glad you have hroached this question
want to hear your views upon it.
Know-nothng In many Of the trades, you aware
mechanics born in other lands have for years been thrown
into successful competition with citizens and the
result has been 10 produce much excitement Able
work at lower price and live cheaper than the native
born mechanics the foreign mechanic has gradually absorb
ed various trades heretofore mainly the hands Of native
born citizens and this has become irritation to the
latter have no doubt that many OF the Strikes that
have the large cities have grown out of this state of
things and you easily perceive that emigration in
creases the evil will be aggravated.
Democrat 1t is strange however, while you prefer this
charge against the foreignborn Northumberland, mind
challenging your factsthat your policy Of
know-nohingsm should look to the dsranchisement of
these men You cannot fail TO perceive if you exclude
them from political rights, you exclude them from
country while emigration is the settled principle Of
the American government to be abandoned long
public domain waits for population and ciyili-
zation) you thereby make them aliens in our midst
Now look it In the contest between labor and capital
namely the STRIKES to which you refer--how you
after having made aliens of the oregnborn mechanics
pect cooperation from them against the capitalist Can
you for a believe, if you combine amongst your
ssluss to take away from them that which is most precious
10 Mem--I mean equality before the lawsthat they will
combine wih you against those who make common
against you On the contrary, is II not much more
reasonable inference that by the very alienation you esab
fish between themselves and you, you compel them
ganze for their selfproecion, and 10 organize
against you in return? THUS, while you attempting
protect yourselves against capital you throwing into
the hands of capital numbers Of rst-class mechanics
who you say, afford work for less because they
live at less cost and who will gladly accept the prices
which, under other circumstances they would unite with
you in refusing
Kuow-nothing And can you say that from the state of
things you have presented in confirmation of my
apprehensions you derive any comfort from the
additions of foreigners native population constant
ly pouring in upon us
Democrat do derive comfort from the prospect You
might nationally ask the foreign inven
tons of machinery which has induced the natveborn peo
Pile Of New England take from human hands the power
multiplying human labor and to pour every section of
the counryNorth, South East and Weshe products Of
their industry and their ingenuity invite shed
tears the influx of foreign mechanics You might
well ask me to the immense mandatory Of
shoes, through the aid of machinery of clothing Of
cotton goods of wooden ware, Of hats and of many
other articles which enter into The large list of hui
man wants. in all these things the fruits of a
wise philosophy, the evidences of universal happiness
and the preparation for the vast demand that will
be made upon human intellect and energy in the future
Are you that the first great inventions which have
made the cotton of southern States the chief staple
upon which the proudes monarchy of Europe reposes
the chief support of its tong millions those of
egners? Hargraves and Arkwrghtthe one in l7G7 and
the other in l769nvented the spinning jenny in l774
the genius of Compton combined in machine these
elements thus erecting instrument turning hundred
spndles once afterwards another foreigner Kelly APP
piled ii to the waters of the Clyde and Watt still another
foreigner applied the patent jenny asm thus causing
two thousand spindles TO whrl at in a single
chine.
Know-nohing These interesting facts but how did
ae obtain the advantage of these foreign inventions?
Democrat We did it against the prohbitory laws and
the prohibtoy of the British government who
troled by the policy which you mitaehat of excluding
foreign talent and foreign labor from our own shores
attempted, during many years. to keep these inven-
tons to themselves Every effort to erect or import
the machinery under these inventions into
the United States proved abortive for many years
patents by Of which cotton yarn was produced
much less expense and of superior quality any
that had been made by machinery before that pc
riod her government using every means in their
power TO prevent models drawings of his machines from
being carried out of the country Those who attempted
procure models and convey them to the United States
searched and arrested and English goods sold
at auction in large quantities. shipped the United States
and sold again reduced prices But has always been the
whenever legislation has attempted to interrupt trade
emigration the inventions which England sought to
limit to overwhelmingly the result has provedust us
bndly you act in your extraordinary attempts
ate alien population in midst in the vain hope of
helping American mechanicsthese inventions were intro
duced into country with immense The great dis
coveries alluded to transported to shores where
they still further improved first by Slater and after
wards by Whitney native of Connecticut whose cotton
GIN the result of these foreign Inventions conferred upon
the world machine which has done more for cotton
growers, manufactures commerce. and civilization than
any other machine that ever invented From
this brief view you may perceive how utterly useless
all your efforts must be to cripple emigration 10 delude
permanently the American mind by camors against for
egn mechanics and by trying to shut out from th, hem
phcre the science and the art the usce brains Of
4bo 10 of;,