The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1872-12-13

mcnce anew with the exemptions the
law allows. Still, l shall enter upon
the task with reasonably good spirits,
and with but slight misgivings as to
the result. If l am not as successful
in business enterprises hereafter as |
have hitherto been, I have this COM
forting assurance, that | shall need
less in the future than in the past to sup
port me and those dependent on me,
and according to the ordinary course
Of nature will not have long time to
be provided for.
Many years ago somewhat noted
and eccentric character at GAINESVILLE
was taken i'll, and was off the street
for about ten days. When he again
made his appearance about town, pale
and haggard, an acquaintance hailed
him, asked him sympathizingly about
his health, and finally ventured to
question him what he had been laid up
with. "Delirium tremens," responded
the sick man didn't you ever have
that complaint?' asked he. "No," was
the reply. Them" said the invalid,
Il advise you to get it as soon as you
can, and | pledge my honor you will
see more lights in half an hour than
you have ever seen before in your
life.''
Let me say to you, my friend, if you
want to test human nature, and the
makeup Of your acquaintance, pass
into bankruptcy. However you may
have estimated men you will fiud IL
Illustrations of seltishness and hcartlcss-
ness that will 60 below any lower
depths Of meanness to which your i'm
agination had ever extended; and you
will find it, perhaps, more than any
where else, in the very midst Of those
you have counted as your friends; with
those to whom you have rendered UNI
numbered favors, to whom you are in
nowise indebted, and whose extended
hands, warm hearts and sympathizing
glances you would expect to be the
first to greet you. On the other hand
you would be cheered with kind words
and generous offers from sources from
which you would have but family
expected them, or surprised at meet
ing them at all. Such has been my
experience for the past four weeks; and
l am assured by those who have been
through similar ordeal, it is the ex-
perience of nearly everyone. The
great relief to the picture is that with
me thus far, the good and the agreeable
features have overbalanced those which
are bad, and heartless and disagree
able. ....
One painful, and think the most
painful feature Of my present position
is, that it at least temporarily sewers
me from active business relations with
the publishers of Wisconsin, Northern
Iowa, Minnesota and Western Michi-
gan. Within the past twenty-five years
it has been my lot to have had bust
ness transactions with them to probably
over two millions Of dollars. Most Of
them have been on credit, and it has
wound up with loss of less than ten
thousand dollars. With what other
class of men could business relations,
as various, and Of an equal amount be
had, with SO small loss? I know of
none. 1t could not be, once in a dozen
times, with bankers, merchants or
even with your frontier wood butchering
nobility, the lumbermen: and God
knows it could not begin to be done
with the same number of lawyers, doct-
ors, clergymen, or any Of the other So
called learned professions. And yet
an impression has obtained in the CON-
munity generally, that publishers, and
especially country publishers, are hard
and slow pay, and not worthy Of
credit.
have many times felt my blood
stir faster when l have presented the
note of customcr--publisher, to a
bank to be cashed-out side Of my
place Of busines-to have some pinched
up squirt of teller. cashier or presi,
dent look up with that peculiarly sin.
lister and supercilious smirk, known
only to those Of that calling, and en-.
quire, sis the maker of that paper
an editor!" When told he was, then
to hear him say, ave don't like those
country printers notes. They are not
generally paid" The poor devil, in
all probability was at that time of the
dialogue, shining around to raise
mean to cover up some of his wheat 0,
stock gambling losses. There were
more brains, business integrity, and
tact in the northeast corner Of the
country editors head, who made the
note, than there ever was under The
skulls of any three generations Of thu
self-sufhcicnt and narrow guagcd whelp'
who put the question. 1t is but JUS
to say however, that portion Of THU
distrust is brought upon the publisher
by themselves, they have got in thu
habit of crying ''poor printer as lus
tily and frequently as the parrot doe
"Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly" This
is done mostly in jest, to he sure, and
to punch up delinquent customers: but
the trouble is there is class of sap
heads who think they are in earnest
| I wish had time to write out, an(
you had space to publish. some Of my
experience for the past sixteen year
} as litigant. have kept pretty full
notes Of events as they have transpiret
and some day they may see the light
The upshot Of my experience is that
there are honorable men among boil
lawyers and judges, none more 50
But they are exceptions rather thar
the rule. This country is lawyered t.
death. All the important branchc
Of the state and national government
are in the hands of lawyers. They