The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-01-01

tue COutneru OtaC6S, aICnOuRu lucy 0uJOy
the rights Of free citizens, yet are they in a
state Of quasi slavery, by reason that they
cannot procure land Of their own. That the
white men Of the south will not sell their ag-
ricultural lands to the colOred men. That
the colored men must necessarily become
tenants, and left to the within, caprice, or
cupidity Of the land owner in regard to the
division Of the net productions for rent,
leaving the laborer to work on as long as
bis physical ability will hold out, without the
chance to provide for old age, when he can
no longer labor. Now, under the present
unjust medium fixed by Congress for the
distribution Of the net productions Of labor
and capital, and the unjust mode of dispos-
ing of the public lands (the peoples lands),
the white laboring men have as much cause
to complain as the cOlOred men. Upon these
two vital questions the white and colored Ia
borers stand precisely alike. TIE question
of carrying on factories and workshops, OF
ia ing apprentices to learn trades, are not
political questions that legislation can inter
fere with. These may be called matters Of
taste, and being local and conventional diff
ferent rules may be established depending
on local considerations only. Whilst the
other questions, although national, and that
can only be effected or changed by national
Legislation, yet they must be local in their
application as well as national--per see.
The National Labor Union party have
laid down in their platform certain principle:
or dogmas, upon which they will demand
such national legislation as will allow every
individual, white or colored, to enjoy the
full benefit of the common Inheritance given
by God to NIL mankind alike. And as God
requires all men alike to fulfil all the duties
required by the law of his being-'To cal
bread in The sweat Of his brow"-so He has
provided suficiency for all whereby man il
to obtain his bread by his own labor. In
order that man can carry out that Divine
decree, there has been provided a sufhciency
of air, water, fuel and land If these ele
ments had not been provided, and in suf6
cheney, then the decree would have beer
hard-nay, unjust. A suficiency Of tn
soil to every citizen is n common gift, ant
mo one Is entitled to surplus Of common
gift which deprives another of suf6ciency.
And suf6ciency Of the soil to every citizer
is the preventive Of social evil. The Con
gress ofthe United States las sold the PEG
pies lands and given the proceeds to corpor
atoms In regard to the public lands, the
Philadelphia platform provides that the thir
teen hundred millions Of acres that are left
that have not been alienated, must be here
after held security in trust by Congress fol
the actual settlres, and that every individual
being entitled by inheritance to a sufhcien
cy, minimum ought to be given, without
cost, to every citizen that chooses to take it
And that by popular legislation minimum
quantity of land should be held in trust fol
every citizen that THINKS proper to take it
that this quantity should always be held in
trust, that is to say, the dOner should not have
power to ALLEVIATE the soil, only the excess
be adds by his labor could be disposed Of
leaving no apology for any ono capable o.
labor to become q pauper.
But there is another Divine law which we
contend has by unwise Legislation deprived
the laboring men Of all colOrs, Of enjoying
the fruits Of their own toll. There il limit
imposed by the law of nature to the right Of
government to take the earnings or property
Of a citizen for any purpose whatever. Ell
is universally admitted that is against every
other individual man by the Law of nature,
has an exclusive right to the values Of pro
perty he himself produces"
Now we contend that these Divine ordinan-
ces, when departed from, cause suffering and
will bring ruin on every nation if persisted
in, sooner or later. 1t is only question Of
time. The departure from the Divine de-
cree has produced a condition of society
amongst the white people in some of the
Northwestern States, far exceeding in deg.
radiation, anything that has ever existed
amongst the colored people when held as
slaves. Read the report Of the Sewing
Women's Convention held in Boston last
April, as published in the New York Herald
and other papers. There has been delivered
by the Secretary of the Treasury, to persons
and corporations in Massachusetts,, over
eighty millions Of dollars, in National Bank
promises to pay, upon deposit of govern
ment bonds, giving to Massachusetts over
eighty millions per head Of National Bank
notes. There was delivered to the State Of
New York one hundred millions of National
Bank notes, more than twice as much as
was given to the States Of Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois and Missouri, put together. Mass
achusetts has population Of $4,000 more
women than men. Gen. Butler (who is
good authority says the proportions Of wo-
men exceeds that amount. Where have the
5000 men gone, and why have they gone
and left the women helpless. The factAais-
closed at the Sewing Women's Convention
tell why they have been left unprotected
and helpless. The women, when they can
procure work get from twenty to thirty cents
per day. Mrs. Phelps estimated, when
asked the question, the number at 5000
who lived on these starvation prices. The
girls we're obliged to huddle together in gar
rets, without fire or underclothing, and when
asked how long the girls stood the work, the
overseer Of one establishment, where 140 are
employed, said they lasted pne year and a
half on sewing machine, Some stood it a
little longer Their spines became affected,
their backs gave way, then they were good
for nothing.
What do you do you put them at then :?
Oh, they have to beg or do worse
Modesty and respect for woman's dignity
forbids to name the means whereby virtu-
Gus, educated, modest women were obliged
to keep from starvation. Sometimes, says
one lady, we have lived on one meal day
when we could not gel work, and we have
lived some days upon one cracker. Where
is Wendell Philips? Where is Beecher and
Mrs. Stowe? Where is the eloquent Sum-