The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-10-17
The Victims OF Financial Anarchy.

Among the victims of the financial anarchy
which now prevails, cur thoughts naturally
turn in the first instance to the bankers who
no longer will as monarchs on Change, to
the merchant princes who have been so sud-
denly stripped of their possessions but they
finally rest with painful interest upon the
vastly larger class Of mechanic and laborers
whom the revulsion will deprive OF employ
ment and perhaps Of bread, when winter is
near ut hand. The stoppage OF factories,
iron works, and other extensive manuiactur-
ing establishments at the East has compelled
the discharge of thousands of operatives and
other thousands will in all probability soon
share like fate Thus the calamitous effects
of the revulsion are carried through all ranks
of society. Unfortunately, but very small
proportion of mechanics and operatives Ill
manu- featuring establishments save anything
in good times against rainy day, SO that
the loss of employment involves the loss OF
their entire means of living. Live they will,
of course, in some way; for they cannot be
permitted to perish in the midst OF such law
ish abundance; but multitudeS OF families
will miss the qualifications and comforts TO
which they have been accustomed, and many
will feel the pinchings of actual want. Ii
cannot be many months before the services
of most Of them will be again required yet
they will be months to be remembered Tor
years after, as a time Of struggle ana trial.
The result of this state of things 'wlll be,
that fresh thousands will look to the soil oil
the West as a refuge against such mischances
in future. For themselves, they would per-
haps prefer to remain mechanics and artisans,
but the uncei tainty of employment AMI IN
creasing families cannot fail to admonlSh them
that home upon the rich soil OF the West
is far preferable. They will see that the TIL
lers of the soil are now the only really indie
pendent men, and that while the fortunes OF
all other classes in the community seem to
rest on the hazard of die, they alone are
secure.
The high prices of all kinds of ayr cultural
products for the last few years have enabled
most Of them to relieve themselves from
debt, and TIL: hountiful crops now in store
are sure resource for the future. Surround
ed with plenty, they can smile at the storm
that is scattering widespread ruin in its
path. Though all other banks should fall
the bank of mother earth never refuses to
honor the draft of we'll directed industry
These are the times when we can fully appre-
ciate the advantages Of the farmers condition;
"ho thC iOil9 vi "ii''Ni many
men who are passing through it it in state
of enforced idlencss, will resolve when spring
comes to travel westward and become farm
ers too
AS yet, the revulsion does not seem to
have reached the mechanics and laborers OF
the West, and, for obvious reasons they
will in any event suffer much less severely
than their brethren at the East. In the first
place they constitute mach smaller proper
ton of our whole population there, and very
few of our manufacturing establishments will
entirely suspend operations. Most of them
will probably curtail their business through
the winter, but they Of course find it for their
interest to employ as many hands as possibly,
knowing that the present depression cannot
last long. In our own city, and the same is
true of most western towns, all persons en-
ployed in building have had constant employ
ment and good pay during the season, and
will be about as well prepared to face the
winter as usual. On the whole, the cOndi-
ton ofmechancs and laborerS in the West is
much more fortunate than that of the same
classes at the East.-Chicago Press.