ENPages
(seq. 1)
825
MS Am 880 * ✓
Consitution of the Labouring Society
William Manning
(seq. 2)
- The Key of Libberty Containing - Proposals for taking a Monthly Magazen to be Stiled the Farmers or Laborers Magazen, & to forme a Society In ordir to obtain all the Knoledge Nesecary for a Freemam to have, In the Most Sure & Cheep Manner Possable, Adressed to all The Republicans, Farmers & Labourers In Amarica by a Labourer
Although some may Deny the following Doctrene yet it is presumed that their are not many now on the Stage, that are acquainted with the History of Antiant Republicks & have paid attention to Men & Measu -res for twenty years Back, But what will acknoledge, that their Doth Exist In all free governments, Either a Real or Conceived Difference of Interest Betwen those that Labour for a Living, & those that Git a Living with out Bodily Labour, & that although the hole Number of those that Live without Labour Doth not Excead one Eighth part of the people, & one third part of them are true Republicans & frinds to a free government, yet from the Combinations & arts of the other two thirds, & the want of knoledge amongue those that Labour, free gove -rnments have always bin Destroyed. To prove the above, Volloms of antiant History Might be produced, & More Written from our own Expereance, But takeing it for granted in this Inlighted age, I will say nothing more about it but proseed to Describe the knoledge nesecary for Every freeman to have, & then propose a Meathod to obtain it -
The Knoledg nesecary for Every free man to have, to Innable him to Support a free governmen, May Chiefly be Comprehended under the following heads Viz, 1t A Knoledg of Man kind, & how [Much?] the best of Men of all ordirs are - Liable to be governed by Little Selfish [Eideays?] of honour Interest & Selfe-love -, 2dly by a Knowledge of the Constitution & prinsaples of the Government he Lives under -, 3dly A knoledge of all the Laws that Immediately Consarns his own Conduct & Interest - , 4thly A knoledge that when Laws are once Constetutianly Made [they?]
(seq. 3)
They Must be obayed, Let them be naver so Rong his opinnion & that their is no Reamidy for Grevenes but by petetioning the authority that made them, & useing his Rights & Influence in Elections, 5tly a knoledge of the true Carrietor prin saples & abilities of all those he votes for Into any kind of office, 6tly, A Knowledge of the Existing Sentiments & wishes of all those he votes for into any kind of office that are in his own Circumstances, In the town, County, State & nation to which he belongs, so that he may unite with them in the Choice of the Ablest & Best Men to take care of & Difend their Interest, also unite in petititioning Government for the Redress of Grevances, 7thly also a knoledge of the Debates in the State & National Legislatures & the side his own Representative takes in the Decitions they Make, he aught to have all this knoledge Independant of any Man or ordirs of Men, who May be Inter -ested to Deceiv or Mislead him, The prinsaple means of obtaining this knoledge is by the Libberty of the press, & Newspapers have bin a grate means of Convey -ing it to those who have bin at the cost & troble of peruseing them, But by the arts & combinations of the few, of Late they have become so numerous Costly & Controdictory to Each other, that not one fifth parte of those that Labour for a Living Receive any benifit by them, for they Cannot be at the Expence of the time & Money they Cost, nor believ what they hear from them, Also Newspapers are generally filled up to Gratify Men of Larning & Lasure, a grate part of which is very uninteresting to a Labourer, & when they have bin Red once or twice they are both Considered & Usead as wast paper Conciquently what was valuable in them is Commited to Memory or Lost forever -
The proposed Magazen is Ment to Convey the above Described knoledge & all other nesecary & usefull Knoledge for a Farmer & Labourer to have as much as pos-sable, & to be so filled as to Induce those that take it to wrap them together in yearly vollams & preserve them safe to the Lastest generations - The publication of it to begin with the present Centery & Many of the firsts [Nom?] to be filled with the Most Importat Events & transactions of the Amarican Revolu -tion, such as the Confediration, Declaration of Independance, State Constitution,
(seq. 4)
