Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-11-04
From The Tropic.
BUSINESS AND CIR EDIT.

In passing through the business tho.
r~oughfares in the city of New York, du-
ring a short sojourn IN that place The pasi
summer, we were astonished by the extra
ordinary Indications Of n busy traffic that
met our view on either side. Every store
had n goodly share Of purchasers from the
North, the East, the West and the South;
clerks were us busy MS men or boys either
well could he, IN showing the various
wares and merchandise. adapted 10 the
wants of their several customers; porters
were packing, mailing up, fnarklng and
turning out on the side walks pondetous
boxes directed TO MI parts of the Union;
draymen were loading.up and hnrrying
away with their burthens 10 ships and
steamboats, bound inland and coastwise; in
short, all was activity, hustle, business.
Bearing in mind the utter prosiration, that
but n short time previous to this, nil fner-
camille, manufacturing md banking afiitIrs
we're laborlng under, and wondering what
under tho sun could have given rise to
this new.Hedged prosperity, we were 'ndu.
eed TO seek information from intelligent
friends, who were engaged in the whole
sale and the jobbing trade, when lc the
secret was out-tl,e story told, and the
whole matter as plain rs the nose on John
Tyler's faee--Credh bad come back again
but not Confidence! Credit, wounded
and expiring for want OF nour'shment'
was dragged from The funeFa! pyre on
whichshe was about to be immclatGd-ro-
suscitated, white washed and re.gilded by
that mischief brewer, Plenty Of Money,
and she had started afresh on her pleasant,
flower.strewn track, to arrive at last again
back to that pile, on which she would have
been left to die. To drop the metaphor
merchants were selling their goods on a
credit of @, o. IL and Is months. We
were astonished al this, and SO we told our
friend. Before proceeding farther, it should
be remembered, that but very few of the
merchants Of today were doing business
ION their own account" when tho great
crash" came on; but they were most of
them clerks in establishments that were
contemporary with those times, and as they
are shrewd and acute men, it is moi to be
supposed that oblivion has b!otted the past
from their memories. Pursuing this train
of thought, and marselllng at what we
saw. we were led to inquire Of our intelll-
gent friend the reasons that led people
back to paths that had been found so IN
safe and disastrous. His answer was a
curious one, and as we believe such would
have been the honest answer OF every one
pursuing the course we have described we
give il In his own words.
sYou know" said my friend, show plen.
ty money is at present we can get ANY
amount we want at 4 per cent per annum,
and thus we are enabled TO give long Gre
dts" "Bnt," continued he, this system,
we are all well aware, is a bad one, and
you will see change in it j a year from
now 1t will answer very well for a While
for a first go-of; country traders gene
rally make it a point to meet their fIfsl
payments at my sacrifice; therefore, as we
are getting large profits, we will continue
this game during this season, and next
year, after they have paid up, drop the pl-
geon' on them, and credit no more!
What a mistaken policy! How f%allac'ous!
When was there a time that credit. ence
commenced, could be stopped at the will
of the creditor. with safety to himself!
What has been the termination of the sys-
tenn of extensive credits but disaster and
ruin 1? Let the past answer for the pre-
s~ent--for what has been viii be again.
MANY of our city merchants can bear
witness 10 the truth of the facts above sta
ted. as they were on the ground, saw what
we have described. and listened 10 the
same false philosophy. Is there any dan
Ger of our merchants following this suiei-
dal course ? Shall we be deemed presump'
tuous if we counsel them 10 beware oil II: