Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-11-01
The Questions Of the Day.
ADDRESS ny SECRETARY BOUTWELL,.

ANu1iN uuils DNHiouf utlNIt Allt ANhNN NNNaN
Monday evening, to very large audience,
who greeted him with enthusiastic applause
His subject was " Present questions affecting
public prosperity" Ahcr q few preliminary
remarks in introducing his subject, he said
that within the last two decades two great
events have taken place-the emancipation
Of the seris and the emancipation Of the
slaves In 1870, the slaves were living in
ignorance and poverty, and yet in spite Of all
this. they produced 4 100000 bales Of cotton,
against 100000 while slavery existed.
The speaker said that he should consider some
Of the errors which the laboring men commit.
First, they look to labor organizations for a
general and permanent good. Organizations
are not TO be denounced and they have a
right to say what the price Of labor should
be, but the good accomplished by this is only
temporary. Second they spend too much
time in considering whether they should labor
six, eight, or ten hours day. As employers
come to ascertain their interests, the hours Of
labor will be settled In the mines aud in
unheathful pursuits, the men should, per.
haps, labor but six hours a day, but in other
ompoyments, where health and life is not en-
dangered, the men can work more hours.
They do wroug-not an error merely, but
great wrong,-when they attempt to dictate
to their employers the number Of hours they
are to labor, or the trade one must adopt.
Cannot a youth be stone mason If he
chooses Is it not right Of young man to
enter any pursuit he pleases, without any
dictation from laborng mem There is but
one general way for laboring men to obtain
full Justice and that is by cooperation.
There are two kinds Of cooperation; one Is
cooperation among themselves, and the other
is the relation to the employers. If you 60
into the manufactures at Worcester and 9TH
or places, and ask who would be accepted in
cooperative organizations, some would be re-
jected, and if you 60 to the employers the
same result would traDspre. What does 1t
mean? II means that some persons are not
capable Of working for the benefit of man
through cooperative organizations Conse-
quently, there are some who must be elevated
to the benefits received by cooperation. This
can be produced by education in its broadest
sense. The only way to elevate the laboring
classes is by education in the public schools,
supported By general taxation. The schools
that are supported in any other way are in.
efficient.
Mr.. Boutwell, then referred TO another sub
ject OF interest, viz. the care Of land. Eng.
land is disturbed by three or four questions,
and one is the tenure Of land. In England,
the opinion is strong that man cannot cult
vate tenure Of land without being a proprie-
tor. If all the population Of the United
States were crowded into Texas, and all other
parts of the country left unpopulated, there
would not be so many people to a square mile
as there are in Massachusetts,. Why should
any man, because he happens to be in posses
sion Of land, by will or otherwise, say to what
use that shall be put when he is dead? Our
laws should forbid man from saying, by tes-
lament or other means, what use his land
should be put to when he is dead. Another
evil relative to the land question is the power
and practice Of railroad companies Of pur-
chasing land which is not necessary for their
business Why should railroad companies be
permitted to buy coal regions and prevent
people from getting livelihood from owning
this land and reaping some Of the benefits
from its products An incident evil is that
railroad companies are able to invest their
surplus profits without the knowledge Of the
public. Mr. Boutwell, then proceeded to dis
cuss transportation, first by railroads, and then
by ships. He believed that the railroad sys-
TEN at present in this country included about
10000 miles. 1t was established to transport
passengers and freight and it is for the in
terest Of the public that the railroads keep
down to their legitimate business, and that
they transport freight and passengers at the
very lowest rates compatible with the interests
of the proprictors. There is one point in
which the laboring man is concerned. In
England, Parliament has passed law requir-
ing the roads to convey persons certain dis
lance from city for one shilling. Their,
should be such law in Boston, so that tn,
working man can get the free air and establish
for himself home away from the dusty city
The internal interest Of this country is vast
it is fifteen times as great as external com
merce. There are in the West large amount
Of grain and other products to be shipped
East, and it is important that it be done a
the very lowest cost, as it increases the com
fort Of the aborer in the East as well as i
the West, and no man will doubt the prophet
of this principle.
Mr.. Boutwell, then referred to transports
tion by water to other countries romarkin
that it was a deplorable fact that Of the ] 4
merchant vessels that sail between this couu
try and Europe, not one was under the Amer
lean flag. Great Britain is taking possessio
of the commerce of the world. This is hu
initiating. How is it to be remediedP n
more wooden ocean ships should be built
O..I I'LL -
wanted, and the only vessels that can compel
with other commerce are iron steamships. II
spoke of the advantages We have over Eng
land in our iron being 10 per cent. better, an
referred to the navy as it is, claiming that
is larger for the purposes Of peace than
necessary. The question is not as 10 the siz
or armament Of vessel at Mexico or in tn
Corea, but the flag under which it sails re
presents 10000 900 people, who will not as
anything wrong, nor will they submit TO any
thing wrong. He then referred to the sul
gestion that, if the duties on some of tn
materials Of building ships were removed, W
should be relieved, claiming that to some Q,
tent it would be SO, but that it would necess
tate the removing of duties from other art
Giles, aud that the government cannot afor
to do that. We are looking to specie pay
ments, and would il not too be we'll said ii
speaker, if the transportation Of our product
to and fro was in the hands Of American shiI
builders
He then spoke on the subject of the publ
debt, and argued against the project Of pos
poning its payment thinking it best to graz
pie with it now He gave the capitalists
sharp rap for endeavoring to shirk, as the
sometimes do, their real share Of the burde
lie then closed with some excellent advice I
the young. who are to rule this country whe
1t contains 100, 600, 900 people, warning the
against some Of the mistakes which men
the past have made.
SHOCKING AFFAIR-Two LADS Bury Al
OTHER AIIyE-A shocking affair occurred