The Feliciana Democrat. (Clinton, La.) 1855-186?, 1857-03-14
NO. AS.
LONDON LABORERS AND SOUTH
ERN SLAVES

ERN SLAVES
The late arrivals from England bring US
tdings Of distress and desttuton among the
free aborers Of London, which has no paral-
lei in this country, except among the labor.
crs in the free States where similar scenes
sometimes occur With the double object Of
teaching onr people the value Of their institu.
tions, and to show onr friends in free society,
that there is ample employment for all their
benevolent impulses elsewhere than among the
negro slaves, we present the following glimpse
ut the beauties Of free society:
The miseries of the unemployed classes in
London continue to make themselves painfully
apparent The several police courts are be-
sieged daily by applicants for relief, and large
gronpt, we learn, parade the streets chanting
words of distress, and bearing public declar-
alton that they are out Of work and want en-
ployment. The proceedings Mt the Mansion
House may be.tnken MS type Of what occurred
at the other Offices. Three parties, describing
themselves respectively rs a grainer, house
decorator and hrirklnver. tied upon the
Lord Mayor on Wednesday, to make applica-
tion on the part Of themselves and Others.
Her" are their statements:
The bricklaver said he had not heen to the
par'sh, aud did not want to 20. If there was
any possibility of getting work or keeping away
at AL
The house decorator said he had wife and
child, aud having been ont of work for fonr
months. had orly been able 10 support them
hv pled.;ng m srln" every thing belonging
to him except the clothes on their backs Yes
tcrily. hninr at the last prsh. he went with
ohont 100 others to the workhonsr, whore
they wcrr set 10 'roakinc stones. and NJ the
end Of - DIV he rot J. aud gulrtnrn loaf,
hu most nf the men, who were single. g0t on
" y or q anl half 1n1rfrrn loaf after
being ~ NV without lnvthing to eat That
w,s VI ff'.l, ,u' f'rn stone hroak'n.- hli
so fer ! a" 'r1. thpt Il, cnnl not 70 ~
Il prlin. rar n y ~ h's hrnis w,ull ha in
su,.l' s.,'o 20 n k Il Impossible Cor him
TO 10 any work At ~ owu husincss for three
wnn',s Or y mouth. "ven If he rot any Tho
poor follow hcr' hl ont his hands. the palms
Of wiirii ns he had said, were bliStcred all
ovar
TIE rro'nnr said h did not appear so much
for himself as for tho others. many of whom.
who he'd hnnn twelve or twnn,y.rour hours
without food, wer" growing very noisy. He
had don" nil y" could to keep them quiet, but
they were growing desperate and threatened
to have food ny fair means or foul, unless some
thing was done for them and that qnckly. A
rood many Of them were anxious to cmgrate
ro Australia If they tonld get free passage
aud land TO cultivate when they got there.
What startling and instructive contrast to
all this is PRESENTED by the institution Of sla-
very in the Southern States, At the very
moment that the free lnborcrs of London were
bowling through the streets and beseeching
the Mayor 10 = W them work, onr slaves were
quictl, resting in their cabins, with no mad
dcning hnnger to torture them by day or cor
roinr care TO disturb theis slumbcrs by night.
Both classes of lahorers were without work,
bnt one was pinehcd with hunger, frcnzied by
the SuIlrringS of wife and children, ready to
Slarvc if honest, or 10 plundcr TO satisfy the
cravings Of hunger, while the other was com.
fortahly housed, clothed and fed saw wife and
little ones enjoying similar comforts, and was
totally nnroncerned whether the morrow should
he clear or cloudy rs, in any event, his susie
nance was Slrr--Without work the free la
horrr starved, the slave hborer feasted; the
former howed as he ran through the streets
seeking work or bread while the other sang
cheerful songs or danced to the music of the
banjo, rs the wood burned in the chimney,
shedding warmth and light around. Which
let us ask the abolitonist, had the better Dor
ton the free laborcr with his poverty, hunger
physical and mental anguish, or the negro slave
with his plenty, contentment and comforts?
Such are the contrasts constantly presented
by free society and slave society. Whatever
tanclIn sentimental notions may be entertained
about freedom and slavery, no observant man
can deny that the free laborer is infinitely be-
low our negro slaves in all physical comforts,
conycniences and enjoyments and that slavery
avoids n thousand priyations and sufferings to
which the free laborer is subjected. Is there
nothing in all this compensating the slave for
h S subsection to the will and control of anoth.
cr? Is selfcontro SO valuable that it must be
rctainad at the risk Of starvation? Must
man perish for food after seeing his wife and
children perish, sooner than submit to the