Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-05-28
wore ESTER ALLY

I they feel CALLED by their degradation. ''our
slaves do not vote yours do vote, and, being
the majority, they are the. depostsries of all
| your political power and if they knew the
temendous secret, that the ballot box is
Stronger than an army with banners, anu
could combine, your society would be recon-
/ structed, your government overthrown, and
your property divided,
1.-THE poor We heve always with you" This
6at of Almighty God, which Christian men
/ of all ages and lands have accepted as the i'm
perative INJUNCTION of the common Father of
all. to care tor the children Of misfortune and
sorrow, the senator from South Carolina ac-
cepts as the foundation-stone, the eternal Law
| of slavery, which "all the powers of earth
| cannot abolish. These precious words of
our Heavenly Father, ''the poor ye have al
ways with you" are perpetually sounding in
the ears of mankind, ever reminding them of
their dependence and their duties. These
words appeal alike to the conscience and the
heart of mankind. To men blessed in their
basket and in their store. they say, "property
has its duties as well as its rights y To men
clothed with authority to shape the policy or
administer the laws of the State, they eight
en-, by wise, humane, and equal laws, the
burdens of the Ioing and dependent children
of men - To men of every age aud every
cline they appeal By the Divine promise that
she that giveth TO the poor, lendeth TO the
Lord !" Sir, thank God that live in
commonwealth which sees no warrant in
these words of inspiration to Cypress the cons
and daughters of toll and poverty. Over the
poor and lowly she casts the broad shield of
equal, Just, and humane legislation. The
| poorest man that treads her soil, no matter
what blood may run in his veins, is protected
| in his rights and melted to labor by no other
force than the assurance that the fruits of his
| toll belong to himself, to the wife of his bos-
ON, and the children Of his love.
The senator from South Carolina exclaims,
"the man who lives by daily labor. your
whole class of manual laborers, are essential
ly slaves -" they feel CALLED by their degra-
dation - What sentiment is this to hear
uttered in the councils of this democratic Re.
public! The senator's political associates
who listen to these words which brand hun
dreds of thousands of the men they represent
in the free States, aud hundreds of their
nelghbors and personal h1ends as /" slaves,
have found no words to repel or rebuke this
language. This language of scorn and con-
tempt is addressed to senators who were not
nursed by slave; whose lot it was to toll
| with their own hsnd-to eat bread earned,
| not by the sweat Of snothers brow, but by
their own. Sir, am TIE son Of Sc hireling
| manual laborer " who with the frosts of sew
| ty winters on his brow, lives by daily la
bor." L, too, have lived by-daily labor. 1.
T too, have beea " hirelng manual laburer."
| Poverty cast its dark and chilling shadow
| over the home of my childhood and want
was there sometmes-an uhbdden guest.
| at the age of ten years aid him who
gave me being in keeping. the gaunt specter
from the hearth ofthe mother who bore me-
left the home Of my boyhood, and went to
earn my bread by " daily labor Many a
weary mile have travelled.
ITO beg brother of the earth
To give me leave to toll"
Sir, have toiled as "hlreing manual la
borer" in the field and in the work shop; and
tell the senator from South Carolina that
never ''felt CALLED by my degradation" No,
sir-never Perhaps the senator who repre-
sents that "other class which leads progress,
civilization, aud refinement" will ascrib be this
| to obtuseness of intellect aud blunted sensi
| bities of the heart Sir, was conscious of
my manhood L was the peer of my employ
err; | knew the laws and institutions of my
native and adopted states threw over hin aud
me alike the panoply of equality; knew,
| too, that the world was before me, that its
wealth, its garnared treasures of knowledge,
its honors, the coveted prizes of lite, were
| within the grasp of a brave heart and tire
| less hand, and accepted the responsibilities
| of my position all unconscious that l was a
"slave," l have employed Others hundreds
of "hirelng manual laborers." Some of them
then possessed,and now possess, more property
than ever owned; some of them were better
educated than mysef-ves, sir, better educat-
ed, and betterread, too, than some senators on
this floor; and many of them, i'll moral excel
| - i l..
feel were my superiOrs. have occupied, Mr..
President; for more than thirty years, the re-
lation of employer or employed; and while |
never felt "galled by my degradation" in the
one case, in the other was never conscious
that my ''hireling laborers' were my inferi-
ors That man is a ''snob" who boasts Of
being sfhiIeling laborer,' or who is ashamed
of being ''hreling laborer - that man is a
"snob' who feels any interIopty to any man
because he Isl "hireiiHg laborer,' or whe as
sumes any superiority over others because he
| is an employer. Honest labor is honorable /;
and the man who is ashamed that he is or was
''hireling laborer'' has mot manhood enough
to 'feel CALLED by his degradation"
Having occupied, Mr.. President, the rela.
ton of either employed or employer for the
third of a century having lived in a com
| monweath where the "hirelng class of man.
ual laborers aye the "depositaries of political
power p having associated with this class in
all the relations of life; | tell the Senator
from South Carolina, and the class he repre-
SCENTS, that he libels, grossly libels them, when
J he declares that they are essentially slaves!"
There can be found nowhere in America a
class Of men more proudly Conscious or tena-
cious of their rights. Friends and foes have
! ever found them
/ "a stubborn race, fearing and hattering noae."
But the Senator from South Carolina tells
us that if the hireling labofers knew the sire.
meudoos secret OF the ballot box, our $50.
ciety would be reconstructed, our government
overthro~n, and our property divided" Does
notthe senator know that an immense major.
ity of the "hrelng class of manual laborers'
OF New England possess property Does
he not know that the man who has aecumu-
lated a few hundreds OF dollars by his own
toll, by the savings of years, who has family
| growing up around him upon which his hopes
are centured, is conservative Does not
the senator know that he watches the appro-
priation bills in the meetings of these little
democrats towns-as narrowly as the
representative from Tennessee, in the other
House, George W.Jones) watches the money
bill on the private caendars live, Mr..
President, in small town of five thousand
inhabitants. Nearly half the population are
employed as operatives and mechanics for Che
manufacture Of shoes for the western and
southern markets. In 1910 we had thirteen
| hundred inhabitants, and the property valu-
alton was about three hundred thousand dol
lars. Last May we had fourteen HUNDRED
names on our poll list, two thirds of them
"hireliDg mechanics" and property valua-
ton Of over two millions Of dollars. Those