Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-10-17
johnson on Rail-splittsTs--1Iore Hatred
ofLabOrinr Men.

johnson on Rail-sBIittsrs--lIore Hatred
ofLRbOrIng Men.
H. V. johnson, the Douglas candidate for
Vice President made speech at Terre
Haute, Ind, on the sth of Oct. The Daily
Express of that city, reports the following
language as having been used by him on that
occasion;
At Mr. Lincoln is said to be good Rail-splitter
II have twenty Negroes at home who are good
RailSplitteTs, ANY ONE OF w HON i WOULD
RATHER SEE ELECTED 10 THE PREsi,
DENCY OF THE UNITED STATES, THAN
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.'
We think that Mr.. Lincoln's most bitter
opponents will admit that he is equal, at least,
in point of ability and character, to the
average of Rail-splitters of the West. Even
Mr.. Johnson does not question that. Then
il follows of course, that MIR. johnson con-
siders "any one" OF his "twenty Negroes as
better qualified for the Presidency than white
Rail-Splitters. What say you labOring men,
to this kind of Democrats2 Are you ready
TO place in the second Office Of the govern
ment man who thus elevates his degraded
and ignorant property above you, in the
scale of intelligence and worth2 Should this
petty tyrant and sneering aristOcrat succeed
through your votes, and finally become the
President, as two Vice Presidents have already
done, you must not complain if the offices at his
disposal are filled with his negroes and those
OF his fellow slave holders, rather than from
any of the Rail-Splitters and other white
laborers of the North-ior if Negro Rail
Splitters are preferable to White ones for
President, they certainly are for subordinate
positions.
But this Democratic candidate has as high
an estimate of Northern Rail Splitters" as
of other white laborers, as shown by his pre-
yious speeches At Philadelphia, in 1856,
he said:
1--WE BELIEVE CAPITAL SHOULD OWN
LABOR; is there any doubt that there must be q
labOring class everywhereg In all countries and
under every Of social organization there must
the susdt their brOir and then there must be dnOh
class that controls aud directs The capital Of hs
cOHntry."
Again, in his speech at Pittsburgh, but
few days since, he used the following langu-
age; tFa. FE I.
LOOK AT THE SLAVES IN YOUR OWN
WORK Shops THEY ARE DRIYNN TO THE
POLLS AT TIE BECK OF THEIR MASTERS,
UNDER THE PENALTY OF BEING DIS
CHARGEDI"
Thus we see that these sneers at the white
laboring men are no sudden thing, provoked
by circumstances but the outgoing of an
innate and irrepressible contempt for whom
he calls the "laboring classes" who "get
their living by the sweat of their brow p
His hatred of "Rail Splitters, deep as it is,
is no more intense than for the "Slaves" of
the Workshops" He prefers his black
" Rail Splitters' to the Northern white ones,
because the formed are owned" by "capital," "
as he claims all such would be, while the
latter Gown" themselves.
Democratic laboring men is not that q
pretty candidate for you to support2 Is not
the elevation of such men to places Of dignity
and responsibility, a proud work for the
" Slaves of the Workshop in the Free States2
How manly, to see a Freeman walk up to the
polls and by his deliberate vote endorse the
declaration that he should be "owned" by
"capital," have a taskmaster and spend his
life in unrequited toll for some contemplate
tyrant like this johnson and the class whose
favor Mr. Douglas and his Northern friends
are so anxious to secure Let those do it
who may, but let such forever cease to
expatiate upon the dignity of American Citi-
zenship and American Industry.-1oledo
Blade