The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-11-25
THANKSGIVING.
There are many man who will NAL

are not satisfied until they hold in.
their hands, or see upon their bank
books, or find within their barns
certain per cent. upon what has been
invested. The number is even great
er Of those who can see nothing good
in any order Of events which does
not bring the plain and tangible evi.
dences Of prosperity. With them 4
full stomach is prerequisite to full
heart, and their thankfulness is gaug.
ed by the net profits of the seasons
business. To I'll such this has been
a satisfactory year; and they may
be expected to gather in the houses Of
worship to-day to render to a Higher
Power such Acknowledgements as, at:
ter full consideration, they may de-
eide is not due to their own shrewd.
ness and effort and business tact.
They will doubtless meet there those
broader and more generous souls who
find in each year, whether it be one
of plenty or Of scarcity, of success or
of disaster, much to be thankful for.
Minnesota has been unusually ia
vored. The year has been crowned
with a harvest bounteous almost be-
Ycnd precedent, and the condition of
the worlds supply Of breadstuff is
such that the surplus our farmers
have to send to market will
bring better prices than have been
realized for a long time. Con-
tinuous rains which threatened to al
most ruin the just gathered crop,
caused damage which, save in a few
localities and individual cases, was
scarcely appreciable. All things
seem to have worked together for
good to the people of Minnesota,
and the beneficial results Of the sea-
sons productiveness will be felt for
several years to come.
Looking beyond our own borders,
we find comparative prosperity to be
the rule, although the average may
not be up to that of Minnesota. Some
States suffered severely from storms
and floods, and in others manufactures
are depressed, but on the whole
the condition Of affairs is encourage
ing. The grim grip Of "hard times"
which has been fastened upon the
country for more than two years, is
gradually relaxing, and business is
feeling new and a stronger life. Ap-
parently, the worst is over with, and
economy and industry on the part Of
the people and the continued proper
administration of the government on
ly are needed to soon place trade and
manufactures, in a sounder and health
Ter condition than they were during
the speculative times which preceded
the collapse of 1873.
The results of the election have
been, in the main, such as to call for
thanksgiving that the people who be-
ieve that the public faith should be
as sacred as individual faith and that
it pays for nation to be honest with
its creditors, are in the majority. The
issues have been clearly defined, and
the policy Of fair dealing and of the
adoption Of sound financial principles
has triumphed., There has also been
developed that degree of independence
on the part Of voters which is q fair
warning to party leaders that they
are to be judged less by what they
promise than by what they perform,
and that the personal character of
candidates constitutes an important
factor in political contest.
The work of purifying the public
service and of ferreting out and
bringing to punishment the knaves
who have been defrauding and fatten-
ing off the national treasury, has
been fearlessly pushed forward by diff.
ferent members of the government,
and notably by Secretary Bristow and
Postmaster-General Jewell. Much
good has been done in this direction
and much more remains to be done.
The little speck of trouble with
Spain, which for few days it was
feared might grow into serious Pro-
portions, has been brushed away, and
we are at peace with all nations.
There is, therefore, much, in the
dollars-and-cents view, to make this
a day Of hearty thanksgiving.
To what has been mentioned, NAV
be added, as a supreme cause for the
rendering of thanks, the terrible
pricking of the consciences Of men
in our own State and all over the
land, which has turned and is turn
ing thousands to lead 4 new and a
better life. Even those persons who
do not consider this in its highest,
its spiritual, sense, will appreciate it's
great value to the moral health
and force of society, in lessening
crime, increasing the safety of life
and property, and reducing the ex-
penses of maintaining eleeymosynary,
reformatory and penal insti tutions.
The contest over the TOWNSHIP of
Bismarck has been been decided in
favor Of the citizens and against the