The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-04-25
Extract From John Paul's Letter From
Washington.

The fact is, we are paupers for the mo-
ment; our Government is bankrupt for the
time, and we only live by the forbearance
of creditors. Do you deny it? What
mean, then, these promises to pay, past
due, floating round, on which nothing can
be collected Translate, if you can, into
any other meaning this proposition now to
increase these unredeemed and unredeem-
able promises by millions. instead of les
SEEMING them by one. That a settling day
for all this must come, sooner or later, and
that the sooner we prepare to meet it and
put our houses in economical order, the
better it will be for us all-this l hold to be
proposition too self-evident to need a
blackboard demonstration.
Amid the very general confession that
we have been and are overtrading, who
shows a sense of the fact ? On what side
do you see movement for retrenchment :?
The many preach, but who practices?-
When say "preach,' do not mean from
the pulpit, but take that signal-post of
Zion, for instance. Thence comes note
of warning ever and anon against extrava-
gance; but look at the example set in the
carving and adornment of that very struc-
ture. Turn to the churches themselves.
Scarcely can you show me one of these
brown stone houses. built on fashionable
street for the abiding place of Him who
built the world, and while on earth had His
habitation among the lowly-scarcely one
of these hints of brown-stone compro-
mise, with a severe but architecture-loying
Deity, built within the past five years, can
you show me which is not in debt, and
bonded at that, for more money than it
would sell for if put under the hammer
to day. The cornerstone of nine out of
ten has been laid in debt and the altar con-
secrated with a mortgage. Is clergyman
pale, not to the parks of the Colorado, the
health giving breeZes of our own grand
mountains, do we send him, but straight
for tour through the sinking streets of
Europe, carrying several thousands of dol
lars in gold out of the country forever.
AS are the people, SO are the teachers.
Good friends, all of us; we have made
grand mistake, we are making grand
mistake all the while; and printing off
paper and calling it money, and getting
deeper in debt on the strength of it, won't
help us out of it. The frog of the fable
attempted initiation, you will remember,
sion" at which he aimed; but had he
indeed attained the surface size of the OK
he emulatcd, without accident, question
whether he would have been very good
beef when one got down to the bone. and
marrow of it. And what shall it profit
man if we enable him to 60 to market with
bushel basket full of paper, and he is also
enabled to carry home the vegetables it
purchaseth in his vest pocket? This
changing about does not help matters at
ALL And the sooner we look the thing
squarely in the face, and conclude to take
the back track, or at least sit down on
stump for while and think about it, the
better it will be for all of us-including
Gen. Butler.
AS for me personally, l have come back
to Gowanus again, there to cultivate the
modest business virtues of the turnip, and
in the retirement of my garden gather
lesson as to what constitutes the wealth of
nations, from the steady going and grow
ing potato rather than the puff ball.
JOHN PAUL.