The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-11-20
THE HARD TIMES, HERE AND
ELSEWHERE.

1t Is useless, as it would DO impossi.
Bile, to disguise the fact that this coun.
try is on the threshold of one of tho
most trying winters that has been
known for many years. Ever since the
failure Of Jay Cooke 4 Co., carrying
with it number of the leading bank.
ing houses OF New York aud banking
houses large and small in other cities,
and Gripping at least two railroad en-
terprises of national importance, affairs
have been steadily growing worse.-
Confidence has been destroyed, values
unsettled, and money Withdrawn from
circulation to DO boarded until 4 great.
or feeling Of certainty and security shall
prevail. Instead Of the panic oou6u.
log itself to the operations of Wall
street, Is MAS At first believed it would,
it has extended to the manufacturing
and mercantile interests, aud now there
is no business in the country that i.
not embarrassed by tho stringenoy Of
the money market. Mills, foundries
and manufacturers have been closed or
the hours of labor reduced, while the
reduction OF wages, ranging from ten to
twenty five per cent, has been general.
More than this, several hundred thous.
and people have been thrown wholly
out Of employment, with no CLEAN Of
promise to be seen in the long winter
against which they set their faces. Un.
der such circumstances it can not DC
otherwise than that there will be great
want and suffering during the coming
months. There will be thousands of
shivering bodies and thousands of hun.
CRY mouths appealing to the kindly
hearted for relief, in addition to the
vast army Of the destitute who are to
be provided for with the recurrence Of
winter.
Men who are unwillingiy idle be.
come gloomy and discontinued, and the
effects of tho coming winter will be
disastrous in other respects than in that
of bodily distress. Already We hear of
the unemployed workingmen Of Pitts.
burg, to the number Of several thous.
aud. marching il body to she Mayor
of the city, proolaiming their eondi.
ton and their willingness 70 work, and
demanding relief. Associations sre
calling on the Government to open
workshops on large scale, in which
the needy shall find employment. Any.
thing Of this kind is evidently ,mprac.
sicable. Employment can only b pro,
vided a. confidence is restored, trade
'elnvigorated and private capital made
to again flow in its accustomed chan.
uels. Until then Individual aud or.
ganized charity must be looked to to
relieve the terrible burden of want
which will rest upon the laboring elias.
ses during the winter months.
M
This restitution andsufsring will be
more particularly, If not entirely, con-
fined to the larger cities and to the
manufacturing towns. The class of
people from whom in prosperous times 4
large proportion of the current wealth
OF town is derived-operatives, me-
ohanios and laborers-become = dead
weight upon it in . time Of depression
ike this they being consumers and
| DOT producers. In Minnesota, except
to degree in few manufacturing
localities, there. will be no Distress
Money is scarce, and will undoubtedly
continue SO until spring, but the neces.
saries Of life ore cheap and abundant.
The graneries Of our farmers are filed
almost to bursting With the best wheat
that was ever harvested in the State ;
and although the price is now not such
as to bring forth more than small per
ceat. Of it for shipment, yet most Of
the farmers are 10 q condition to hold
for a rising market. This surplus will
all be needed, and farmers and mer.
chants alike will be better off to wait
for the rise than to have wheat sacrificed
at the present prices. From this ia
vorable condition of affairs Minnesota
will feel but the outer edge Of
the wave of hard times that is flowing
over the country, and when the panic
has passed will be in a sound and
healthy financial condition.
RAND nf aome aaventv Sooond