New-York daily tribune., 1858-04-06
FROM PHILADELPHIA.
russ S,us Own OoI1espspd~at

fsm the Far Wes. might cone 70 tE's el'y y Pi'-
.eAsse goods, sod If BE- wore clean snIr' n7 "as
sure 70 get al De 1anted-say on moe months
sseait certain, win the chance Oh fFnu'''hs "
eishteep. Such man found world OF acq n'nt,
.ssses ,t bis hotel the very day bis name sPpe1'eu
,,on tho ,.o;ster. Toe hotels were sTerm'ng WIN
As,s,s voups CLERKS and saiesmeu from the grea'
.hols.sl. boues who qusrte-ed them there 10
yjck up strangers and sell them gcoos' Inese r'ai
.,.,s fr,m rival houses stationed at the same
A.t.l and O competition ragged as TO which bOrer
.AeuId be lucsy enough 10 secure customer
vho vas meantime astonished at the eagerness
displayed by many persons to cell goods 10 one Of
vhom they knew 30 little. IL seemed as IT the sole
object was TO sel leaving the question Of payment
altogether out of sight. Credit was free 10 every
enc who wore clean shirt, talked Of the great
West town lots. high prices, and how fast the city
Srew which happened 10 be the lucky spot in which
hs store was located. Ii became an lniatuatOn that
has resulted in the prostraton Of numerous houses
Credit-a good thing when not so used as to be
sverstrained-has been abused beyond measure
and time only can restore il 10 healthy condition.
Things are very differently managed nOw There
are hundreds from the South and West now here 10
purchate goods, but the insane competition 10 gorge
them with choice assortments no longer exists.
The hotels have lost their borers, and something
more substantial than the clean shirt is needed
TO obtain even moderate supply. Caution s the
rule and shorter credits are insisted on, with good
show of ability 10 pay old scores before new ones
are permitted 70 be run up. Some merchants who
came TO make their Spring purchases have been
obliged TO go home without goods. They were sol
vent, and showed that they were able to pay-sOme
time But what they owed already they could not
meet, and there being no absurd competition among
sur citizens TO SELL these parties actually returned
H. M froph "A IoD
Of business ia very unusual here. But beside the
bitter lesson taught within the past year. the Light
stock Of goods on handin this city is another rea-
son for refusing all but undoubted customers. In
psrtstion has been very small the purchases
from New-YOrk very limited and thus the STOCK
On hand among US is not large enough to more than
supply those who really able to pay. Hence
doubtful buyers are treated with but little consider
alton. More business might be DONE but as much
rs now done as il safe. 1t is evidently growing
better since the Spring has opened. The resump-
tion on the canals s doing good in many quarters.
FACTORIES and workshops are gradually taking on
hands, and cOnyalescence may be said to be estab-
Esbed. If at this auspcious moment the country
could be told that the aborprote citing doctrines Of
eur townsman, Mr.. Cary, would be carried out by
the Government, all this national stagnatiOn would
instantly disappear, commerce and manufactures
would move forward with spring resembling
speculation, and thousands now pining in idleness
independence
Take single branch of national industry as an
Illustration. OF As furnaces in the Schuylkll, Lcba-
non, Susquehanna and Junats Valleys of this State
"a are idle. OF the numerous charcoal iron works
in North Western Pennsylvania, only 20 are run
ing. Nearly all of the 60 furnaces of Southern Ohio
have stopped- In the iron region Of Tennessee, not
enc in FIVE is at work 1t is the same thing in New
Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. There are at this
nsment l. 436 iron works in the United States, III
anthracite furnaces 622 charcoal coke and raw
bitsminoas furnaces, 40 bloOmeres and torges,
and 223 rolling mills. Yet nearly one-thlrd OF all
Hese establishments have not only ceased to work,
Bat have been permanently abandoned. More than
half the iron made in this country is produced in
Pennsyfvanis The past year atts opening, promised
10 show an increased production, but the high rates
demaI ded for money, combined with the collapse OF
October struck the iron interest with death. Every
where the rolling mills were stopped, the furnaces
went out of blast and tens OF thousands OF laborers
doomed TO an idleness that sti continues. 80 far
from showing an increase of production over lS56,
The deficiency is enormous. But then the palsy has
extended 10 all the iron-cOnsuming departments OF
Business No wonder that ireights ON railroads and
canals sink TO ruin0us minimum, for coal and IRON
cease to be transported, because the former IS no
OBeer needed to produce the latter. No wonder
that emigration to the West is active everywhere.
After struggling through the Winter in hope OF en-
ploy ment in the Spring. the disappointed victims OF
Free.Trade move of, under every possible dlsad'
vantage to establish new home elsewhere.
I referred you recently to the fact that the crime
of perury had been discovered to be alArmngy rlte
IN ourc curts. Our District Attorney, in recent
address 10 Jury, cautioned them to scrutinze the
Testimony we'll He declared that he knew plenty
of men in the city who could be hired for glass oil
rum, or for fifty cents, to swear falsely III any dlrec
ton indicated By interested parties; that there were
many such constantly proving round the Court
room seeking Job; that he could produce the men
If required, almost at moments notice, and tnat
therefore he felt it to be his duty 10 forewam the
-kury 70 be circumspect. This horrible condition. OF
mblic morality is corroboratea by numerous inch
dents in the experience of Mr.. Mullen the agent ofthe
Society for Aleviating the Mseries of Public Prisons
He saws that one occasion man Of good character
was arrested tried convicted and sentenced TO nine
months at hard labor in the County Prison, charged
with stealing $l70 in gold. When arrested purse
was found on his person containing 500. When
cunvicted the Court ordered $i70 out of the purse
% be paid 10 the prosecutor. But immedstely after
ne conviction Dir. Mullen took the ease In hand and
gave it searching investigation. He sscertained,
even 10 the satisfaction of the Court, that the man
vas innocent, II was shown c0pcluslyely that ne
nd received the money from eight persons, who
Hesti6ed TO the fact and thst he had been seen with
thn money previous to the alleged robbery. When
these facts were presented to the Court, together
With evidence Of good character, the sentence was
xsconsidered, it being within the came term,
md the prisoner was discharged. He was thus
seecped from ruin and restored 10 bis family,
bat the money taken from him was not re-
stored, and the perjured wretch who took II had
0ed beyond reach. In another case even more re-
markable, nine men, poor ignorant Gcrmans, who
could speak no English, were convicted OF asssui