Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1861-02-09
Olympus, Jan. Oath, 1861.
To Working Me1,

Olympus, Jan. 24tE, 1861.
To Working Mea.
Ed. STANDARD. 1t may hardly be
necessary to announce that Delegate
to Congress, to represent our Territory,
is to be elected next July. A largo
proportion of our population are men
who labor for wages. To these, let me
address few suggestions in regard to
the interests of our class. Politicians,
class who always claim to be purely
disinterestcd, urge that this Territory is
far remote from contendlng sectional
interests, tnat we arc in latitude un-
profitable to slave labor, that therefore
it is of but little interest to us whether
the Federal Government protects sla-
very in the territories, or excludes it.
Whether it be of consequence or not,
there is a principle involved. The pres
ent Delegate stands at the head Of
party who assert the right of the mas
ter to take his slaves into the terrific
ries, and that they are entitled to the
protection of the Government.
If 1 understand the dogmas of the
Administration, slavery exists now in
this Territory as fully as in Virginia 4;
to use Mr.. buchanan own idea, sla-
very exists in the territories as much
to-day as it does in Alabama. Only
short time since slave did escape from
this Territory, and have yet to learn
Of any feature of our climate to render
the raising Of negroes impossible, or
their labor Improbable. Negroes do
live here and they work at low rates.
Suppose some of our wealthy mill COM
panics should consider it to their pecu-
MARY advantage to import band o
negro slaves to perform the common
and most onerous of the work abou
mills, think YOU they could not great,
reduce expenses? A good stout negr
could be hired by the year at $3.50 am
board, profitable alike to master an
the party hiring. There may be whit
men willing to work for such wages,
there arc l do not know them.
In order to compare the systems OF
free and slave labor, let any man exam
inc the census statistics OF 185O-it will
there be seen that the average rates of
wages in every branch Of business, is
much lower in the slave, than in the
free states. True, it is often asserted,
that mechanics wages in the Southern
cities are higher than in the North
but the figures, compiled BY ono Of tho
strongest defenders of slavery, will no
suhstantiate the assertion. AT times
wages may temporarily rise, but the.
Il h.
is not fair. Volumes might be write,
to show that free labor conduces NOR
to the advancement of new country
or any other, than slave labor.
In a few months we shall have til
Popular Sovereignty privilege Of select
ing Delegate to Congress-shall we
elect champion of free labor? Or
will you prefer man who is willing
that negroes shall be brought here, and
their labor put in competition with
ours? Suppose a Delegate is elected
having pro-slavery rroclivities, do we
not, by our votes admit that we are
willing to compete with slave labor?
Then let our choice fall upon one, who
will uphold and maintain the true dig
ulty OI tNDOr, tuo Cruc IntercCS VI tuo
free 'chite laboring population Of wash
ington Territory. Mp.SILL.
PRINTERS JoKEs.-tfSthe practice
among waggish printeps, when q "green
'un" enters tho offiee as dcril, to play
jokes on him by ssfding him on an er-
rand to ncighboring Office for some
thing he would be sure not to find, and
he returns with some strange article or
other, thinking that in printers phrase,
he has got what he was sent for. A
boy who was rather "verdant, recently
went to Learn, the printing business,
and one of the journeymen loving sport,
sent him with dish to a certain Cd
itor, to borrow "a gill Of editorial"
The editor, understanding the game,
returned picture of jackass. Tho
"jour" finding himself rather "come
over" set his wits to work to- get eve
At last he called the lad, and told hil
to 20 and tell the editor that "it Wa