Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-11-20

LARGEST and most commercial city in the Union, New
York contains the largest amount of floating population
living from hand to mouth and therefore the most likely
to be affected by the commercial crisis.
Thousands in that city if thrown out of work to-day
have no resources of any kind with which to procure
subsistence for the morrow With many indeed the last
dollar of the wages received Saturday evening gone
before Monday morning, and the week has to be gone
through with on credit and this credit is very limited
How far their present destitute condition their own
fault Or the fault OF the times is not easy to deter
mine. OF both, we suppose. There can be no doubt
but that the houghtless and unqucsonlng confidence
in the permanence of flush times that led ON the ira
der and Spectator, to loss If not to rum also influenced
the workingmen and women of the North while work
was plenty and wages high and it made no matter how
high the wages might have been, they would have been
all spent The Sundays frolics producing the Monday
headache-thc grand target excursion and the military
ball the turnout of the bhOy who ran wild der ma
chine with its accompanying dsspationS-thc cost Oh
dress on the part of the women who must attend these
balls etc.. consumed oil that could bc made and would
have consumed it all hadit been much Seldom or
never during the most prosperous times could the aver
age of mechanics and working men and women at the
North, see their way through even few weeks of en-
forced dlencss This trfteSsness thoughtlessness,
of the future, is not, regret to say confined to
the foreign emigrants 1t pcryades the whole system.
Thus no doubt much of the present suffering at the
North might have been guarded against by the working
people themselves. Some of BIT could not Sickness
msforune-arge and helpless families all these might
interfere to prevent the adoption of the proper measures
or their success, even if adopted.
But the fact is there and we fear that it is to some
extent here people are in want of work. and being in
want of work. are in want of all for which people labor
food clothes shelter for themselves and families. If
some of them have been improvdent they have been
more so than men engaged in all classes of business
The error has been general But thousands of men and
women are out of work and out of bread starving
amidst the wealth of the third city in the world and the
greatest shipping port on notwithstanding they wander
past storehouses filled with beef and flour and pork
Looking forward to the dark and dreay days OF Winter
which may be shelteress and Understanding no where
to get the money to satisfy the demands OF the landlord
from whom their miserable enements are rented, and
seeing institutions Boosting their mlions-milons al
most within the grasp Of the men who stand so much IN
need
It requires cooler philosophy than theirs to under
stand the evils that must arise from forcibe division
of propertv. That violence would react upon all and
intensity the existing misery we have no doubt and we
suppose no other has who can bring his better
Judgment to bear. But want is bad casuist phlloso-
ply fills no belly and stills murmur of suffering wife
nor wall of feeble infancy.
To US the surprise is not that the unemployed are
holding meetings in the Northern cities or that they
find noisy demagogues to address Them The surprise
would have been if this had not been the 1T is
the most natural thing in the world. 1t has happened
before and it will happen again. Men are not abstrae
lions. We do not go for mob law-We do not go tol
any sort of agraransm but it must be apparent to al
that man overheard and drifting at the mercy OF thu
waves will not be very apt to enquire into the rights
property in the boat which he may lay hold of to bring
him safe ashore 1t is therefore not only the duty bu
the interest of society," to extend a helping hand t.
him that is in want or in trouble lest despair should be
come desperation and repression be found far OK
pensive than prevention.
We sincerely trust that these difficulties will pas
away without becoming more serious. We think the.
will AS to Mayor Wood being responsible TOR them
that is all nonsen Q. General Destitution sthe cOmma
der-n-chief of the movement
THE RAILROAD MEEr1NG.-We stated Oh Friday tina
the Convention of Stockholders in the Wilmington
Weldon Railroad Company had organized by CALM
COL Kenan to the Chair, and appointing Messrs. Muir
ply and Dancy, Secretaries, who with Mr.. j. c. Nc
Rae constituted Committee upon stock.
The Reports of the President and Directors, Of til
Superintendent of the other officers of the Company
and of the Auditing Committee were submitted. Th
Report of the President and Directors referred to
Committee of Stockholders who reported in the after
Vl,o oc A.
be adopted towards arranging the bonds Of the Compan
to the amount of $222,O0O held in England and payab
at the close Of next year. In regard to this the ayic
of the Stockholders requested We understand thu
the whole matter was referred back to the President
Directors.
The President and Directors were reelected withor
opposition
We ought to have stated before, that the proxy Oftl
State was held by Col Kenan, of Dupln. T. D. Wa
ker, Esq, President of the W. & NJ. r. R.. rcpresentt
the stock held by that Company
Our neighbor of the Herald is anxious to obtain
categorical answer upon two points Whether v
think Walker ought to be removed, and whether we a
prove the course of Gov Wise of Virginia, in scndir
muskets out of that State.
First, then, we not in possession Of all the fac
and considerations before the President, but suppo
that we will find these in his message. We can thu
speak with better information and will speak freely
From the information now have we believe tn
Walker ought to be removed-that is if that inform
ton be correct and reliable. As for Governor Wise
course, it is certainly not necessary for lis to say
thing against it, as, right wrong, that funconary
certain to receive at least as much abuse as he deserve
if not leee more
Ia The n. G. University Magazine for Nov h
s,,rtr nlnnd It. tnhlo