Year: 1869

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 This is nice snm to be given away by Con gress at one little session Of only six weeks. A, this rate it would take but short time to dis pose of the last foot of Uncle Sam's real estate, and to make repudia,ion certainty. Was there ever such greedy set of land sharks, as are now lowering aroand the national acres. And who are the men that are go anxious to give away the treasures of the naiion' Why. of course "grave and reverend Senators" and Members, "sll honorable men" But the failure of the passage of these bills is only delay. The xi meeting of Congress, these bills, enlarged and expanded, will be pushed. with many new ones, through and become laws. It will be but a few years before the balance Of our public lands will be in the hands of speculaiors, Congressmen and | corporations. This result is inevitable unless the veto interposes. is it ct all certain that i

 could prevail for there Is spirit of rapacity and punder growing up in our country and control ing our officials that is fearful and almost uni versal. IL aims to absorb all the wealth of the nation and will soon begin lo advocate The sen- timents of imperialism. Even now there is A class of men Of vast wealth, who regard Repub- icanism as a failure. and think an imperial and aristoeFa,c government the best, and am not sure that our extreme democratic ideas are not tending very rapidly to lawlessness and moral debasement. Public men have become corrupt | beyond all precedent. Our Courts are uncertain. if not absolutely venal-business Is fast becom- ing legalized swindling and national debase- ment is swiftly approaching. There must be a | right sbou; face, or halt movement soon, or worse will follow. In business, every tendency is towards concentration of large capital and the crushing out of small establishments.

 Trade in this city opened very finely in the spring, but is now dull and money pretty tight, with downward tendency in everything but money. The whole west is more or less de. pressed in consequence of the decline in bread stufs. The people have been living up to their means, and in expectation of continuous high prices; notwithstanding the prospect of tight times that demand retrenchmeEt, there is no such thing taking place, and nothing but imperious necessity will cause it. The wealthy are in con. slant rivalry, to excel, and the last built house as the last church, eclipses all predecessors. Ex- trasagance in dress and equipage, in display and pretensions, is unbounded. And in this connec. ton may say word to my friends of the erin. o!ine persuasion-for fashion and dress are the most considerable matters of importance in the world of femininity and womanhood. And here the imperiOus tyrant Of fashion reigns supreme l think that there is here in Chicago as much elegance and taste in dress as in any other city on the continent The wealthy and fashionable appear resplendent, and astonish one another on the streets. We may talk of the raiment of Sol omon and of the lillies which outshone his glory the ladies in this city surpass both, and rain bow and flower garden thrown in. The dear creatures are charming to look upon, and like the lilies they neither sew nor spin. They ars splendid for ornaments, but very expensive-l see no use that they subserye other than to look and they do look good enough to eat, and fol that purpose would be q great delicacy-ant that would be perhaps the best use to put th, beauties to, besides their fine feathers woulC bring good price. l am not disposed to b, cruel, but everything should subserve some use and this Is all that can see for those pretty soft tender, tempting creatures VA0.