The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1892-04-28
ALL coMPLIN, EACH FOB HIMSELF.

The oldest thing, as well as the most
universal among men is a grievance. 1t
insinuates itself everywhere in all lands,
in all climes and among all peoples, in the
mansion and in the shack, in the palace
and in the wigwam-no place, condition
or state is exempt from its teverish touch
All complain. The peculiarly about
grievance is, that fancied one, we'll
nursed, quickly grows to the magnitude
becames greater, for the more real they
are, the more capable OF being weighed and
measured. But who can grasp the ills that
dwell in brooding imagination? Under~
stand me however, l do say that there is
no cause, now existing. for complaint, no
grounds for protest There is ample room
for both, and much wrong that needs re-
dress. We have looked at prevailing evils
SO long and often with a magnifying lens
that they have abnormal proportions, while
If we would take time to apply the plain
glass of reason and experience those ills
would dwindle so palpably that they would
not seem 80 very bad after ALL
Now for few moments let us contrast
our burdens with those borne by our worthy
liberty loving progenitors here in Cobb
county in former years-and not in war
times either-and | think we will find so
little just grounds for so much political
disturbance that we may congratulate ours
selves on our good fortune. In fact one
would think that, Tin the language of Bill
Nye,) we ought ito feel real good" over it.
While comparisons are said tc be odious.
they are instructive as we'll. 1t is only by
contrast that one arrives at proper esti>
mate oil the good and ills of life. If such
thing could happen as for person to be
born and reared in the Abode of the
Blest." l opine, he could never appre>
ciate the glories of his heritage" as one
who had come through great tribulations"
here below, and barely escaped woes worse
still. As little American said to her
mother as they beheld the restitution and
poverty of the women and children of the
lower class in an European city. Moth.
er, Heaven won't be such change to us
as 1t will be to these people"
| picked up recently an old Ledger in
which a Marietta mercantile firm kept
their accounts nearly sixty years ago. 1t
had survived resolutions, the wreck oil gov
ernmehts, and the demise of all the crown
ed heads then existing, and teaches a les
son by which the thoughtful citizen of any
political bias may profit. / can give all
the names OF the patrons OF this cd firm,
but to save space will omit them
This old ledger informs US that in 1867
that one yard Of bleaching sold for 371 cts,
(that was in the days thrips and seven
pence) yard of calico sold for 374 cents
Such cloth can now be bought for and 10
cents Cast iron potware (there we're no
cookstoves them sold for l23 cents per
pound Such ware is now worth about
3 cents per pound, Ticking sold for so
cents per yard, it is now worth Is and Is |
cents A painted white pine) water
bucket cost then $l.25 cents, now the same
class of bucket sell for 20 cents IA pounds |
of nails then sold for So 90, now 30 pounds
of better nails sell for 81 co. A pair of
socks sold for 80 cents Socks now-well |
go to Barnes and he will knit year s sup
ply fer the money Brown sugar cost 20 |
cents per pound, now it is worth cents. |
Salt $3.50 per sack, now its 80 cents. A |
jeans coat sold for $780, 1t would tickle
a Marietta merchant week to get to sell
a whole suit of jeans for much less money.
Now listen brother farmers, barrel of
-four sold for $l3 90! Now better -four
can be bought for S. so. Oughnt we to
~ grumble and raise cain at our -four bill,
to say nothing OF the balance of the ac>
count? Corn was worth then 80 cents per
bushel 20 bat" say you, "a man got
for his work and his cotton in
those days" Very we'll, but / see here
Joseph Cason was paid us cents for
days work" and Enoch R. Mills $1,000
for Is days clerking. We must recollect
that Mills was then the best and highest
paid clerk m Marietta or the county. Now
as to the price of cotton, venture to say
that there was not bale OF cotton raised
in Cobb in either 36 or 81. The first bale
l ever saw was in the early forties when
my father put up gin rear Smyrna and
packed it with crow bar, it was as round
as a log and as big as 80 horse power
boiler. The trouble in those balmy days
of big prices and cheap labor, there was
nobody to growl at. What a rousing time
they could have had if there had been
supply Of monopolists, plutocrats, "Blarst,
ed Bondholders," and millionaires to have
pitched into, as it was the poor fellows
didn't know there was anything the matter
with them. j. II. RUFF.
JUDGE GEO. T. GoBER presided in
case en- the Supreme Court bench
fha o%har dax, - ,>lo 90 ~ T,.Juo O..