The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1878-01-25
For the Times.
LETTER FROM CHARLESTON
CHARLESTON. Jan. I4tb 49,

crowd of noisy, dusky politicians, who for $50
long" have held their court about the corners of
Broad and Meeting streets, has collapsed The
glory of Eadicalism has departed Peace reigns
supreme throughout the City. Quiet people can
now walk down Broad and Meeting streets with
out the fear of pistol shots. Ladies and chill
drcn can walk the pavemenis without fear of be-
ing showed of or insutGd by coarse abuse
Under the new regime we hope for rerenchment
and reform in every department connected with
the prosperity Of the Old City.
The merchants complain tha, money is scarce
and business dull. Comp sti,ion is great and
goods can be bought at low figures. Credit is
pretty well played out and everything is being
conducted on cash principles. The best fnan-
cirrs say they have never seen the financial con-
diion of the country in a more critical condi-
zion. lio" to make safe investments is a prob:
lem not easily solved by the wisest heads. The
shrnkasc Of values in all species of property
Mt the North, and the Wholesale bankruptcy Of
| Life Insurance companies and Saving Banks
tho "a:.""-"' tail "a ""i combinations ~ l,ko~
VS.. capital arc telling tearfully upon the East,
and we cannot expect TO escape harmless. The
South, however is better of than the NORTH
| Wo have come down to hard pan, and can stand
the shock better than those WORTHLESS who have
becn clothed in purple and tiuc linen and spec
latng for years past upon .tfte: ruin of others.
The great problem at the South to be solved,
i cur Agricultural Prosperity for turn and
twist tho matter as you may, if the Agr-
culture of q country is not in prosperous con-
dition every thing else must go to the dogs
Spasmodic efforts hy legislation or otherwise,
may keep things going for awhile, but ruin will
come at last.
At the Bottom Of our troubles undoubtedly
rests that grim monster crclH, which will always
devour the fruits Of the farmers labors I'm
fortunately nearly everybody had to resort TO
borrowinS money after the war, and more un-
fortunately, nearly everybody kept it up. High
prices paid for provisions which ought to have
been produced OH the farm: high interest for
money TO pay for inefficient labor, and buvinc
everything on credit found the farmer ut the
end OF the year unable pay out. The balance
Of one year carried TO the debt of another, with
high rates Of interest, anal the constant low
price of cotton and high taxes, soon ends in the
bankruptcy of the farmer The farms for sale,
the Sheriff 5 advertisements and Auditors list
OF delinquent tax payers, all over the State, 20
to show where the Agricultural interest Of the
country now stands.
1t is much easier TO say what ought to be done
than to do it ; but no ono can be so blind to the
situation as to argue that times will ever grow
better under the old system.
We must take q new departure. We must re-
resolve ~ hccp uuor,-rv- ov-.v..,no Il.
nNnN.u !,
produce every article needed at home that we
possibly can know it will he hard to come
down to this. II is SO easy to 90 to the store
and buy what We want and hare ciuyycd and
50 easy TO calculate thc number Of bales of cotton
10 br madc and thc rise in price which is always
IN futures. Bat there is no ether way out
of the wilderness. Plant cotton only rs a sec
ondary crop. and there will be money in it
There Is not too much cation made fer the worlds
use, but il costS too much 10 make il. anI the
necessities of the farmer force ii upon the mar
kct too in the season. so that all the benefits
of Il rise 60 TO the spcculatur
Let farming once more become successful and
1t will become as popular rs of old, and the
thousands of young men who have left the field
for the counter will return to their old homes
and labor to enrich and beautiiy them
MORE ANON.
Has THE NARROW GAUGE PAlDo-So muck
has been said by some Of tho taXpavcrs of this
county about the harislils, the injustice, of
what is known as the railroad tax collected in
THIS couniy-somc saying it is money thrown
away that We have thought it worth while TO
publish the following statement lcaring upon
this subject. The iacts and figures given below
were obtained from a source thoroughly reli-
able.
For several years the following has been
the average annual result of railrnal onprntinu.