St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-02-28

paid tbonls all, and made him an Indepen.
dent man, at least TO- begin the hard times.
Tho ,washerwoman owed not quite SO much,
but needed all that was due her for necessa-
ries, which her prudent master had already
provided for his family. The shoe dealer,
the market mau, tho grocer, the merchant,
all had obligations, TO- meet, or q, business
to sustain, All men we're talking Of hard
1tines-harder times yet to corne-dif6-
Guilty Of collecting biils-lalling off Of
business-no money to be obtained. 81.
/, Now money is called a currency, eircu:
lating medium. 1t. is like the circulation
Of the blood in the animal body A few
pounds Of it freely circulating from heart
To lxtremities, and, from :extremities again
to heart, carries lhe through all the system.
A comparatively small amount Of the life
current, freely circulating, sustains the
body in health and vigor. The same lit
tie, doing over aud over again its appoint
ed work, accomplishes tho great result of
sustaining life; q suspension Of the circu-
-stagnation in the, curreEcy-and
death is the consequence. So d I've dol.
lat bill, in doing its official work as a part
Of the circulating medium; kept upon its
course in the current, will pay hundreds
| Of dollars of debts, relieve corresponding
amount Of the pressure, be The medium Of
hundreds Of dollars Of business, in buying
land selling, all in single day, and thus
multiply and extend business facilities,
aud remedy the hard times A live five
dollar bill, like an ounce of live blood, is
worth thousands Of uead, deposited, or
.hoarded dollars -, 5:,tl -: ..':t} -.
h. John very obsequiously calls upon Mr.
Hunks and Awould like the little amount
due him." Mr.. Hunks is very much sur
pprised that he should be asked to rag any
thing these hard times, when the banks
are all failing ), thers is no money to>be
obtained to pay debts, aud, -"John haven't
you heard that Swift, the, great banker,
| where deposited all my money, hasshutup?
Why, yes, he had heard Of that, but he
hoped the master would belable to find FIVE
dollars somewhere to pay the. poor man
who had sawed and put up his winters
wood.
The washerwt man calls humbly at the
Kitchen where che had done her work
weekly, and asks tn. mietress for the bill.
she had confidently allowed to accumulate.
Mistress has a kind heart. would gladly pay
her, but unfortunate y keeps not the keys
of the Golfers never sees the inside of the
leather pocket book, and honestly believes
that Mr. Swift has shut down on all her
husbands loose change.
| Calls are made from the butcher, the
milliner, the shoemaker, and the whole
round OF friends whom Mr.. Hunks had
been accustomed to patronize. It, is such
hard times that they all want their money
they must have it-their creditors are
pushing them-they cannot longer buy on
credit. There are now no credits to be
had, no moncy-busincss at dead lock.
The money does not conc from Mr..
Hunks-thcy are sent away with excuses
they call again, and the calls arc repeated
daily; and it is surprising with what pa
tience business men will call and wait, wait
and call, for the little bills due, appreciat-
: ing the circumstances which have most
mysteriously deprived even the men Of ap.
parent means Of the ability Of paying Their
little bills.
Mr.: Hunks has few tenement. which
he rents, on one Of the business streets.
Formerly he had large income from
them, paid promptly every month. 1t had
been the source from which he had paid
enormous taxes for improvements, and kad
supported his family. He now finds his
rents cut of-a reduction is called for, re-
fused, and the tenants unceremoniously
Fleave-proving that the wheel of fortune
has turned, and that landlords arc now
subject to the will of the tenant. If rents
are called for from those who remain, at
prices corresponding to the times, he is
answered in the same terms in which be
has responded to many similar applications
to himself-no money-no business-no
collection of debts-''no nothing"
Mr.. Hunks cannot fail to. make a per-
sonal examination of himself: His con-
clusion is that men are very much as1ikc-
that other men are very much like him.
self. Not that he is like other mon in
every respect. He thinks less Of other
men from this personal examipation. He
has no opinion to cypress in regard to
himself.
The hard times develop an immense
amount Of latent :depravity. The living
which men can get honestly, when work
is plenty and pay prompt, they now take
as they can get it--for the saying is, ::'the
world owes them a living" and they pro-
ceed to collect the debt by the first law of
nature. The lower classes therefore steal
Steal lumber, wood, and coal from the
yard for fires steal whatever they can
put their hands on; without detection, to
pay that: debt Of living by direct use, or
that which they can pawn for a, pittance.