The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1858-07-01
Senator Cameron's Speech.

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most admirably condensed and sem
tentious embodiment of the food of
thoughts which the great question it re-
fcrs to presses upon Us now. 1t is q
speech which tens of thousands can and
will read, and the eminent speaker well
said, at its close, that he was speaking to
the petitioners and their associates, and
speaking for them in so doing. This
pithy and conclusive enforcement of the
duty of the unfortunate workers in coal
and iron to consider the question of po-
litical direction at the polls and not in
vain petitions, will have more weight with
those to whom it is especially addressed
than any former argument emanating
from the House or Senate. Phalad.
North american.
Mr.. CAMERON said:
| am requested to present petition,
signed by large number of laboring men
engaged in the manufacture of irou, in
Pennsylvania. l receive great many
letters, daily, from persons of this class.
and | will say here, what will save me the
trouble of writing a great many letters.
They think the Congress of the United
States can relieve them from all their trou
bles. There never has been time in the
history of the iron business of Pennsyl-
vania, when there was so much real dis
tress among the laboring men of my State
the men who do the work, the men who
60 to the forge before daylight, and re-
main there long after the moon has risen
than there is at present. 1t is not a
complaint now on the part of the capital
ist. Men of capital, men of fortune, can
take care of themselves. Capital can al
ways take care of itself; labor, poverty,
indulgence and want, always need sympa-
thy and protection.
These persons reside in the town of
Norristown, on the Schuylkill river some
twenty miles above Philadelphia The
river Schuylkiil is traversed on both
sides, by railroad, Que extending some
twenty or thirty miles, another one hun
dred miles. On the one side of the river
is canal. All these works have been
made for the purpose of conveying Goa!
and iron to the place of manufacture and
sale. The county of Schuylkill, the great
coal deposit of Pennsylvania, has a pop
ulation of some 1000 or 80, 600 people,
which has grown up within the last twen-
ty-fve years.
At this time the whole laboring popu-
lation engaged in the iron and coal busi-
ness of the whole country extending from
Philadelphia to the mountains of Schuyl-
kill county, are idle; boats are tied up;
locomotives are, in great measure, stan
ding still, and laborers are running about
hunting employment and hunting food.
These are the persons who complain;
they think that Congress can relieve them.
[ have told them. and have written to
them, tha: they have the power in their
own hands.
The laboring men Of this country are
powerful for good always. They do con-
:rol when they think proper, and [ think
The tine is coming when they will control
;he politics of this country. tell them
hat before they can get common protec- I
ing they must change the majority IN the
must change the majority of
he other House Of Congress; and, ADORE all
hey must change the occupant Of the White
House, who is the dispenser of this power
v shich controls the legislation of the coun-
:ry. In place of gentlemen who sneer
we talk about protection they must
send men here who know something of
he wants, something of the interests.
something of the usefulness of the labor.
ng man. ;
Hitherto, they have not acted as il they
Jared for their own interests. While they 1
alked about tariff which would guard
heir labor from competition with the pau '
per labor of Europe, they would 60 to the
elections under some ward leader and s
vote for men to represent them, here and
who cared only for party drill,
and who had no interest above party sue
,ess. 7His system they must change, ~
Aey hope far success. think the laboring
men of Pennsylvania, at least, are now
beginning to put their shoulders to the
wheel. and believe they will make such
a noise in next October as will alarm the
gentlemen all over the country who laugh
at them.
The canals, railroads, and mining op-
prations of this region of country, have
cost more than a hundred millions OF dol
ars; the furnaces and other works con-
pected with the manufacture of iron, an ;
enormous sum. The people interested in
the iron and coal businss, directly or in-
directly, along the valley of the Schuyl, Il
kill. amount to more than three hundred
thousand souls. Since 1855, there has
been blight upon the business, growing
Dot of the unwise legislation OF Congress.
which has really protected the iron OF
England. Russia and Sweden, and thus
takeu the labor and the bread from our
own workmen.
This iron interest of Pennsylvania, in
which these men are employed, commen-
ced, in 1920, with a production OF only
20 900 tons. In 1855, when 1T was up
to its greatest extent, the production was
- fol W hon this