The Placer herald., 1858-05-29

.Oi i"Pliio dHu larceny. Dut wien society
became so demoralzed as to be capable of
these-crimes against property, their very
vices would be protection to the property
holders; for, these robbers would be no more
true to each other than to the rest of the
community; and they or sufficient num-
Der of them, would enlist for pay on the side
OF property quite as readily as against it for
the sake Of plunder: to say nothing of the
inefficiency of horde of men combined for
plunder and subject to all the vices whereby
such horde would be made efeminate and
debauched; and to say nothing of the com
bined power Of wealth and morality opposed
to them.
But such men as Mr.. Hammond greatly
underrate the probity and the intellige ce of
the men Of whom he speaks with such flip
pant injustice. 1t is to strike at the very
foundation Of free institutions to suppose
that the majority or any considerable minor
ity of the people of this country are of the
kind he describes. We do not speak of our
own favored State where physical labor is
held in higher honor than elsewhere and is
better remunerated; but of the States to
which he specifically refers. There may be
in those States a vast amount of poverty and
desttution; a vast amount of ignorance and
crime; but happily, this still is the portion
of only comparatively few members of the
Society; and they must know that no help
could be expected from such agraran courses
as those suggested. We have yet to learn
that line could be drawn which would en-
brace those whom Mr.. Hammond would
trust. Governments work by general rules
Would he place the power in the hands of
one man? then South Carolina would have
to be revoutionized IN the hands of few
and these the rich? Then what security
is there that these few would have the re-
qniste qualifications for political affairs!
Does mere wealth give talents, worth or
learning? And what guarantee is there that
the few would not oppress the many, any
the few? Is Venice any better governed
than New York, or Cuba than California?
VIII not a caste govern for its own benefit at
the expense of the interest of the masses?
Mr.. Halnmond's principles carry him back
to the dark ages, and to the dogmas of the
Stewarts and the Bourbons. They are as
anti American as they are unjust.
Mr.. lIammond's theory proceeds on the
idea that only particular class or given
number of the community ought to enjoy
electoral or in other words, political privilc,
oes: that this class consists of men inlepen
dent in their personal fortunes; and that this
independence means an Independence of
labor as a means of support The trans.
laton of this theory into plain English is sim
ply this: that Republican principles or gov
ernment can only be maintained under an
arstocratical form, which is itself contra
diction in terms.
But the question recurs who is to com
pose this arstocracy? and after that question
is answered, another remains, and that is
for whom is government ordained-the favor
ed few or the many This question we an
swer by the Declaration of American 1nde-
pendence Mr.. Hammond classes as "slaves"
all who depend upon daily labor for daily
bread; but Mr. Hammond forgets that capi-
tai depends as much on labor as labor on
capital; and that the rich are as much de-
pendent on those who minister to their ccm-
fort as the poor are dependent on those who
minister to their necessities. There is in
truth, reciprocal dependence between CAPT
tai and labor; and capital is as much the
slave of labor in this country as labor is the
slave of capital. 1t is nee Hess to inquire
whether this will always be the case. 1t will
be so for many years to come and it will be
time enough when the state of affairs in this
respect is altered to alter our political insti-
tutons to suit them. But the Millennium
will come before in this immense country
the population will be so overcrowded as to
make this alteration necessary. and when it
does come there will be no use for it.
The theory Of Mr. Hammond utterly ig-
nores many things which should be consider
ed and expresses many which have no ex-
istence: it assumes the fact that in the Ame-
lican masses there is natural desire to de-
spoil the rich; it assumes that the wealth is
all concentrated in small class; it supposes
that it is the interest Of the larger class to
repudae the rghtful claims Of property;
that they would be disposed to conspire for
this purpose and would be able against the
power and easier organization of wealth to
do it: I:assumes that the influence of wealth
of morals--of conscience patriotism
of education-of religion-of old IDEAS
will be unavaing; in other words, it assumes
that the masses of the American people are
nOrde OF td@@uFoHt, WHO nave no Peiila-
nent interest in the country-no attachment
to its constitution or its law-who only want
to know how to steal by legal forms in order
to do so and that it would be more profita-
Bile to that large class to rob than to labor.
A greater number of outrageous falacies
never were condensed into one statement; and
then, to crown all, it supposes, that, in such
a state of society, chosen few, by right of
wealth, would be safely trusted to govern all
the rest.
Another error is, that these masses have
not sufficient intelligence to conduct political
affairs; there again they are underrated; for
even conceding most literally to the arrgu-