The daily gazette., 1878-03-26
butcher ON the Labor Ouestiou

Il OsA hhhO y I<uDOF NpueEu Inn
An appreciative audience assembled
at the foundry Saturday evening. to hear
Mr.. butchers discussion on this now
most absorbing topic. Before introduc-
ing the speaker, hymn and PRAYER was
offered up, after which Mr. Wells arose
and stated that Mr. ID utcher was little
late, but was excusable, owing to having
been unexpectedly called on mission of
| mercy, and that he would now address
us. Mr.. butcher confined his openinp
remarks to an eulogy on labor; that we
were indebted to labor of the hand and
the brain for the great blessings that we
ENJOY; That 1t was the laboring man and
the mechanic that originated and per-
fected the great and wonderful achieve
ments of our day; to him we were in
debted for the steam power that propells
our conveyances with the speed of the
wind, to our distant borders, and over
the mighty deep; for the electric current
that conveys thought with lightning
rapidity to the distant nations of the
earth.
10 the masses, to the labors and me-
chanics, were we under obligation for
tne preservation of our liberties; 1t was
their breasts that were presented to the
deadly bullet of the aSsai liant as he laid
violent hands upon the life of our nation.
Mr.. butcher then stated that he desired
to point out few of the many causes
that tended to degrade labor and to pro-
duce the cause of the troubles under
which we are now suffering. Among
them was habit on the part of the great
body OF the laboring men and mechanics
to depend upon their hands and not use
their brains, by this neglect they failed
to take advantage of many golden op-
portunities thar were offered to them.-
They drifted along with the current as it
were, appropriating all the blessing of
health and time, TO the immediate wants
their bodies, living up to the best that
the markets will afford, and dressing
their persons and that of their families
with fabrics from the looms of Europe
Upon this subject of dress the whole
country was making "a grand mistake in
pouring out millions of dollars to keep
the workshops of England and France
in operation, while our own establish
ments were standing idle. This DISPOSE
ton ON the part of the whole people to
~ "AN'i Niit dliSiONlhllC DulOOntIN Vi
Europe and to disregard the beauty of
Republican simplicity is one of the great
and crying evils of the day. Another and
the crying evil of the masses is their dis
position To waste their resources instead
OF outstanding them, with many the
time that might be spared In thought and
the Improvement of their mind is spent
in the grog shops and other places of
profitless gossip and conversation, tend
ing to degrade and debase, and prepare
them for that condition that win make
them fit victims of designing men. The
money since then wasted in rum and
other vices is terrible to contemplate;
and there Is mighty milestone hanging
around the nations neck that will grind
1t to powder, ii we do not soon arouse
from our terrible slumber of Indifference
The time has come for true independence
of character to assert itself, we must not
permit ourselves longer to be enslaved
by the debasing habits of appetite, nor
the designing felons of wicked and bad
men.
True manhood demands of us that we
assert our independence from these and
kindred evils that we bow down no
longer to the behests of fashion, and
suffer ourselves no further to be dictated
to by the folly of the old world. The
very God we profess to worship, has laid
this requirement at our doors. The very
liberties that we love SO much, and this
great Republic upon which the veal or
woe of millions yet unborn depend, hang
upon our fulfillment of, and our obedi-
ence to the mighty truth upon which the
throne of God stands secure. Mr..
butcher advised as one means of curing
our present troubles, the formation of
colonies represented by tho industrial
and useful classes, who should receive
government assistance and protection,
until they had their first crop planted
and secured, by such method as this
they would become producers instead of
consumers; and would soon become an
independent and happy people, especially
if they excluded from their settlement
that foul destroyer, rum. He closed by
advising the young men to take their
hands out of their pockets, keep off the
street corners, spend their time in ini-
proving their minds and if they have no
useful employment to join the colony
and go West He quoted Horace Gree
ley, and repeated ego west young men,
go west" and help develop the fair
plains and fiowery fields.
The doxology was then sung and the
audience dismissed, well pleased with
the entertainment and desire ON the
part of many TO hear the lecture re.
| heated