Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1860-04-18
SD. ROW, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
CLEARFIELD, PA, APRIL 1s, 1850.
AMoDERN PRODIGY.


AMoDERN PRODIGY.
It is only now and then that the world is as
upon it, and suddenly overturning and demol-
ishing old and well-estabished theories and
systems. For example, no little surprise was
excited by Nicolaus Copernicus, when, one
morning, he knocked the pins from under the
Ptolemaic notion that the earth was vast
plain and the center of the planetary system,
by proclaiming tho stability of the sun, and
that around it revolyed the earth, moon and
stars. A great commotion was again produced
when William Harvey, promulgatirg his idea
of the circulation of the blood, drove out of
man the hot and cold, dry and moist, black,
bitter and other humors and spirits, which,
starting from various points, so materially af-
fected mans health and comfort, according to
the belief Of the medical men of his day. So
1t was when John Locke published his new
system of Philosophy, broaching his belief
that man had no innate ideas, but received all
his knowledge from without.
Brilliant as were these men, and startling as
may have been the facts which they announced,
it remained for the nineteenth century and the
State of Texas to produce a genius, before
whom all others fade into insignfcance. The
name of this prodigy is L. T. wigfall. He
is Democrat by practice, and U. S. Senator
by profession. Well, Wigfall has made dis
corery. He has found out, and announced it
in the face Of all opinions heretofore express
ed, that ''PoUerty 1, a crime :" This Wigfall
ought to know /; for he acknowledges that he
was poor himself once. And certainly no one
is better capable of testifying to the enormity
of a crime than the criminal himself. But
whilst Wigfall has keen appreciation of the
crime Of which he was thus once guilty, his
horror and detestation of it none the less
strong. "The man who was poor" says Wig
fall, chad sinned, and there was screw loose
in his head somewhere" MAJ it not be Pos
sible, since Wigfall at one time sssinned'' thus,
that the s'screw' is yet loose in his sshead''-
his talk would seem to Indicate 1T. True, it
is said in extenuation of bis remarks, that he
was drunk when he made them. Does this
make him any the less responsible Getting
drunk, We know, is very common thing with
some people; and it does happen sometimes
with gentlemen who are fond of indulging in
s'tapgle-foot'' and ssrot-gut" whisky, that they
tell when they are drunk, what they think when
they are sober. And we doubt not that this
was the case with the Democratic Senator from
Texas; for he not only declared, in his speech
of the 4th April in opposition to Mr.. Crows
Homestead Bill, that sspoverty is crime,' -
and that he would not 'spander to prejudice"
by talking of ssthe bone and sinew of the land !,
of wool hats and brogans," but the next day
he reiterated the sentiment, and added that
call these bills which are intended to provide
for the poor, are an insult and an imputation
on the American people,
This is not the first instance in which the
hearty and deep seated contempt Nhich some
of the leaders of the Democratic party have
for the working man, has been boldly avowed.
The "mud- SLIP speech of Hammond was in
this vein, as were the many kindred express
sions ofthe Richmond Enquirer, the Richmond
Examiner and other Southern sheets, in 1856,
denouncing them as ssgreasy mechanics
sshuge-fsted laborers,'' &c. The representa-
tive men of the party, such as Wigfall, Ham,
mond, Pryor, and the editors of the sheets
named, do not scruple to ayow that they hate
everything having the prefix .free-free laborers,
free schools, a free gospel and free govern
ment-and would, if they could, bring the
"mud- sills'' and "greasy mechanics" as they
sneeringly call our honest laborers, down to
the grade of criminals.
There is homely saying current among the
poorer classes of the North, that "poverty is
no crime, but mighty inconvenient." We ac-
knowledge the inconvenience, as will all who
have ever experienced the hard struggles Of
life. But while those who labor with their
hands for their daily bread feel and acknowl-
edge the burdens of poverty, they will resent
with all their power the imputation that they
are criminals because they are poor. The
Democratic party, of which Mr.. Wigfall is a
leader and worthy ornament, may inscribe on
it's banner the apothegmatic creed, ePoverty
is a crime;" but the poor men of the country
will vindicate their honor by routing party
which dares to utter SO foul libel.
PAY OF CENSUS MARsHALs.-The pay Of Mar
shals will be one dollar per thousand in the
district, if the population exceeds one million
If less, then 81. .25 for each thousand. The
pay of the assistant is 2 cents per head of the
population, 10 cents for the statistics of each
farm, Is for each establishment of productive
S~A rnk~ onlO 49, Il ~xoI