The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-01-30
HARD TIMES.

that our people should begin to see
the cause of this continued anc real
" harassing condition of affairs In
their midst. For one we have learn
ed from experience, dear bought ex-
perience, that the true and real cause
of all these woes unnnmbered, falsely
called hard times, is tracable to 9th
er sources, and that the foibles, ex
travagance and loose business habits
of our people have more to do in ri
veting the chains of the evils COM
planned of than the causes always
foolishly and criminally assigned.
This evil has grown SO fashiooa
BILE, 80 burdensome, and we may say
80 crushing, that the palmer it is
told to our people at this late hour
of the disease, the better and the
more we should be praised for our
blunt candor. Our people, one and
all, from the head of the family, from
the good wife to the children, have
thus far been blinded to the true sit
uation, have failed to knuckle down
to it, are still serfs and menials to
King credit, and yet rush headlong
into luxuries and extravagancies,
without stopping to make the plain
calculation for the coming pay day,
and are thus continuously gathered
into the same vortex, known to such
vicious and criminal business traits,
and then expect to bask in the cry
of hard times and worse coming
We have seen this same old situa-
ton, we have experienced it, we have
heard it's attendant bowls of despair,
and yet at the commencement of ev-
cry year, We are making ready,
blinded by the same false decisions,
to fall again into the same pitfall.
To make our valuable point far
more pointed, we assert frankly, and
more in sorrow than in anger or rash
excitement, that our people, with
here and there rare exceptions, would
curtail their expenses fully fifty per
cent. and then never for a moment
miss this eurtailment, but place it to
the credit of the right side of their
subsistence account. For instance,
the curtailment alone of whisky and
tobacco, and we may we'll add that
social evil, the names of whose vic
Tins are written in letters of blood
and fire on the gates Of He'll, will of
themselves do the good job and stop
up the biggest holes, from which
emanate that false cry of hard times.
There are many other foolish ex
travagancies to which the gentler
sex are slaves, that could easily and
gracefully be expunged, and placed
to the good side of our first mention
ed foibles, which would swell the
good refrain Of true life reform, and
place US all once more on the true
path of real and solid prosperity, and
make us again a prosperous, a con
tented people, living within our real
means, and having the proud salts
faction that we have killed our great
tormentor, and are now aware of the
fact that we could and should have
done it years ago.
With the sincere wish that these
crude but wholesome truths will be
acknowledged and met by our peo.
pie, people among whom we were
born and raised and are attached to
with hooks stronger than steel, and
that they will give them the real at
tention they merit, We hope and
trust to hear the old false slogan Of
hard times die away among the en-
bers ola new prosperity, which must
surely phoenix-like arise from them
if one half Of what we have here
written is believed and practically
acted upon, aud must finally ant
eternally blossom like the rose, ant
like the bay leaf, "change only wher
dying"
L -~--~--~-~--~es->~--~~~~
THE EASTERN WAR.-We have no
endeavored to follow the course o
the war between Russia and Turkey
because it was too tedious and thI
kilograms of the papers published il
the cities gave whatever information
was to be had on the subject. Gu
latest advices indicate the early set
Element of the whole matter or else .
general war in Europe. Russia il
now in a position to threaten Con
stantinople, and should she breal
her promises to England and inves
that city England will be forced int
the war. Austria will be her only
allv. unless France should step in