Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-03-07
Senator Wilson's Opinion.
What the Republican Party las Done fer tie
Lab0r.ly Nm


Ia senator Wilson's speech AT Ma >hua
y. H.. recently. among other things. lac
said -
1T u see What the Republican party
has done Tor the laborin. men of This
country during the lat twelve wears. II
.ucN the iciIcr~ from tour and half
millions 81 labptiRL men aud women con
ycrlcd them from things into men and NO.
men. Ia making them free il sgrurk down
that proud, naughty and dulnineeriuy
a-i~tocracy Of the south that held the
do1trnc-and proclaimed il. too-,hat
.'cap.ial >houid owu labor" j.; that the men
who lolicd Tor wages were the mud-sill.
of sncirfy". that the slavery OF the work
ing men prod icrd "A class of gentleman
vino we're the substitutes for an order of
nobility Those were the doctrines pro
claimed In our ears for forTy wears bN the
C4lhouu>. the Med Iflies. the llammond,
the REcii>. the Ruiliu>. the fuzhu.iIs. the
Hrr>chcll V. Juhn>ons aud men OF tina.
cla->. who laid down the doctrinc boldly
everywhere that shaver. was the normal
condition of the iaborlng man. black aud
white" In cmHncipaiiug these -four and a
half millions OF black men and women. We
struck down the power of thai class Of
men in this country forever. They made
labor di>hpuorable Ia 900 square miles
Of the United STATES. ia the SUNNY South
~ they Ne won't 10 call IL. I.aboriug
men FROM abroad would not 90 there to
live. they would not stand by the side of
the ietirred boudiusn. where labor was
d.-houored.
But. ~ the steady. persistent adherence
to principle oi the men trained ia The faith
of opposition 10 slavery. vino uow stand
Ia the RANK OF the Republican parry. all
This has been changed. - that TODAY the
4. n a
n IA the Caruliua-. hy the graves oi
G ,lhoun. Of McDuftie. Of rickeu- 81 the
leaders Of the slave-pow-r. Who proclaim
al free society a iailurr-thai free nrn aud
women were cla.scsl la four sgtd ivi.iou.
''thc hireing. the beg-ar. the thi-f and the
pro iiiuie. and 'louA up aud b, proud
ia The fnil-t OF their iOil We have made
Labor honorable even ia the rice a aanl,-
81 the tar0iuas ~ud Geprgia We have
taken the brand 81 d-hoios fr,in tii.. brow
of labor Throughout the cuuuirN And 10
dom. that We have danc more ior lai.or
Tor the honor aud dignity OF iaborins m@n
than Nas ever achieved by All the paffir.
thai governed This countIy from the time
tie Pilgrims put their feet upon 'ls mouih
kOcA up Ia The year lsGJ. Applause
Aud thai > met all. We have nilc> TO free
labofiu- men. they eau 20 there now. The
German. the Eu.iishmAn. the ifi-hman
the New England Yankee. the nten Of the
Middle States aud Of the North-Wrst can
20 there now aud engage Ia the mech anic
art. "a culJIKatins the soil. and iu all the
pursuits OF life. and no longer feel the
degradation that rested upon the working
men when labor was extorie,l from men by
the lash. LET the man ~ ho tolls for wages.
whether la the mill. Oh the farm OF ia tho
mechanic shop. rralize what has been done
H.. fAssgsn tn In toll l.a
badge II d.-honor. and 10 open the great
South 10 the free laboring man OF the
world
The Republican party maintains the
policy OF the small farms against the great
plantations. The Democratic party joined
with the South on that Issue. a IL lid in
everything. and on every issue. We passed
the homestead bill. and James Buchanan
vetoed it. aud the Democratic party sup
ported him in that veto. The object oil
that bill was 10 savethe vast public domain
70 landle.s men. that they might have
ANAL farms. rather than that few men
might have great plantations. We were
defeated: but the first year the Republican
Marty came into power In the midst of tn,
struggle for national existence. we passed
the homestead bill. and saved the public
lands 70 the Tree lsboring men of this
country forever and forever.
In iS3a. in the debate in the Senate Oh
the tariff. il was said by those who adyo.
Gated protective duties. that they had
raised the price Of labor in the Unitet
States so il averaged fifty cents day
How is il now: This winter is the mos
prosperous winter the United States ha,
seen its history. Every body is at work
There is very little suffering anywhere
Why this change? Why this improve
ment: II l. because We have smitteI
down the slave system, broken down ths
slave power. lifted up and di.nified znt
honored labor. tried to protect aisd diyersi
fy our own industries? To-day the labor
ing men and women of our country ar,
earning from three TO four times as mucl
in 4 day as they could earn forty year
ago. and days work is shorter now thar
il was then. After l had learned trad,
In the place where 1--we worked fourfeei
and fifteen hours day, month ate
month. TO earn about forty dollars
month. There are hundreds of men Their,
now who in ten hours can earn hundres
dollars more easily than could earn fort
In fifteen l.ours I am grateful to God tina
this is so. / do not care anything abou
few men or corporations piiing up
grez, amount Of money. ] believe Go,
meant this world 10 grow good men an,
women. and not to pile up money. Tina
10 my belief. and I want 10 see the me-
eno women who bear the burdens and d
t'e sorA have full share Of all they earn
anathAf an hon<s days WORK shall alwsy
hive fair days pay. loud applause.