The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-01-12
70 E.anser .sEmd-Sills.o


The gentle sentence which Mr. Hammond
of South Carolina saw fit to pronounce upon
the working men of the North, at the last ses-
sion of the Senate, has been superseded by
nexpressive--to unaristocratie for the fire.
eaters. Again, it was not comprehensive or
general enough in its applicaton--it only
embraced one class of people at the North
the working men, who, he declared were the
''mud-sills of northern society'-and he said
it in dcrioiye manner, too, because he desir-
ed to make certain northern Senators who
were Heak-kneed feel ashamed of their con-
stitueaces The South wanted stronger
term-one that would embrace net only the
iphysical and mechanical laborerS ofthe north
ern people, but also the mental and moral
workers. They are successful in finding a
term to suit the emergency, as well as a man
to give it expression-that man being one Of
the great family who have contriyed so to di-
vide their political faith as to be always gooc
for two or three of the fattest Offices in the
gift Of any national administration of whatev-
er grade of politics-the Masons. The non
orable Senator from Virginia has sent forth
the edict against the North-comprehcnsl
strong, impressive and expressive. Hereafter
be it known that we, that is, the northern
States are seryTe States "a condition vast
ly more degrading than that of the lashed
: and shackled yellow sons aad daughters of
the great F. F. Ys-and particularly of The
kas0a-ic stripe. (Here, by tbe-bye, we would
suggest to the honorable Senator from Vlr-
ginia, that his name is entirely too vulgar for
his aristocratic blood--it is too suggestive Of
+" seryile ness; and therefore we trust he
will endeavtr soon to discover that his ances-
tors spelled their name with a 5: thus 4aaon. }
But to return to our sEbieet.
Senator Doolit!e, of Wisconsin, did not I'M
derstand the exact application OF Mr.. Mason's
new and significant terH1, and therefore took
occasion to ask an explanation-Un the
impression that the said Mr.. Mason was mis-
apprehended by him. The explanation came
in the way Of an analysis Of the word and its
bearings upon politics and society. We find
the explanation thus in the Gjobs:
:" In common parlance, since this unhappy
question has arisen in our country, this sec
tional division, in the attempt to distinguish
between the States where there were slaves
and the States where there were no slaves,
they have been called on the one side slave
States. and on the other side the free States.
Those among whom live have never taken
any exception to the designation of that Sec
ton Of the country as the slave StateS-knoW-
ing it meant those States whore there were
slaves. | do not know that the honora Die
Senator took any exception to the term but
I do not see that any exception can be taken
to the term "scrvile' as applied 10 those States
whore there are no slaves Certainly, in speak
ing of the slal 5 'ates, they do no. mean States
that are not as free as any of the States - the
Confedcration-quitea as free, if not freer but
they are designated as slave States, and no
exception is taken to the term. The other
States, sir are not the free States. They
might passihly be called servant States
States where there is a class Of their popuia-
ton in bondage and bondsmen, alth hough Ger
tainly not in any offensive sense--bondsmen,
not slaves men who are subjected to the will
o. others-the servants. You have all got
servants and your constituents have servants.
From the necessity Of their c3nd.tIOn, there is
a serving class in the so-Called free States as
there is u serving class in the slave States--
those who are subjected by contract to the
will of others. They are servants. and are
always called sO--known so in the legal ac-
ceptatQn of the term. Il is unnecessary to
20 into the derivation Of servants from the
Latin word SERGIO, to serve"
There you have il in plain English, nc
chanics Of the north. When you make a con
tract to build house, or 90 any other kind
, Of labor for money, you are worse than the
black slaves Of the Sauth-you are slaves by
CONTRACT, they by force therefore, You are the
baser Of the two, because you are 50 volunta-
rily. Your sir is in the commission of your
rights, theirs in the omission Of theirs ergo ::
the sin Of commission is greater than the sin
Of omission. But that is not ali the honorable
, Mason means by the term "SerYile," We of
are all slaves-slayes by our own election, or,
in the words of the honorable Senator from
+ Virginia, - servants by contract" And thus
does the great expouEder of southern senti-
ometrical windpipe, our right to the
term free States and thus are the "mud-sills
of northern society" deprived Of their right to
underlie ths gigantic brick-and- mortar work
1--WE mean no disrcspect to the honorable
Senator of Virginia. which constitutes
northern society. Verify the North is no more
its foundation is taken away, its best energies
impressed into aristocratic seryitudei its mind
and body equally Frustrated and abased :
t how in the name of the god Moloch is it to be
) preserved against the mighty sentence of the
) owner and father Of many bondsmen? En-
lighteped Europe holy Asia! unexplored
) Ethiopia can We not raise us from the degrad-
atiqn of "servle States" and place US IN eqi-
, li5ro with our great MaSon's slaves
The Extravaganza and PrOfli-
gaCy of the PrO-SlaYery
Party.
Slavery is not only the mcanest Of des-