The Washington union., 1857-11-12
NEW YORK AND wAsHINaroN.

NEW 1Ohk AMI NAcfflNQlON.H
The attention Of the whole country is npw anx-
iously directed to the threatening demonstrations of
the unemployed workmen Of New York. The fruits
of the late rage for speculation such past ex
perience should have led us to expect High living
and reckless ventures in stocks and railway schemes
before the crisis necessarily produced retrenchment
and privatou after it. Our people at this time
as in 1897 passing through the crucible Of retrbu
ton for former excesses and carelessness in the
management of their business. The reputed rich
have been forced to economic, while the poor,
having little enough before have deprived ofthat
little, and many of them now parade the streets of
several northern cities, wanting both money aud
credit, and having families looking to them for bread
to satisfy their hunger. The morale of the times is
easily told The employers retreaeh but the. en-
ployees-God help them must obtain work or de
pend upon the precarious hand of charity.
None condemn and deplore more than do the
illegal measures taken by those out of employment
in New York and Philadelphia but cannot even
if we would, close eyes to the fact that the sys
TEN must be wrong and rotten which produces such
alarming evils We have already A.~.,,eavored o. 10
show that over-tradno ana oyerspeculatnc is di.
rectlv .s-aceabe to our present radically defective
banking system. 1t has subjected the country to
financial revulsions of great severity and ,nfortu
nately in these periodical revusions, thsy heaviest
portion of the burden falls upon that class which has
been Ndst instrumental in producing it. The "hun-
ger mob" Of New York, as the newspapers phrase
it, acting in open violation of the law, and
sequently merit the condemnation of all good cti-
zens but we are free to admit that their awess at
ttude, dangerous may be to the peace and good
order of society and threatening it is to the sta
by of free institutions, has at least this exten
uating feature that their extraordinary demands
arise from urgent and appalling necessities ne
cessitics of food, rament, and shelter.
But no such extenuating plea can be offered in
palliaton Of those riotous acts and demonstrations
which have occurred in Washington since the advent
of fknow-nothngism, and which seem to set at sue
cessfu defiance the small police force in the en-
ployment of our municipal government. Wash
ngton is happily free from many of those troubles
which the present financial pressure has produced in
other and seemingly richer cities. There is search
ty Of money with the masses property has fixed
and settled value the confidence of the public has
been restored; the government works offer employ
ment and fair prices to large number of workmen ;
and the preparations for the approaching all
denote renewed trust in the future Of the city. We
have nothing to regret but the brawls and acts
of violence which have of late furnished the reputa
ton of the federal city by the gangs of rowdies who
nightly infest streets. They have, step by STEP
grown bolder and more defiant until they now tram
pie the laws Under foot without the slightest appre
hcnsion Continued Immunity from punishment al
ways invites the repetition of offences. The insub-
ordinate spirits in this city have become reck
less, and their violations Of order and the public
peace more glaring.
The reputation Of the capital Of the Union is too
important, and the interests centred within it too
great to be tried away by lawlcss men, VINO having
no respect for themselves, entirely regardless of
their obligations to others. This state of things can
not last. The dignity and fair fame of Washington
must be virhlicated by a-vigorous and determined
effortt arrest the monstgous and oppressive evil
Our citizens begin to feel the necessity of doing
thing, and when the popular spirit is once aroused
the reform cannot but be speedy and radical Unity
and harmony of action the part of the officials Of
the city and the citizens is impcratively demanded
by the exigencies of the period.