Eaton Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1843-1856, 1856-07-10

have been surprised at tie revival ofthe abb
Isufd and totally unfouhdsd charge against MI.
B., that he advocated a reduction Of iaborePs
wages to fen cents a day. That charge, we
supposed, was long since exPloded-the New
York Tyi5nas, itself-with mach more honesty
and candor than many Of its opposition cotem-
poruFies-siamps il as q false hood, and we did
hope that it would notsbe persistedin by any
portion OH heaespectable press ofthe country.
In this reasonable expectation we have been
disappointed, and it is our duty, now, TO ex-
pose the falsebood and show our readers what
Mr.. Buchanan really did say, and how he has
been misrepresent.d by his political oppo-
nents.
On the 22nd Of January, 1s4o, Mr.. BUcHAN-
lAm then in the Senate Of the United States,
delivered a very able speech in favor Of the
Sub Treasury bill in reply to Mr Clay, in
which occurred the following passage, on
which the ten cent story fhoaeSs JonN DAVIS
and his followers is founded
"We are also charged by the Senator from
kentucky with q desire to reduce the wages
of the poor mans labor. We have been. often
termed aggraIians on our side OF the house,
It is something new under the sun TO hear the
Senator and his friends attribute 10 us a desire
to elevate the wealthy manu- lacturer 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 fee laborers of The North
deserve respect both for their probity and their
int I~ligence. Heaven fol IBID that | should do
them wrong! Of all The countries on the
earth, we ought to have The most consideration
for The labofing man. Truly wealth often
takes 10 itself wings and flies away. A large
fortune rarely lasts beyond the third generation,
even if il endure so ling. We must all know
instances OF individuals obliged 10 labor for
their daily bread whose grandlaihers were men
Of fortune. The regular process OF society
would almost seem 10 consist OF the efforts oil
one class 10 d~issipale the fortunes which They
have inherited, willis! another class, by tlfelI
industry and economy, are regularly rising 10
We nth. We have all, The refore, q common
interest, as it is our common duty, 10 pfoecr
The rights Of the laboring man; and if | be-
lieved for a moment that this bill would prove
injurious 10 him, it should meet my unquali-
fled opposition.
"Aithough this bill will pot have as great
on influence as | could desire, yet, as far as II
goes, it will benefit The laboring man as much,
and probably more, than any other class IN So
society. What is it he ought most TO desireY
Constant employment, regular wages, and uni.
form, reasonable prices for the necessarles and
com forts Of life which he requires. Now, sir,
what has been his condition under our system
of expansions and contractionsi He has sui.
fered more by them than any other class Of
society. The rate OF his wages is liked aud
known and they are the last 10 Use win The
increasing expansion, and the brst 10 isti
when Co corresponding reyulsion occurs. lie
still continues 10 recei?e his dollar per day,
whilst The price OF every article which con-
sumes is rapidly rising. :.
"He IS OF length made 10 feel that, although
he nominally earns as much, or even more than
he did formerly, yet, from The increased price
OF all the necessarieS ofhfe, lie cannot support
bis family. Hence he strikes for higher wages,
and the uneasy and excited feelings which
have at different times existed belween the la
boring classes. But the expansion at length
reaches the exploding point, aud what does the
laboring man now suffer? He is Tor 0 season
thrown out of employment altogether. Our
manufactures are suspended; GU: public works
are SiOppCN Vut ptNuuO ChbclPilsSS u'hSiSHt
kinds are abandoned; and, whilst others are
able to weather the storm, he can scarcely
procure the means Of bare subsistence"
In referring to this ten cent charge, the
Washington Union remarks: "The reader
will be surprised when we state that whatever
OF foundation there is for the ten cent charge
is embraced in the extracts which we have
made from Mr.. Buchanaa's speech. Through
out the whole OF il there is no sentence or word
which gives even FEASIBILITY to the charge
From beginning 10 end the speech abounds in
sound, sta;esmanlike sentiments, which have
been fully illustrated by the experience ofthe
last sixteen years. II is, indeed, strange that
the charge of a wish TO reduce the wages OF
lsboring men should be based on anything in
this speech. But it must be recollecled that
It was during the remarkable canvass OF 1S4V
that this charge obtained currency. In the
then condition OF the popular mind, nothing
was SO absurd or preposterous as not 10 be ac-
ceptable to the depraved taste Of the times
This remark is fully illustEated by the manner
in which Mr.. Buchanan's speech was peryer.
ted, and charge deduced from it which was in
direct contradiction OF the speech ITSELF"
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