Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-04-13
Hara TImea IN paris.

AoNa AAAANA - 8AA"s
Paris is undergoing a severe pressure
in order TO meet ana satisfy the true laws
Of economy which will not down at any
bidding no more thar water will run up
hill. All is not well in that gay capital,
not COW one vast bed OF roses and violet
ties de Parme. A very shrswd native.
whs has long walked its pavements in all
directions, knows its asphalted boule-
wards as thoroughly as his own pockets,
and shifted the oxygen of ITS eutres0ls,
s%ousols, hotels aud municipal Offices, thus
6gues up the prevailing misery, the ma
laise worse stiil, if possible, in French
eyes:
"The result of the war hurt the city OF
Paris; yes, it cannot be denied; but
there is a but, and a frightfulEone-not
so much as other causes which / will now
proceed to enumerate. The extrsya,
gance and flush times artihcially lnaugu-
rated and maintained under the imperial
frollioking OF Napoleon HIS reign, have
now decidedly gone back upon us, and
the penalty thereof is q big one. We
were set crazy to speculate and expand
orr ventures, our style Of living and pro-
duetions beyond our healthy, normal ca
pscities; we have had to contract, there
fore, and the contraction he's naturally
produced not only a shrinkage in the
outlay Of capital and the consequent
wages OF labor, but also Of that fictitious
value which reeklessly and aushily we
we're led to fix upon everything. In our
flush days, rascality Of all sorts throve
along with the general prodigality; bad
habits and practices we're formed, of
which no radiance has as yet been visi.
BILE, aud, as a consequence, all our inter
ests are more or less under that terrible
blight-a lack Of confidence. No one
has trust in these days-the trust that
once obtained, and which is necessary
for the real prosperity of all human at.
fairs. Too many cashiers lake the trains
and their boxes with them.
III verify should / put my finger on
the pivotal point Of the soreness from
which we ore all suffering though the
enchainment OF things, | should not hesi-
tate to say that our troubles may in the
concrete be traced to the stronghold.
La Caisse isthe epidemic of our modern
society; and the trouble is that instead
0 ftaking the remedies to get rid of the
epidemic, all--(tout lie monde Ell son
pere)-run after it to be inocUlated JUS;
as the English did after the oowpox
when Lady Montague brought it back
from Constantinople-an invention, by
the by, Of Circassisn parents to preserve
intact the charms Of their girls for the
harems of the Grand Turk, aud not the
least traceable to the strong box. All
have been too greedy in the course after
lacre, and hence the unscrupulousneSs
which has bred ruin and stagnation. We
must reform-and 10 respect OF honesty
and mode1ty, at least, 90 ahead back.
ward to good old ways; and, for this good
end. all those in authority over the city
of Paris and at the head Of the Nation IN
the capital-for, in verify, Paris is the
real capital; Versailles a mere pied l.
terre-must set the example of economy,
of honest dealings. Wien Prussia left
us-whst little she did leave-we should
have paid the debt, and not have run
mad at once in military expenses. But
it was deemed necessary to arm. Be it
so. More than ever, therefore, should
we have cut down all unnecessary ex-
penses, municipal aud national, in order
10 meet the situation. We have not done
80. Just because we had credit or money
on hand, our rulers seem to have set to
work to fritter away vast sums in expen-
ditures utterly useless under the circum.
stances, instead of looping off. Such
Government, such peoplel The govern
meut Of the city Of Paris has been waste
fnl, and hence the Parisians have been
e%xtravagant beyond their means, and it
is not surprising that they are now suf.
fering."