The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-01-27
Our New York Letter.
The bad Xear-FashiOns-
Ansuramce-PO POlifical-SnOw-
Asenmctt- t-May-Vanderbf

Bennett -May-Vanderbilt.
NEW YORK, January 20, 1877.
EDITOR CHIEF:
The season is a dreary one. War
times were hardly worse. Houses
everywhere empty; shops full OF
cheap and attractive goods; but /
have seen q country store livelier
improvementsloo looking more like ruins,
as they stand unfinished j; and under
lying all, the knowledge of the deep
suffering of thousands out of work.
People are not ashamed to stay at
home aud economize. Now that the
Centennial is over, and they are learn
ing without any hesitation or BASH
fulness to walk into stores and give
them orders for cheap articles" the
cheapest you have Ut is good not
to date '76 any longer, and to think
that the anniversary year is over,
and all the folly of expense which the
country undertook on its account, for
which it is paying the penalty. Whon
we think of the East Side of our city
the great working quarter and the
thousands, not of men, but thousands
: of families, depending on charity for
every dole of bread and fire in the deep
mid winter SHOWS, one feels twinges
at buying flower, Or any indulgence
that sgfg be dispensed with, and
the question grows, not what can [
afford IN but what can do Without"
There is no vitality, no life, in any
thing. The mercha nts stand listlessly
in their stores, feeling that rent and
clerk Alire are eating them APP The
clerks stand idle, living on half wages,
innd dreadingevery night to hear the
words that wRl x1Rt eyeit that off The
landlaFG is worried, for he sees in the
empty stoa9 sire preinonition that
it will very shortly be vacant. The
truckman has nothing to haul, and
the mechanics are idle. There never
vas an approach to the tistrpss that
New YORK. is experiencing now, and
[ hope there never will he. And, to
add to the trouble, the political situ-
alton keeps those who have money
aud disposition to do som ething wait
ing, and before it is settled the sea-
son will be over. 1t is bad here
thank Heaven that the West is pros
porous.
The investigation into the affairs of
the defunct " Security" Life Insur-
ance Company-"Se Security" think of
it!-discloses it a mass of rottenness
that is awful. This company had not
the excuse of several that have failed
honestly by depreciation in securities;
it WAS thievingly managed from the
beginning, or at least for .aany years,
and was rotten. The annual reports
were doctored to show prosperity !
when the company WAS insOlvent, and |
to these false reports the officers put |
their names, and swore to their cor
rectness, without a blush. 1t might |
have gone on for some time, and made
even worse smash, but the close |
times stopped off receipts, and as
there was no more money to wiring
out of the people, or rather as the
volume coming in was too small
to make the sVindle profitable,
it collapsed. The thieves swore to
balances they never had, tn real estate
which they never owned, and to poll
cies which they never issued and by
fraud and perjury they kept mp an
appearance of solidity which deceived
even the experts. There are others
IN the same way, that VIII come 10
grief within month.
The Democratic politicians are at
tempting to get up q monster mass
meeting in this city, to protest against
the Senate " counting in Hayes" but
the cooler heads make q protest
against any such demonstration as
being calculated to inaame the peO-
Pile at the very time peace is desirable.
If the meeting is held it will he very
large one. The swarm of Democratlc
officials and their paid adherents will
be out in force, and add to them the
still greater swarm of those who want
place, and who would consider it a
crime not to attend meeting la
belcd Democratic. ard it will I've seen