Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1856-06-21
MIR. Buchanan,s speech.

Mr.. Buchanan's speech.
The Washington Union republishes
much of Mr.. Buchanan's celebrated
speech upon the Independent Treasury
bill to disprove the silly ten cents a
day" charge against him-that speech
having furnished the pretcnce for the
charge in question, of course through an
effort to give his words meaning never
dreamed of by him, and unwarranted by
any fair and grammatical Interpretation
of his language. The following is the
portion of the speech on which the
charge is founded, which cannot be read
by any fair-niinded person without fore
ing on his mind the conviction that the
allegation is wholly unfounlcd:
"We are also charged by the Senator
from Kentucky with desire to reduce
the wages of the poor mans labor We
have been often termed agrarians on our
side of the house. 1t is something new
under the sun to hear the Senator and
his friends attribute to us desire to Gle
vate the wealthy manufacturer at the
expense Of the laboring man and the
mechanic. From my soul respect the
laboring man. Labor is the foundation
of the wealth of every country; and the
free laborers of the North deserve respect
both for their probity and their intelli-
gence. Heaven forbid that | should do
them wrong! Of all the countries on
the earth, we ought to have the most
consideration for the laboring man.
From the very nature of our institutions,
the wheel of fortune is constantly re-
volving and producing such mutations in
property that the wealthy man of to-day
may become the poor laborer of to-mor-
row. Truly wealth often takes to itself
wings and flies away. A large fortune
rarely lasts beyond the third generation,
even if it endure so long. We must all
know instances of individuals obliged to
labor for their daily bread whose grand
fathers were men Of fortune. The reg
ular process of society would almost
seem to consist of the efforts of one class
to dissipate the fortunes which they have
inherited, whilst another class, by their
industry and economy, are regularly ris-
ing to wealth. We have all, therefore,
common interest, as it is our common
duty, to protect the rights of the laboring
man; and if / believed for moment that
this bill would prove injurious to him, it
should meet my unqualified opposition.
Although this bill will not have as
great an influence as | could desire, yet,
as far as itgoes, it will benefit the la
boring man as much, and probably more,
than any other class of society What
is it he ought most to desire? Constant
employment, regular wages, and uniform,
reasonable prices for the necessaries and
comforts of life which he requires. Now
sir, what has been his condition under
our system of expansions and contrac-
tions2 He has suffered more by them
than any other class of society. The
rate of his wages rs fixed and known !;
and they are the last to rise with the in
ereasing expansion, and the first to fall
when the corresponding revulsion occurs.
lie still continues to receive his dollar
per day, whilst the price of every article
which he consumes is rapidly rising.
He is at length made to feel that, although
he nominally earns as much, or even
more than he Gid formerly, yet, from the
increased price of all the necessarics of
life, he cannot support his family. -
Hence the strikes for higher wages, and
the uneasy and excited feelings which
have at different periods existed a.
mong the laboring classes. But the
expansion at length reaches the exploding
point, and what does the laboring man
now suffer? lie is for season thrown
out of employment altogether Our
manufactures are suspended; our public
works are stopped; our private enter
prises of different kinds are abandoned;
and, whilst others are able to weather
the storm, he can scarcely procure the
means of bare subsistence"