The Illinois free trader and LaSalle County commercial advertiser. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1841-1843, 1841-12-31
Hard Timcs---Eu:!nud and The United
states.

At the present time we hear many complaints
in every quarter of the United States, concerning
the scarcity Of money, hardness of the times, and
the general stagnation of business. That the
times" are hard every man knows, and all alike
feel their effects. In the West, and particularly
in inland towns and settlements destitute of ready
communication with commercial mar!s, are the
"tmcs" of more than ordinary severity. Our
own town and country bears evidence Of this.
Instead Of the farmers produce rising, as was
confidently predicted by certain class Of poIjt-
clans one year since, it is now almost impossible
to dispose OF it at any price. Millions ofpork can
be bought in this state for two cents per pound,
and yet no buyers at that price in cash. Last
year three and four cents were paid per pound,
and then the farmer complained and justly too.
Now, this is bad situation of affairs, and we
ask every man to divest himself of party prcudi-
ces, and calmly to examine it, and TO propose Il
remedy. With due respect to the opinion of
those who advocate the creation of National
Bank and high Tariff as the only feasible re-
mcdy, we ask them to view the present situation
Of England, where both are in full operation.
a high Tariff being now proposed as the princi-
pal remedy, "a National Bank being sat OF
the question: how does it operate in England :
Look at the English operatives starving by the
hundred thousand and yet its brutal aristocracy
keeps up the price Of bread by duty ON foreign
grain. See the millions of Englishmcn starving
for the want Of bread, whilst American ships lay
in her ports frcishtcd with grain, which pam.
pered oristccracy refuse to receive, rather than
lorc5o few luxurics derived from high duty
May Gods righteous retribution fall ON a nation
that thus violates the tcndcrost feelings of hu
mainly, and robs the poor Of their daily bread.
The distress in England is great, as the follow
ing extract from a report submitted to a meeting o
the citizens Of Leeds viii show. A report care
fully drawn up from detailed accounts, was rca,
to the meeting, by a committee previously ap
pointed 10 investigate the condition olthc mcm
ploycd poor. The report says
erc the committee DESTROYS Of proiucins
sensation alone, they might possibly rccitc nu
mcrous cases Of sou-harrowing priyation com
municatcd by the enumcrators. They will only
state generally, that in scores of instances, tn,
cnumerators were obliged to write with book
placed on their knees in consequence of the all
sencc oil every article of furniture that might be
made available for resting the book upon; and in
many, very many instances, such was the mani
fest destruction, that little else than the damn
walls which enclosed them, constitute the only
title to 'homc' which the miserable inmates coult
claim. In conclusion your committee beg leave
to state that they have not caused the perlicus o.
the town to be explored for the purpose of swell.
ing the amount, of restitution in the report, as Sc
verol confined places, notorious for their pcrmo.