Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-05-17
The kind of Legislators which the
times require.

spared from ucfOJlOl 10 Tue SciliSH W.
terests of few politicians by Il GER
tain class OF papers, has been devoted
to q wholesale denuuciatiou OF II GER
tain hard working class Of men. They
are called 4 dangerous class" 1t is
alleged that they are Unreasonable.
Now this is undoubtedly true; but in
stead of abusing them, will 1t not be
well for these regulators of public
sentiment to enquire what makes them
unreasonable" and dangerous"
They are Ignorant" "atupid" &c.
Well, if. that is so, their interests
should he most carefully looked after
TO illustrate the difference between
the power of legislating for the pow
erful and the weak, we can find an eX-
ample almoSt anywhere. AT the last
session of the Vermont Legislature
every corporation and powerful IN
terest was represented by friends and
retaincrs. So much so that the only
danger was that exclusively beneficial
legislation would be procure in their
favor, to the detriment of the public
generally. But the draft of an act in
the interest of choppers was sent there
.(the parties in interest being too poor
10 have anyone % with it) and its
passa re requested. 1t simply provid-
cd-that by fling'a lien in the town
clerk office the workman could Sc
cure his wages. 1t provided that he
should give such notice as would pro-
icct purchasers and others dealing
with the lumber. BY some quiet
IN Dvement, whether in the interest OF
a large lumber interest or not, we Of
course do not know, the bill quietly
passed out of sight and was traated
,with contempt as cold as selfish
power could well bcstow. Now for
the result.-A Mr.. McElchrane a
bland and childlike Scotchman, who
;has evidently kept his eye on this le-
.gislaton, comes up the Connecticut
river FROM Massachusetts, aud en-
ploys between one and two hundred
men to work in getting out Il large
quantity of lumber. 4 portion OF it is
driven into the Connecticut river leav-
ing about enough III Vermont to pay
the men. The men all this time rely
on the honesty Of what appears to he
Il thorough business transaction. All
of q sudden one or two hundred men
find themselves waiting for their
wages, and some for money their em.
,ployer had borrowed Of them. But
Mr.. McEachrane was gone. The law
had permitted him to play his part
and he had left the stage, on which
remained hundred or two, poor
starving, penniless choppers and river
men. The law has permitted him t.
DE in the quiet enjoyment Of tue hor,
earned fruits OF more than hundred
men, position which he adroitly ex
changed for one in which he would b,
liable to come in contact with til,
spiked nails of either two or three
hundred boots. If lie had not sue
.ceeded in escaping the madness 0
those ignorant and dangerous men
which OF the three would have possess
ed the greatest moral turpitude; tn
wronged and starving men, the Scotch
man, or the Legislation.
Now, the current Of discussion
heaps denunciations upon the men
Now this is all right, if it is done il
4airly balancing the rights and inter
;ests Of all parties; but to do this t
the entire exclusion OF Ike least wore
of criticism, on the actual cause Of til
trouble, back of the Indignation of til
men is an argument, garbled and III
fair as can be imagined. The me
are told that the lumber belongs to
rich corporation in Massachusetts, an
that the mysterious McEachrane whot
they have seen for the first and prot
ably the last time is the only pcrso
responsible to them. We suppos
:tlnder the argument as it goes tia
these men will be asked to be "canG
ill.," reasonable" and "intrlligent.
They are the ones who are asked t
do the reasoning, and exercise th
,candor re Iuisite for the occasion. No
We submit if this is just the kind {
school in which their faculties ougl
to be trained. As they separate an
60 to their homes hungry and with II
means of procuring meal of victual
they are driven from comrortabI
homes at which they call for mors'
Of breaa. They are treated with vii
,cpithets of."tramp," "bcggar," "vas
.abonl,' nuisance" and the lik'
Thus they are left to starye. on tn
way, having been told that for wal
,of a workingman's lien law their wag,
,eapnQt be secured, and that they NJ
not entitled TO common Chart,
These are some Of the circumstance
unacr which they are asked to
.,,reasonable." These men did no VII
lcnce, and if they had attempted i
they ought to have been restraine
with the strong arm of the law; b,
when public sentiment, and the la
restrict their efforts to restraining Il
violence OF injured men, they con
far short Of performing the high offic'
they owe to these times in which Il
safety Of the public require just al
careful legislation fol- the poor al
the weak, who are unable to care f,
itthcmselvcs, as well as for the rit
and powerful, who are amply able
caro- for their own interests and mo
too If thep are so disposed. Let
labor TO establish just rules Fl
4I,o ,,,n4o,t;o,, - III $780, - 4,