& the federal Constitution with all its amendments, also a Congretianal Register from the adoption of the Constitution till now, Containing the names of all the Mem -bers & the number of votes they were Chosen by, & the yeas & nays on some of the Most Important Questions they have Desided upon - Such as the pending Sistim , the Indian war, the Brittish treaty, & the Sadition Laws &ce also the Substan[c?] of Some of the Most Important Speache, Made for & against sd Masures, also Some of the Most Important Doings of the State Governments._ If many of the first Numbers ware filled with with such past transactions it would be Laying a good foundation for obtaining sd Knoledge - & transmiting the prinsaples of the Revolution Down to our Childrens Children -
It is thought that a Magazen Containing 40 or 50 pages would be Large enough for the perusal of a farmer or Labourer, which would be about the Size of an almanak which costs Eight Cents - the Cost of Such a Magazen would be trifling to Newspapers But their are 4 Dificultyes which must be provided against or the peopel will not generally take them, viz. 1t it Cost a poor Man More to Colect a trifel once a Quarter to pay for his Magazen than to Earn the Money twice over, 2dly if the printer has to Colect his pay from Individuals, he Cannot print them near so cheep 3dly it will Cost those that Live at a Distance from post Roads More to git them than to pay for them - & 4thly the gratest Discoragement to taking Either news papers or Magazens is our not being able to Read them with Confidenc as to the truth of what they Contain, To provide against these Dificultyes it is nesecary that we Should forme our Selves Into Societies as all other ordirs of Men have, and organise ourselves, for that purpose I have Drafted a Constitution, & in ordir to prevent its being Denounced as an unpresidented thing I have Coppied it as nearly after the Constitution of Cincinaty as the Largeness & objects of the society will posably admit of - & have plased it at the Close of this adress Ready for Signing to which the Reader may turn & give it a thorough perrusal & then Reade the following
- Remarks offered in Vindication of the plan - As all new things Make a grate stir at first so it may be Expected this will also & many objections Raised against it, But as all ordirs of Men who Live without Labour have formed themselves Into Societyes in the Same Manner it would be with an ill Grace if the Should attempt to Denounce it, for one is Just as Constitutianal
(seq. 5)
as the other, & the Constitution of Masachusets in Chapter 5t binds the Lejeslature to Incorage private Societyes & publick Institutions Erected for the purposes this Society is Designed for, It is true that much has bin said against the oranization of sundry ordirs of Men Espatially the Lawyers, Cincinaty, & the free Masons, & purhaps both government & Society have Received Dammage from some of their Measures & Conduct, But it was all for the want of Such a Society as as this proposed - also a grate part of of the usefull Studdeys & Inventions of Larnt Men, & Societyes formed for that purpose - have bin Lost, for want of such meens of Conveying Knoledge as the Labouring Soci -ety is formed to promote -
But the gratest objecttions to it, purhaps will be the Cost & troble proposed to obtain this Knoledge - to obviate which I Request your Canded attention to the following Statement & Calculations - As to the organization proposed, or spending a few hours on the forth of Juy to Choos officers it is no more than what thousands Do now, & if not one Quarter part of the Members Should attend the officers Might be Cho -sen & the organization Kept up as well as if they ware all their, & the County & State Meetings Might be organised also, by the Distant Members Sending a Letter to the place appointed for Meeting Certifying their own appo -intments & Submiting the Choice of officers to those that Live handier all of which Cold not Cost Much, & if all the officers Should Do the Duty asigned them, with out any pay But the Honour thereof - they would Receiv as Much as Melitia officers Do for their troble - as to the Cost of the Monthly Magazen - it will not be Larger nor mor Costly than an almoneck which can be Bought in the Contry for about 8. cents which is not one Dollar a year - But Sepose that the officers Should Exact hansome pay & Raise the Cost of the Magazens to a Dollar & a halfe, it would not be Much for a