The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-08-30
How to Relieve our DISTRESSED Country.

How to Relieve our DISTRESSED Country.
The great question now before the
people of this country, and the one
which involves the interests of every
man, woman and child, Is, "HOw
shall we extricate ourselves from the
present hard times and regain material
prosperity" 1t comes very near to
ALTO the rich and poor, the old and
the yOung-and presses with a force
we are all compelled to feel, and every
statesman, every philanthropist and
every Christian should inquire for the
answer. Poverty Is one of the most
formidable obstacles in the way of in
tellectual, moral and religious growth.
When the feet are naked and cold
the back bare and the stomach clamor-
ing for food, people are not in a mood
favorable for scientific, moral or even
religious lectures. They want food
and raiment, and to be relieved from
the horrible apprehensions of starva-
ton. Then, perhaps, they may listen
to moral and religious teaching.
Hence every teacher of morals and
religion should join with others and
look into this question and candidlv
seek for an appropriate answer.
In the issue Of this paper for july
25th it was shown from what was re
garded as reliable data, that the public
debt Of this country amounted III the
aggregate to 81 1916, 900, 900, on which
the annual interest at 6 per cent. a.
mounted to $4,000, 900, or more
than ten dollars for every man, woman
and child in the United States. That
is, allowing the entire population to be
forty millions, it requires, if divided
per capita, annually ten dollars and
seventy-five cents from each man,
woman and child in the whole United
States to pay the interest OH the public
debt, while the individual debts of the
people are decidedly an unknown
quantity" These debts, to a very
great extent were contracted when
money WAS plenty and business brisk.
Then a laboring man bought a home
for his family, say at 5000, his wages
being three dollars a day, he expected
to pay for that home with three hun
dred days work, or with four hundred
and fifty days work if he received as
wages two dollars a day. But soon
his wages declined to $3.50 dav;
when at that rate it would require six
hundred days work to pay for his
home. But as from the first he ex-
pected to use only one-half his wages
in paying for his home, hence bought
1t under contract to pay in annual in
stalments, his wages now do not exceed
if they meet the actual necessities of
his family, he can payne more, and is
almost certain to lose what he has paid
and his house besides. This, or some
thing like it, Is the case with many
men, and it is a very grave question
whether with the amount of currency
now in circulation the debts of the
country ever can be paid. The prop
erty may, under mortgages, deeds of
trust, sheritf's sales, and the like, 90
into the hands of the creditor class,
but what then? That would inevitably
increase the difficulties and hardships
of the laboring man. All sound polit-
ical economy as well as past experience
teach us that the more generally prop
erty is divided the better it is for So
ciety, as the interests of all are then
more closely Unidentified.
That just now is the question of
questions. What is to be done?
There is an abundance of bread
stuffs in the country, and these men
out of employment, and those but par
tally employed are not going to starve.
We may all depend on that And in
the present aspect of affairs one of two
things is likely to occur: either the
formation Of a p&Iper class to be sup
ported at an enormous expense in con-
nectiOn with the other evils attendant
upon it or an indefinite number of
mobs and riots with all their attendant
evils. To the first of these, neither
party viii agree, at least for the pres
emit To the second there will be a re-
sort, and the spirit may extend and
prevail until it leads to anarchy or
despotism, or to both. This is the
natural course of things. Wise states
manship with every interest of society
demands that remedies for existing
evils and preventives Ofgreater ones be
applied at once. What will they be?
st Louis Christian Adcocate.