The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-09-01

intellectual health. If not called upon to work
90 hard, and for such prolonged hours.
We desire to call your attention also to the
disposition of the public lands. We think
there has been permitted too great an aocu-
mutation of Thorn in the hands of the specu-
lators, and too much given over to corporate
companies, for the purpose Of encouraging
the formation of railroads. We think this
has acted badly for the agrieulturists, and
that if they were given to settlers and others,
and not permitted to accumulate In the hands
of few, they would be cultivated where now
they are unproductive. 1t is hard work for a
settler to make it profitable to settle, for the
reason that all the choicest portions of the
lands are being held by large capitallsts, and
the lands are improbable In the sense that
they yield less supplies and less taxes to the
national or state governments. We would
like to have you take these things into CON.
alteration. for the provision of means to rem
edy this, which we claim TO be wrong. We
simply hold the principle that lands should
be held by those who are willing to cultivate
them The lands belong to the tiller of the
soil, and the tools to the mechanics In con-
nection with that subject, Mr.. President,
desire to present to you this petition, sent
! from one of cur frontier states, which may
| give in better words, and in a more condensed
| form the ideas of our frontiermen upon that
| subject. / have stated, Mr.. President, that
| for our application to you, we have a preced-
| emit in relation to the same matter-an exam
| pie set by President VanBuren. / commend
| il to your attention most respectfully.
| Do with the matter ss may seem best to
| you, but in the special matter of reduction
| of the hours of labor, we do desire to have
some recognition at your hands, if you deem
/. wise to give it. We have no other object
| in view than to seek out and apply remedies
| to the wrongs that lsborers row suffer.
We regard the present system of emigra.
| ton as being in some part unfair, and as pro
| lection is sought by some OF our large manu-
facturers at the hands of the government
through the prohibition of the importation Of
foreign goods, so we desire to have some pro
lection for our interests. If they desire pro
lection against the competition to which they
may be subjected by importation, We also de
sire protection against foreign psuper labor
imported against our interests, to reduce the
| price OF labor.
Another subject to which would call your
attention, Is the system of convict labor. We
| think that system exerts a very deleterous In
| fiuence upon our interests, inasmuch as it IL
| obtained at very low rates of competition, by
parties who have contracts to fulfill and tine
| work is thrown upon the market, and causes
com petition with free labor in such q manner
as to tend to gradual but steady and certain
depreciation of frse labor. We therefore
think we are entitled to ask protestion agains
it, but, Mr.. President, the great cornerstone
of our movement is the reduction of the hourl
of labor to eight.
| We do not desire to overturn the lnstltu'
tions of the country, or to interfere with the
individual rights of any capitalists, but sim
ply claim the privilege of eight hours for la
Dor, eight for self-culture, and eight for re
| pose. This we seek, Mr.. President, and Il
this we ask your cordial endorsements. Th'
whole of the working people of this country
are beg inning to be alive to this, They Cal
hope for no assistance from the capitalists
they have determined to take their affairs in
to their own hands, and they now but asl
some recognition at the hands of the head o
| the nation.
They ask it. believing he is in sympath,
| with them, and that it will meet with favor
able response. They ask it, at the SAM
time determining that they will prosecute tn,
the agitation of this thing as far. legally anC
Justly, they can; and gill they have
achieved the contamination Of their wish
THE PRESIDENTS REPLY
The president then replied az follows:
am much obliged to you, and to the com
J mittee that accompany you, for this visit, anC
| for thus affording me an opportunity of maxim.
| your acquan lance. | feel grati6e6 that VI
thought proper to pay your respects to me, anC
! to show that much Difference. In reply to the
| various propositions you have stated, / shall at
| tempt set speech; but in way of CONVERSE
ton permit me to say, that in regard to the sub
jects upon which you have touched, might sim
ply refer you to my past acts, which on such
subjects make answer for me. Ineed make nc
declarations now, for instance, regarding con
Wet labor. That is subject | tolerablt
familiar with. In 1S43 or 1914 you will find
introduced in the Tennessee legislature bill OF
the subjuct, and endeavared to show not only 1T
action upon tie labor market, but also that by
its associations it had evil tendency. Tha
is an old thing to me. l might claim priority il
these views over even some of yourselves. APP
plause and laughter. Experience has only con
firmed me in the views regarding labor which
then held. Upon the labor question everything
else depends. 1t ought to be respected, and the
laborer ought to participate in, and control tn,
affairs of the government, for in fact upon them
| all rests
In reference to the homestead policy. / i'm
sgine that you all know that was a long labor
er in the field. AS far back as 1916, or 1914,
introduced the first bill in the house of represen
tatives. 1t was at first met with taunts anc
jeers. You all know l succeeded in 1850 oil
1851, in having it passed in the house 1t went
to the senate and was there lost Later | was
transferred to the senate and took the bill ur
| again, and finally it was vetoed by Mr.. Buchan
an. l need simply refer you to my past acts in
that matter and surely need make no other re-
ply. My whole history will shew you that my
course has been always against this policy OF
monopoly in the public lands by spectators, tc
be sold by them at high prices. THE chairman
| here said that the committee very well remem.
| bered his veto of the Montana Iron Manufactur
ing company's bill, The president continued ;
In many ofmy old speeches on this matter, you
| see various estimates which made to prove that
| the cessation of this monopoly would result in
| increasing the revenue of the country, and in
lettering the condition of the people, and rem
dering them more independent; and just in that
| connection it is now very important time for
the people, the laboring people, to see to their
| independence, for we have almost reached time
when the people require second emancipation.
There are some wearing shackles and bonds that
| require to be thrown aside. l sympathize with
| you IN your movement and have given recent
| evidence of it. There is nothing l could say
| that would give you additional evidence of the
fact / am in favor Of and always have been,
that system which had the most tendency to ele-
vate the working people of the nation, and
am glad to see the labor of the country taking
hold of, and looking to its own rights. l have
been astrong democrat but there always was an ar
istocracy of labor In the laboring men, industri-
GUS and intelligent, the real aristocracy of
the c0untry for unou them III the at danando