State Legislation 99 



class is not of more consequence in politics, is that 

 it is often really out of sympathy or, at least, its' 

 more conspicuous members are with the feelings 

 and interests of the great mass of the American 

 people; and it is a discreditable fact that it is in 

 this class that what has been most aptly termed the 

 "colonial" spirit still survives. Until this survival 

 of the spirit of colonial dependence is dead, those in 

 whom it exists will serve chiefly as laughing-stocks 

 to the shrewd, humorous, and prejudiced people who 

 form nine-tenths of our body politic, and whose 

 chief characteristics are their intensely American 

 habits of thought, and their surly intolerance of any- 

 thing like subservience to outside and foreign influ- 

 ences. 



From different causes, the laboring classes, even 

 when thoroughly honest at heart, often fail to ap- 

 preciate honesty in their representatives. They are 

 frequently not well informed in regard to the char- 

 acter of the latter, and they are apt to be led aside 

 by the loud professions of the so-called labor reform- 

 ers, who are always promising to procure by legis- 

 lation the advantages which can only come to work- 

 ing men, or to any other men, by their individual 

 or united energy, intelligence, and forethought. 

 Very much has been accomplished by legislation for 

 laboring men, by procuring mechanics' lien laws, 

 factory laws, etc. ; and hence it often comes that they 

 think legislation can accomplish all things for them ; 

 and it is only natural, for instance, that a certain 

 proportion of their number should adhere to the 



