The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-01-05
TIGHT TIMES.

Change every day. He is over OH The
Pier, along Quay street, up Broadway,
stalks up State street, looks in a. the banks,
and lounges in the hotels. He bores our
merchants, and seats himself cozily in
Lawyers Offices. He is everywhere.
A great dlsturber Of the public quiet, a
peslilent fellow is this same Tight Times.
Everybody talks about him, everybody
looks GU, for him, everybody hates him, and
a grea, many hard words and no little pro-
fame epihets are bestowed upon him.
Everybody would avoid him il they could,
Everybody would hiss him from Change,
hoo, him of the Pier, chase him from Quay
street, hustle him Out Of Broadway, kick
him out Of the banks, throw him out OF the
stores, ou, OF the hotels, bur they can't
Tight times is bore. A burr he will
stick. Hints are thrown away on him, abuse
IIlavishsd in vain, kicks, cuffs, profanity are
all thrown away on him. He is impervious
10 them all.
An impudent fellow is Tight Times
Ask for discount, and no looks over your
shoulder, wlnks at the cashier, and your
note is thrown out. AZ o loan OF The
usurers a, one per cent. a month, he looks
over your securities and marks two and n
half. Present bill 10 your debtor, Tight
Times shrugs his shoulders, rolls up his
eyes, and you must call again. A wife
asks for fashionable brocade, q daughter
for q new bonnet; no puts in his caveat,
and the brocade and bonnet arc postponed.
A grea, deprochlor Of stocks is Tight
Times. He steps in among The brokers
aud down goes Central topar,to ninoiy.fve,
ninety, eigh,y.fve. He plays The deuce
with Michigan Central, with Michigan
Southern, with Hudson River, with New
York and Erie. He goes along the railroads
in process OF construction, and The Irish.
men throw down their shovels and walk
away. He puts his mark upon railroad
bonds and they find no purchasers, arc hiss
ed on, Of market become obsolete, absolute.
ly dead.
A great expoder Of bubbles is Tight
Times. He looks into the affairs Of gold
companies. and they fly TO pieces ; into
ki,ing banks, and they stop payment; into
ricke,y insurance companies, and they van.
ish away. Ilc walks around corner lots,
draws line across llhographic cities, and
they disappear. He leaves his foot print
among mines, and tho rich metal becomes
dross, breathes upon the cunningest schem-
es of speculation, and they burst like a
torpedo.
A hard master 10 the poor, cruel enc
|my 10 the laboring masses, is Tish, Times ;
he takes the mechanic from his bench, The
laborcr from his work, the hod.carrier from
his ladder; he runs up the prices Of pro-
visions, and he nlns down the wages OF
labor; ho runs up the price OF fuel, and he
runs down the ability 10 purchase il al any
price he makes lit,lc children hungry and
cry for food-cold, ADD cry for fire and
clothing; he makes poor women sad,
makes mothers weep, discourages the
hearts Of fathers, carries care and anxiety
into families, and sits crouching desoaiion
in the corner and on the hearth stones Of
The poor. A hard master 10 the poor, is
Tight Times.
A curious fellow is Tight Times, full Of
idiasyEeracies and crotcheis. A cosmo.
poli,c--a wanderer loo. Where he comes
from nobody knows, ane where no goes
nobody knows; he flashes along the iele.
graph wires, he takes free passage in tn Q
cars, he seats himself in the stages or goes
along the turnpikes on loot he is a gen.
'leman on Wall street today, and a back
settler on the borders Of civilization to.mor
row. We hear Of him in London, in Paris,
in ST. Petersburg, at Vienna, Belin, in Con.
s,aniinople, at Calcutta, in China, all over
the Commercial World, in every great city,
in every rural distric,-everywhere.
There is one way 10 avoid being bored by
this troublesome fellow, Tight Times. II
is the only way for country, city, a
town, as well is individual men 10 keep
shu, out Of his presence always. Let the
country that would Danish him beware Of
extravaganza, Of speculation, Of OVERHEAD.
ing, OF embarking in visionary schemes Of
ACKNOWLEDGMENT Let il keep on, Of wars,
avoid internal connections, and 60 RICH,
along, taking care of lis own interests and
outstanding lis resources. Let the city that
would exclude him be economical in lis ex.
penditures, INDUCING in no schemes Of
speculation, making no useless improve.
menis, building no railroads that Il cannot
pay for, Withholding lie credit from mush.
room corporations, keeping down its taxes,
and going right along, taking care Of its
own interests and outstanding Its own :e-
sources. Let the individual man who
would exclude him from his domestic cir.
Gle be industrious, frugal, keeping on, Of
the whirlpool Of politics, indulging no TASTE
Tor Office, holding up his dish when pudding
falls from tho clouds, laying by something
when the sun shines 10 make up for the
dark days, for
aSome dav. n,.t ha S,yk and dreary!r