The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-26


next few years, set in motion rise OF
prices, which, aided by the mining fever
ITSELF soon created marked improve
mcnt i'm business. Real estate all over the
country began to advance, railroads began
to be profitable. all kinds of trading ana
manufacturing yielded rich returns, ana
stream of immigration poured IN from
Europe, which still further intlnmcd the
fierce activity of industry. phcrc was "a
check in ISL, but 1t lasted only Few
months. and by the summer Of 1853, the
moucy-making frenzy was IA powerful us
ever. Then came the war, with its inn
mcnsc issues Of paper money and the lavish
expenditure of the Government for NUM-
tious OF war, clothing, and provisions.
Colossal fortunes were made almost in n
night. Everybody, in fact, was getting
rich, and everybody began to indulge in
luxury and extravaganza.
The war terminated in 1865, hnt IL was
not until a year afterward that the outflow
of Government expenditure dried up.
collapse should have taken place Mt that
time, but the capitalists of Europe, who
had made enormous profits by buying our
national state, and city bonds at forty
cents on the dollar. came to the rescue aud
helped start n railroad building mania,
which postponed the day of reckoning.
An sorts of railway enterprises were pro-
jectcd, and more or less completely carried
out, and MS long MS they lasted they kept
n whole army OF laborers, machinist', land
spectators. and stock operators employed,
and people thought this state OF things
would last forever. The illusion was dis
PEELED in 1873 and no new one has since
arisen to take its place. Thousands of
men who fauced themselves rich, are pen
nlcss hundreds of thousands who had
comfortable incomes are without employ
ment and millions of mechanics and labor
ing men who had plenty of work nj high
wages, now earn only u prccarious sub
sistcucc, or are spending the scanty saw
iugs of more prosperous times. But the
habits of living which had become general
during the long carnival OF money-making
remain. II has been found harder than
IL was supposed to be to go back to the
simplicity and frugality of twenty-five
years ago, and the problem Of getting ten
| dollars worth of luxury out of only I'VE
dollars in hand to pay for II with, is one
| which has seemed to many worth more at
| tcntion than that of restricting the ex-
ponsc Of living TO the i've dollars.
ON the top of all this we have had, for
nearly nearly eight years past, national
| Administration presided over by greedy
and avaricious man. without even the
sense of honor aud sclf-respect, which
oftentimes supplies the want OF moral
| principle. His myriads OF appointces, and
appointecs of his appointees, have covered
| the country like cloud, dstilllng every
whore the baneful influence of their foun-
tain-head. and demoralizing by their ex-
ample every portion of society with which
| they have come into contact. The func-
! tionaries whose duty it is TO sustain and
execute the laws against dishonesty, have
| been themselves the most conspicuous vio-
lators thereof. What wonder Is il, then,
| that their less eminent fellow citizens,
who, in a SORT, look to them a. patterns OF
conduct, should have had their notions of
right and wrong confused, and have come
to regard stealing If only sufficiently com
prchensive and successful. ms laudablC
exercise Of human ingenuity
In all these various WAYS the latent
thievery Of human nature has been de.
veloped among us into the epidemic which
now occupies our attention. While the
greater part Of the community have re-
sisted temptation and accepted their fate
cutting down their expenses to the rate
allowed by their incomes, II number which
seems large by comparison with previous
years have been unwilling to do this
and have INDUCED their dishonesty. Al
long rs both classes were making money
there was as little occasion for the one as
for the other to steal. Now that both are IL
straits. those in whom thicvery predomi
mates chow their true character, and thost
who are superior to II show theirs
BY and by, We trust, the n1tiord
Government will have been reformed
tho thieves viii nearly all have beer
detected and wccdcd ont, or the return o
PROSPERITY will relieve them from tempta
tons they have been under; but unit
some such change in the condition of Tia
country takes place we must expect thu
iii, ease TO race.