The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-10-07
Speech of Travelick, the Michigan
Mechanic.
Principles, not Men. n

Principles, not Men
Synopsis ola speech delivered before 1000 work
ing men at Jeiersonyllle, Ind, by Richard
Trayelick, of Michigan.
He commenced by declaring the present
condition of affairs the result of national
law, aud proposed to investigate from a
workingman's standpoint. The workingmeu
were the producers Of natural wealth they
were the nations defenders, and they would
rule the nation. They had little to do with
Grant and Colfax or Seymour and Blair !;
principles, not men, wer9 with them the first
consideration. They demanded that every
rod Of the American soil should be he by
the actual settler, and that no corporation
should take it from the poor that every
species Of property known to the government
should bear its exact proportion of the bur
deus Of the government; that whatever
species Of money should be paid the toiIer
for his or her labor should be paid the bond
holder and the banker. When the govern.
meut held the right to draft the farmer, the
mechanic aud the laborer, it should also
take the property Of the nation for its de-
tense. Money was the secondary consldera
ton. The government that taxed life and
and not property was not democratic gov
eminent.
Up to the time Of the invasion Of William
| the Conquerer, the lands of England had
| been held in common by the people, That
monarch dispossessed the actual owners
drove them away, and divided their land,
among his barons and retaners and since
that time the sword had never been sheath
ed and never could be so long as the lands
belonging to the people were held by few,
1t was for the execution Of the great law Of
Jehovah, the breaking of which must always
be followed by chashsement.
J Why did those who had received then
breath beyond the Atlantic's swelling pillows
come to this country? Was it because they
did not love their native land ? Was it no
because they had been robbed Of their in
heritAnce and driven from home2 Nothing
could restore that inheritance but the sword
. The revolution must come unless it could be
averted in accordance with Gods laws.
Why was it that the same state Of things
did not exist in America? By wise lcgsla,
ton, whined some, No this was not it, for
our congress could steal more ofthe peoples
inheritance than all England.
There was something wrong here. Ia his
own state 100000 acres Of land had been
given to companies and exempted from taxes
FIVE years by the legislature, and that body
was called intelligent There was PROPOSE.
ton to cut the Sauit canal and that legisla,
lure had given two millions Of the people 5
inheritance to one company. There was q
democratic party aud republican party !;
but there was another party, third party
q party TO buy men--the lobbyists.
The war was gone now, and we said to
the offender, come, let US reason together.
GOu men from the southern states, you men
from the northwest, YOU men from the north
and east, we will say to you, as brothers. we
no longer wish to trample you into the dust.
Let us Join hands and 90 and live under one
broad banner. Come, let us go together.
In all the great harbor of New York last
month only one ship was hgildjng. Forty
thousand men in Maine had been idle two
years, For seven months a hundred thou.
sand were idle there, and yet we are told to
hurrAh for the good government. IL might
be fun for the banker and broker, but it was
death to those who were compelled to work
for bread. How was it with our merchant
marine In 1860 it was six per cent, larger
than that Of Great Britain to-day it was not
as large by I6 per cent. Where is our mag.
nifcent shipping? Rotting at the wharyes,
and our mechanics asking food at the soup
tables. More had been fed last winter at
the soup tables than had been fed ir that
way in the last seventeen years throughout
the continent of Europe. And yet this was
a great and good government.
In 1860 the cost Of building ship did not
exceed $50 per ton to-day a ship could not
| be built at less than Sl3jpe ton. Was it
thcship-carpeu;ers,thc caulkers and the build.
crs who make this difference? In every ship
there was iron. Now the revenue man went
| to the poor fellow who raised the ore, and
| said there must be a stamp on that; the next
man made the iron ore into pig--there must
be a stamp on that; the pig was made into q
| bolt-that must have stamp; the bolt is
sold by the wholesale merchant, who pays
| tax; it is driven into ste,lmboat--there was
another stamp; then there was the income
taA. These items made the difference.
There were now sixteen lines Of ocean
! steamers did we see a single American flag
floating from one? We all paid John Bull
for carrying our letters, and our men we're
begging for days work, asking their fellow
worms Tor chance TO earn their bread -
And this was our glorious government.
There we're thrty.six Thousand internal
revenue collectors necessary to keep M the
voting strength Of 4 political party: and ev-
cry year eighteen millions seven hundred
and sixty-fFe thousand dollars was taken
FROM the pockets ofths working men: and
all this in good" government
We could pay tb debt and never tax the
people one cent. The working men propos-
ed to pay this debt. They would give the
holder of governm ent securities the right to
take 81 per cent. n the bonds; and where
could he do better 2 Would England give
him more than "a Would France give
him more than 25t' Would he not come
back, like good b ~, and take 81 ? The
debt could be paid without robbing the peo'