The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1858-08-20
THE DEAR PEOPLE AND THEIR MAS.
TIERS


der the above caption, which we transfer to
our columns, and to which we invite the de.
Iiberate reflection Of our readers. Through
Democratic misrule, the whole business af.
fairs of the country have been thrown into a
state of embarrassment and confusion, with
but little hope of relief and resuscitation for
a long time to come. We doubt whether
the PeoPle-especially the mercantile, manu-
featuring, and laboring classes-were in any
thing like as bad a condition during the fear.
full monetary crisis of '37, and the two or
three years following. The farmers, too,
with short crops and low prices, are not ex-
empt from the influence of tie pressure
which Democratic folly has visited upon the
country. Business of all sorts is in n sad
state of depression and arrangement; nor
will there be a change for the better until
the unscrupulous and prohgate Locofoco
money changers are thrust from our political
temple, by the indignant voice of the people.
But here is the article referred to:
"Throughout the country men are offer
ing to work at less than half the recent wa
ges, and yet are wholly unemployed Poor
houses are filled to overfiowing. Taxes are
rapidly rising. Furnaces and factories are
idle. Ships are rotting at the wharves. Mer-
chants, unable to pay rents, discharge their
clerks. Labor is, therefore, everywhere su-
perabundant.
! sIIp,hIa 10 coll b;o labor ba ioharar io
unable to purchase his usual supplies of
food. The market for food diminishing,
prices fall, and the farmer is unable to pur-
chase cloth. Unable to sell cloth, the manu-
facturer does not need to purchase engines.
Unable to sell machines, the machinist does
not need to purchase iron. Unable 10 sell
| iron, the furnace master does not need to
purchase coal, aud thus is the miner deprived
of the power to purchase food or clothing
Look where we may, commerce is nearly
dead-the heavy sufferers by her death be-
ing those "dear people" who, like ourselves,
must sell their labor, if they would be ena-
bled TO purchase food.
"Such being the case with the people, how
is it with their masters-the men whom they
have placed in their administration of affairsi
Do they suffer in like manner! Are their
Wages reduced? On the contrary, they are
largely increased. President, secretaries, SEN
ators, congressman, comptrollers, and all 9th
ers charged with either legislation or admin
istration, have fixed salaries, payable in mo-
ney and the more that that money will pur-
chase the better it must be for them. AT hf
ty cents day, they can purchase the labor of
twice as many men as they could do when
wages were a dollar a day. Reduce wages
to ten cents dav, and the Presidents salary
becomes equal to that of eight hundred men.
All of these people desire, Of course, tho'
evA-ything may bo ohaaP feeling thp' their
power to crafty their appelites must in
crease with every step in that direction.-
Free trade having already done so much for
thcm-c!'eape land, labor food and cloth
ing-need we wonder that they now look
anxiousy for the arrival of those happy days
of "free trade and direct taxation," when
dime shall he considered fair days wages
for fair days work? Certainly not.
"That point reached, there will be glori-
Gus times at Washington, if we may judge
from what has already been accomplished, as
exhibited in the following picture, drawn
from the columns Of one Of our free trade
neighbors.
"The present cabinet has been more re-
markable than any of its predecessors, for
liberal and hospitable style Of living. 1t is
true that most of them nre wealthy men but
il does not always follow that official men
live in manner commensurate with their
wealth. For the year ending with this spring,
not one of the members of the cabinet ex-
pended less than fifteen thousand dollars,
and two or three of them expended each
twenty five thousand 1t is true that their
entertainments, eQuipage, &c, were unusual
ly frequent and of an expensive kind. Their
example was followed by some wealthy
citizens, foreign ministers, and Senator's
particularly Douglas and Gwin-anj thus
fashionable and public life, during the season
prior to Lent, was, in this city,, a perpetual
carnival"
"To the peoples masters, perpetual
carnival" To the people themselves, per-
petual "Lent" Such is the prescription OF
that modern democracy, Of which Mr.. Bue-
hanan is now the head-of that hard money
democracy, which seeks to substitute low
wages for that protection TO the American
laborer which was given by the tariff OF 1912.
NEVER KNEW Ny MorHER.-She died
when was three year old, that she might
be an angel to me and my life. But one day
in after years, turning over pile of old let
ters in my fathers study, found package
of her letters to him, beginning with her
first acquaintance with him and coming down
into her married life; and as ! read these
pages at last knew my mother. What
these letters were to her life, that are the
Four Gospels to the life of Christ But l
remember that there was one letter in which
she spoke freely and frankly of her Love-
That, to me, is the Gospel Of John. 1t is
Gods love letter to the world.
tR- The Washington Union will die II
Judge Douglas don't-sure. Douglas is the
theme Of its Lending editorials the week past.
Douglas, in fact, runs all through its COL
umns-"solid" as well as "leaded." The
editor must breakfast on Douglas, dine on
him.. and eat up what is left of him before
he goes to bed. Distressing easel
A SHOWER OF FLIEs.-A recent number
of the ST. Louis Democrat says:
On the down trip Of the steamer Editor in
the Illinois, the other night at o'clock,
shower or stream of the Mormon or Shad fly
poured upon her decks to the depth of six
inches, and il was very difficult matter to
shovel them overheard They were so nu-
merous as TO put out the watchman's light
and enyelop everything in midnight darkness.
The trees along the shore look as II borne
down by these shortlived insects. The visi-