The Portland daily press., 1869-06-28
The Labor movemsn. as .he X Roads.

One of the best of all the famous "Nasby
letters" has recently been published, in which
the Reverend P. M. with his inimitable hu-
NOR describes the origin and working of a la
Dor union organized under his direction at
the Corners. The union was not large one,
as there are but five mechanics of the Caucas-
ian race at the Cross Roads. Mr.. Nasty di-
rected the attention OF these men to the fact
that there was a negro engaged in plastering
a house near by, and asked them if they were
content to let an inferior race take the bread
out Of their mouths ia that way. They were
none Of them plasterers; but were none the
less eager to rebuke such presumption as
"nigger" earning his living by trade. Mr..
Nasty restrained their ardor until he had or
ganized them into efree labor unyon, which
perhibited anybody from working at anything
which didn't jine it, and perhibited niggers
from jinin' it." This accomplished, they
started for the house where the obnoxious
African was at work. What they did there
Mr.. Nssby may tell in his own words:
"On reachin' the house we halted, and
there our eyes rested onto site wich blarsted
'em. There wuz Niger, full.blooded Mig
ger, with cap onto him, and overalls, plas-
term away, whistln' and singin' (sumtimes
one, sumtimes another, and then agin both
at wunst) Methodist hims And ever and
anon the unthnkin' man of inferiority would
stop and execoot breakdown and laff to
hisself, SO that he Good be heard a mile. The
disgustin wretch displayed his groveln nacher
by drinkin' water out ov a bucket which he
he'd handy by him.
We made short work NV it. We informed
inn that the laberers NV the corners he'd Or
ganized yoonun, and that no one Good be
permitted to work within its boundaries cep-
tin members thereof
BERRY well, Temarkt the Africin cuss, calm
ly putin on dab of mortar and smoothin it,
berry well Iii jine the yoonun.v
but you can't. No niger kin be admit
"Den spec shel hev to go on an work
widout bein member. De ole woman an de
babies must hab dar bred yoo know"
such insolence Good not Nv course be tol-
Grated. We he'd stated the case to him calm
ly and dispassionately. We he'd informed
him Nv the laws we he'd made and this wreeh
deliberately defied us by insistin that he shood
go on with his work. Therwuz but one course
to take and we took it. We snaked the plat
form out from under him, we tore up his NOR
tar bed, we broke his trowell and other tools,
and notified him ofhshelly that any attempt
at resoomin work wood result in lynchin Of
him." leIt9
The victim of this prejudice, after trying to
work as blacksmith's assistant and as a la
borer on the roads, and being driven from
each by the union, found himself and his fam
lily in danger of starvation, and to relieve
their hunger was guilty of some petty thefts.
Whereupon, as Nasby says:
"There Good be but one erdin to such
succession Nv crimes. The citizens were too
much incenced to await the uncertain acshun
Nv the law and they hung him at site. The
Corners will never tolerate Niger thcef in
their midst, no how"
Mr.. Nasby improved the occasion by pa
thetic harangue on the Sfruits OF radicalsm
and fanaticism," which mad brought the un-
well deserved by the Washington unions
whose foolish rtjudices have led them to at
tempt the exclusion of colored men from
their trades, and have thus done much more
to withdraw their organization from respect
and sympathy OF the public than the combin-
ed efforts of their enimies could have done in
long time.