Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-07-23
Letter NO. 3.--.To the FOrefgn-Born CA''
fzens of Minnesota.
WHITE LABOR AND SLAVERY.
Editors of the Minasesotidn:

| DEAR SrRs In my last letter l treated
the subject of Slavery with reference only to
its effects upon the Slave. There IS, howev-
er. another phase of the question, which, al
though it may not appeal to our synpatmes'
has direct influence upon the welfare OF
| great por ton of our race. | refer, of course,
to the degradation of the Great Cause OF Hu-
man Labor by the institution of Slavery
| This view of the subject is Of paramount I'M
| portance to the foreign-born voter. He may,
| if possible, steel his bosom against the cries
| of humanity, he may pursue his course ut
! terly regardless of the wrongs Or the suffer-
ings of others, but he cannot shut his senses
to the appeals of his own self interest, nor
remain permanently indifferent to that which
will injuriously effect himself. The Question
of Slavery hence presents itself clad, not in
the guse of an abstract philanthropy, but as
a present, pressing and unavoidable evil to the
white race.
It NAV IN brief words be said that the
cause of labor is the cause Of civilization
Civilized life is artificial life, life of many
wants--and to the supply Of these wants la
Dor is necessary, and with the necessity in
creases the remuneration of labor. No man
is so idle as the savage. No community is so
industrious as the most civilized Hence Ia
Dor is the basis of cultivation, refinement and
advancement Hence, with the progress o.
: society the dignity Of labor is increased.
There is but one thing that can reverse this
result: When the cause of civilization ano
the cause of labor are separated, when the
labor is involuntary and the laborers an infe
ror and degraded class. In this case Labor
, sinks to the level of it's representatives. u
be idle is to he elevated; to work is to be dis
I graced The mass of society, instead OF be
ing the respected architects of cultivation, ant
t the honorable instruments of a tireless I'D
t vance, fall to the range of the OK; the neces
+ sary toll of society is performed in detection
y and humiliation. The co.s of the great ma
a chine are cloggcd-the higher class run thre
n an artificial development into waste growt
!. solid progress Observation-Disclosures ar
}, discouraged-agricu becomes the task
l. brutes, and the whole system of society
e weakened and disarranged. We witncs:
r, then, the contempt of labor known IN tn
l. barbarous ages of the world, and barbarisI
r itself is only prevented by the reflected Unfit
s. ence of neighboring civilizations.
e How different is all this from the conditio
t. of society where civilization and labor G
N hand in hand Our whole North is one mas
he of independent laborers, each toiling upon h
or own homestead-each earnest in the advant
al of his individual wclfare-each improving h
ut own children, and thus furthcring the cau'
of the future-each blessed with liberty, ar
N each, like Henry of the Wynd, " fighting f
" his own hand" The condition Of every OF
of of these individuals is typical OF the conc
h. ton of the community. 1t is a condition
st labor, of toll, Of contentment, of advanc
n ment, of freedom Not the masses of Il
coral insect, when building up continent
II. more clearly work towards ono great end, tn
+ do the labors of individual frcemcn tend
O. the extension and elevation Of civilization.
ic The eve can scarcely fall anywhere but it
e. holds our nation in little: enterprise, intel
es gence, exertion, progress. The most obscu
In farmer, in every acre of ground he breaks,
of every bushel of grain he raises, is contrlbl
he ing to the great success of the whole. Eve
lie child that grows up with better educati
e. than its parents, represents the advance
llt our country. AS the grains that constitu
". the rock d, termine by their natures wheth
ne that rock shall be called quartz, granite
Ia ieldspar, so do the citizens of a nation det
m mine by their condition whether that natl
ng shall be free or enslaved, prosperous or u
en-. happy
an 10 show that this is not mere abstract r.
Ire soning, hut is supported by results, v
or quote some facts. And in so doinp, l sh
OBJ not have resource to any American authori
$ lest it might be supposed it was prejud
aca co on the question, but shall quote from
'th- work entitled, Democracy in Americ.
but written about 1880, by Alexis dc Tocouevi
to an illustrious French philosopher and saya
mes lately deceased. NJ. de Tocqueville on D:
op- 391, says:
re- g. century had scarcely elapsed since
.,,- foundation of the colonies, when the att
=. ton of the planters was struck by the ext
oe- ordinary fact, that the provinces which. W
wn comparatively destitute of slaves, increa.
ght in population, in wealth, and prosperity m
no rapidly than those which contained the grt
in est number OF negroes. In the former, h
A. ever, the inhabitants were obliged to cultiv
Tue the soil themselves, or by hired laborers
1.-THE latter they were furnished with hands