The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-08-07
A TRAMP's OPINION.

YESTERDAY was sitting in my
i office vainly essaying to stab an OBJ
structive fly with quill pen, when q
stranger entered the open door, carefully
selecting chair and seated himself with
sigh. He was attired in suit of rusty
black, and in person was tall, lank and
cadaverous. Apparently he had seen
better days-a good many of them. He
calmly removed slouch hat from his
dome of thought, wiped his Corinthian
brow with his coat sleeve, and spoke as
follows:
"Are you the proprietor of this
ranch 7"
Yes, sir; what do you wish ?"
Well, thought I'd drop in and see
you. want to draw your attention to
little matter. Now would you suspect
that the United Stated is bankrupt-ab-
solutely bankrupt ?"
Never dreamed of such thing"
"That's just it. The people go on
thoughtless and careless, and all the
time the country is plunging madly down
the steps of corruption to irretrievable
ruin.o
You don't say !"
/" Yes, sir; it's a solemn fact, and its
about time something was done about it.
The Goddess of Liberty is going around
without cent in her pocket, and 2,OOO,-
600 of her children are begging for bread.
Look at our prisons and poor-houses-
chuck full every one of them, running
over with paupers and criminals, and for
every individual within their walls there
are hundreds outside who ought to be
there. Look at our railroads! Rates
high and stocks low, locomotives draw
ing more empty cars than loaded ones,
shops running on half time, track hands
all discharged and rails rusting from dis
use. Look at our steamships Full OF
rats and rotten planks. No business to
speak of. Going to Europe with little
or nothing, compared with the cargoes
they used to carry, and coming back
with less. Wharves tumbling down and
floating away by piecemeal. Then
glance at our farming industry. Farmer
riding around in his carriage; hired
man doing all the work, and doing only
half of 1t at that, farmers wife playing
on the piano, and ragged children play
ing on the front steps; sheriff looming
up in the background. Look at your
mechanics. Out of work; tools in the
pawn-shop; children hungry; wives
hopeless; nothing left but suicide or the
poorhouse look at our merchants. Busi-
ness at standstill; counters covered
with the dust of day before yesterday
yardstick laid away for future reference
proprietor gazing wistfully out of the
window in search of customer that
cometh not. Look at our army. No
pay, no ammunition takes them all
summer to whip a band of crippled
squaws, country too poor to pay them
and soldiers can't fight without cash.
When a soldier pawns his sword he
pawns his courage with it. Then look
at our Navy. Bless youl There's moth
ing to look at except few old wooden
hulks. We haven't vessel that could
cross Long Island Sound in a summers
breeze, without going to pieces. Navy,
indeedl Why, blind man afioat in a
wash tub, armed with Colts revolver,
could sink our whole navy in fifteen
minutes. No wonder Europe laughs at
us. Now what is the remedy for all
this Work, untiring, unceasing work.
BY industry we thrive. Let us one and
all put our shoulder to the wheel and
lift the mired chariot of commerce up
out of the bog hole of bankruptcy into
the smooth highway of prosperity and
start it rolling once more. By the way,