The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-02-09
Our Prosperity.
To THE EDITOR Owosso TIMES:

10 THE EDITOR OWOSSO LINES:
Your favor of the 18th inst inclosing
your check of S25, 900 for a short sketch
of my views on prosperity" at hand
and, while am sorry to say l mistook
it for policy on my life and raised il
to $2,500,000, l hope that the small
difference in face value when present
it for collection, will not discommode
your financial welfare in the least.
1t seems strange to me, as one of the
lesser stitches in the great fabric. of
humanity, why some continually rip
and charge as though they were blessed
with chronic toothache no matter
whether the times be good or bad; but,
have noticed that it's sanity crowd
indeed that isn't represented with one
or more sore thumbs done up in vase
line, so l take it for granted that it's an
otherwise law of nature and proceed
with my tale.
Four or five seasons since, we were
obliged to buy what we couldn't bor-
row, of our salt and molasses first at
this and that store on "tick," relying
on the virtue of our credit as cash, but
owing to the flush times prevailing it
got baggy at the knees after time and
the merchants desired we should mix
in few dimes occasionally, so we
were instrumental in electing Mckinley.
Our "langshanty" hens had been lay
ing the 8 cent per dozen eggs, semi
weekly, but they at once smelled diff
ferent "feel' in the air and straight
way shelled out the 16 cent and IS cent
variety by the peck; thereby, we were
better enabled to shell them peck or
two of corn and so salt down few
quarters in our otherwise consumptive
wallet. P. S. They are also good-if
not bad. to hatch chickens from and
fry.
There are now many crops raised by
our farmers that even went begging
for a place to stay over night at five
years ago, that are virtual good mines
for them at the present calamity
howlers" prices; for instance, at that
time we were in the habit of raising a
few beans in our garden for ourselves
and market, but the price fell from the
fourth story window and broke its
neck on quarter per bushel and this
so disguised our crop that we were
obliged to poultice the pods to draw
out the beans, and even then they were
OF an inferior quality and tasted of
slippery. elm bark But, since Nc
Kinley's election we have dropped the
ozark" as others should, and are now
selling our beans for $50 cents per
bushel.
There are dozen articles that our
farmers now sell, that compare favor.
ably in price to the above samples, such
as hay, oats, corn, wool and even
wheat at sixty-eight and seventy cents
is twenty-five cents better than the
forty-fve cent article we sold four
years ago.
Iron and steel goods are up in G, but,
if farmers, mechanics, artisans, and
others weren't at work hand over fist
using articles of its manufacture, there
would be no demand for them and
without demand no price; so l think
that the demand and trusts are equally
responsible for the present prices on
goods of this description; and further
more, 1 had much rather live In times
that blessed fellow with dollar in his
pants that he could feel of and know
was spot cash for 100 cents of value
anywhere in "Sammys" domain, han
to live in times when goods were
obliged to be sold for fifty cents on the
dollar and have no means of raising the
"wind" to purchase them with. There's
logic in nearly all things but talking
free trade to man with collapse
"stummick."
Subscribed before me and sworn at a |
dozen times, as your humb g servant.
ZEKE PATCH.