The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-08-18

white servant was called a "wench.''
1t is not strange they sought the Factories
when the opportunity offered. At the
South the poor whites we're depused by slave
labor, and learned to look upon work AS
degrading and to be borne by the blacks.
And not having the advantages of schools
and churches, as the IL ore favored Northern
laborers, became farther separated from the
higher classes, drifted into Incidence and
learned to view their more ia rored naghbors
with jealousy and distrust. We have ex-
amples in the "cracker' of Georgia and
tar heel" of North Carolina Only com.
pulsory education will help them.
! In referring to the American laborer we
find a class intelligent and law abiding.
| Opposed to that class of labor importations
of laborers that tend to lower his status, in
terfere with his wages and detract from his
social position. While on the other hand at
the South we find class that takes no
thought of the morrow, nor cares one iota
what the future has in store for them, carry
the law in their hip pockets, re idy to take
life on the slightest provocation.
Gentlemen | think | can safely say tn at
At no period since 1910 has the laborer so
much at stake in the coming election.
A reader of our daily papers will find great
diversity of opinion expressed to the best
| course to secu continued prosperity,
nos only to the laborer, but to the farmer
and manufacturer.
rbn
nearly alike in political thought two years
ago have become widely separated. Both
claim TO understand the proper course
| to better the condition of the laborer,
decrease the surplus, and put the country
in a more tlourishing condition. My
prosperous condition now.
l trust that the coming election will settle
| the surplus question and not lower the
status of the laborer, and put the farmer on
the same footing with other classes, If in no
other way than in taxation will it be
| done. 1t is strange realiZ alton that while
the farmers interests are almost identical,
| they will cast their votes for those that do
| not sympathiZe with represent, in the
least, their interests, and invariably vote
| contrary to each other. The laborer will do
the same. Perhaps, to make the essay more
interesting | will relate an incident or two,
experiences which | met laborer on
British soil.
In British Columbia, on the Pacific coast
liz 1858 was one of party mining for gold
| on Frazer river. We were III ;,de fully aware
| that we were not in free country (and free
to mine in Califnrnia) by having a tax
imposed on us Of 81 90 month each, by a
decree of the English government enforced
in the person OF Governor Douglas of Scot
land, descendant OF Lord James Douglas,
Earl of Angus | never will forget the
compliment he paid us Americans. We
were told that he had great trouble collect
| ing the tax from other nationalties. But
when ne solicited the ta& from Americans
they paid it willingly. 1t impressed me
something like this You Americans, raised
under Republican form of government,
where the people are sovereign, and have
| learned self govern ment, you willingly con-
form to our laws, even if we cannot enforce
JDetn WHICH WAS blb CASE, W ME even our
own subjects refuse to respect them. The
above will apply to the laborer in our country
at the present time. The American is patient
and ready to conform to the condition of
things. The foreign agitator, ignorant and
malicious, a dist urbing element, ungrateful
for the many blessings given him in a coun-
try where they receive double the wages for
the same class OF work that they have done
at home.
| am getting the American laborer into a
very good position. Now | will refer to the
constitution of our country. An freshman
working for us came into camp at night
seemingly much depressed. my Irish
friend what is the matter" said [. His
reply was, 'dont put me To work in that
kind of British dirt again, the stuff is as
strong the constitution of the United
States" He had struck oil. Here was IA
British subject impressed with the strength
of our Constitution. The conclusion l drew
| from the above was our constitution would
stand when the Test came And it has.
Out of great tribulation our country stands
| forth the brightest star in the constellation
of nations. And under our form of govern
ment and protective policy, the laborer is
| placed in higher position than ever known
since prehistoric times. A policy that becKons
| to the honest laborer of Europe to come and
share with us, learn to live as Americans
| live, do as Americans do, share with us our
luxuries and generous pay that we will give
in exchange. for labor. Can there be any
doubt in the IL ind of an unprejudiced per-
son that 4 class of laborers which consumes
the very cream of farm production is not
the class to feed in preference to supplying
a class on the general productions of the
farm. My experience is, they are epicures
in TIE way of living. trust such will be
the case as long as l am producer. We
| have here an example in the Italian laborer
who can satisfy his appetite on few pen
| MES day. | will ask this "club" if there
is any one that is in favor of feeding the
laborers of other countries in preference to
the laborer of our own. How many coun-
tries such Turkey, Germany, England,
| France and Italy, will it take to consume
as much OF the good things of life, in the
| way of Iuxuries as the labor, RS of our own
country? Time will not permits compari-
son between the American laborer and
laborers of other countries, relative to the
pay they receive for different kinds of work.
1 will assume to say, that the average would
be nearly twice as much in this country. 1t
Is assumed by many that the manufacturer
is more benefited by our protective policy
than the laburer. IG may have been in
the past and there may be a few cases a t the
present time. But the great benefits derived
fl Dm protection are shared nearly equally be-
tween the laborer and I'D anufacturer. Com
petition, in instances, has reduced prices
| lower even than in + gland, so low to
quote from the platform of the United Labor
| Party, that it is impossible for the manu-
facturer to pay liberal wages to the laborers.
Take clothing for Instance. fla person is
Democratic enough he can purchase his
clothes in this country, patrouiZe home in
dustres and purchase cheaper than to buy
English goods. Competition has done it.
But is it reasonable to suppose, that our
| manufactures can continu- to compete with
England where the price of labor is so much
higher. Not much. People in this country
do not work for pleasure.
There is a feature connected with the class
of people coming to this country dangerous
to its institutions and TO the welfare of its
laborers. The explosion of dynamite BON BIS
in Chicago alarmed the country to what it
might expect from the foreign agitator. The
influx of vagabonds from portions of lower