I iiEsnm iPRBiiiG. '
I Fresh Evidences of This Come
I from Every Part of the
Country.
H Democratic and Republican Journals Vie with
B Each Other in Assurances of Return-
H ing Prosperity.
A Most Gratifying Collection of Hopeful Expressions
I Gathered from Various Reliable
H Sources.
No publication withln u-c t. few
rweeks has attracted more attention
.than that furnished the readers of this
paper early last month , showing a
{ marked Improvement In business con-
< filtions throughout the country. This
was evidenced by a collection of state
ments on this subject from scores of
newspapers of all political parties , and
from all parts of the country. The
evidence of general and widespread im
provement was so plainly shown by this
end so much a subject of gratification
that we present herewith another in-
tallment of expressions of this char
I acter , gathered from all sections and
from papers of all political shades of
• pinion :
The Prospect Brightens ,
Either because the business men have
frken heart from the comforting assur
ances of Secretary Gage and the reason
able certainty that a new tariff law will
Ve in force within a few weeks , or be
cause better times bad to come in the
satural order of things , there is a definite
and unquestionable improvement in the
business situation. There are so many inv -
v < ications of this in so many quarters that
it is idle to deny that a change for the
better is taking place. There are indus
tries which have not revived as yet , but
I their turn will come. There are some
j irtiich always lag behind in the proces-
i wLon Chicago Tribune ( Rep. ) .
Good Sicrns.
That business is getting better is evi
dent from many signs. The financial re
views and commercial agencies publish
reports from all parts of the country
'which indicate this. The reports of rail
roads show increased earnings over those
of the same period last year. Another
algnificant and hopeful sign is the fact
that the money now in circulation in this
country is $13S,149G12 more than the cir
culation one year ago , the total amount
jn circulation last Saturday being $1-
659,733S95. The absence of speculative
interest is not an unmixed evil. It indi
cates that what improvement is taking
place in business is healthful. Atlanta
Journal ( Dem. ) .
Slow bnt Pure ,
A slow but steady gain in business wkh
an advance in prices , an increase in the
number of hands employed and growth of
new orders , and an increase in the amount
Of work done are pointed out by "Dun's
Heview" in its last issue as a renewed "evi
dence that business is improving. A study
of the newspaper sentiment of the country
as expressed in the publications of all
sentiments shows a concurrence in the
belief thus expressed th _ at _ there isjv in&rk-
d and general improyement | Jhji | DjS |
i tess situation , _ tSSjjEntsSMZ
df ZJZr - - - ess persistence by toe
j r Jl , " - 'Standard orators and newspapers
= " - " * * • year- The basal proposition of Mr.
Bryan was that commodities could not
reach higher values save through the free j
coinage of silver. What do we now see ?
' ( Wheat has advanced , in the face of re
ports indicating a tremendous yield this
summer. In the grazing regions sheep
Jiave nearly doubled in price since last
ear. Wool has gone up fifty per cent.
The cattle market is good. In " the general
market there is an upward movement
The impossible has happened , then. What
do the free -coinage advocates say about
the condition that now confronts them'
Precisely what anyone would expect
them to say nothing. Cincinnati Times.
Star ( Rep. ) . , .
H | V Faith Is I.ookinc Dp ,
B | According to Dun & Co. , the business
conditions are gradually shaping them-
B selves about the same as they were in
1879 , just previous a remarkable ad-
Jjg ranee in business prosperity. This view
gj may be of the roseate order , but it is based
on facts and figures which the able reporter -
porter thinks justify it It seems almost
incredible that the volume of business is
now larger than it was in 1S92 the year
I of greatest prosperity yet such is the
I Terdict of Dun & Co. But the volume of
I profits is much smaller , making the vol-
I ome of prosperity correspondingly less.
I A very large share of the present volume
of business is the importation of foreign
goods under free trade and low tariff
schedules. This harms rather than helps
, American enterprises and the labor rhere-
* in employed , or which ought to be therein
employed. We may do a tremendous
business in flooding our markets with
foreign goods to the exclusion of the pro
ducts of our own labor , but there is no
prosperity to our country in that- kind of
business. Last month's record of busi
ness failures is decidedly encouraging ,
showing , as it does , a large decrease in
comparison with previous and corresponding -
ing months. Detroit Journal ( Rep. ) .
I SJcns of Cheer.
I The business sentiment is undoubtedly
I stronger. There are many reasons for
I hopefulness. Not the least important re-
I cent happening has been the assurance of
I Secretary Gage that the Federal adminis-
K tration would not forget the "mandate of
Lj the people , whose voice In behalf of hon-
H est money and sound finance rang out ,
ioud and clear in November last" Cur-
P -Jenty Reform is vital to bpsiness secur-
ity : and it is helpful to confidence to have
official reassurance that tariff tinkering
is not to be the last of administrative ex
pedients , for the removal of business dis
trust and depression. Thete are other
grounds for commercial cheerfulness.
Business failures are lessening in number
and importance. Commercial loans are
expanding ; bank clearings are increasing ,
and the transportation companies are
earning more money. The end of tariff
uncertainty is drawing near ; the impor
tant crops all over the country give prom
ise of abundant harvests ; productive costs
in the great industries have been crowded
to the apparent minimum ; there is less
reason to fear further important price
shrinkages ; the storekeepers' shelves , as
a rule , hold no unwieldy accumulations of
stocks , and labor is becoming more gen
erally employed. These are favorable con
ditions for a sustained revival of busi
ness. Philadelphia Record ( Dem. ) .
Fetter Times in the West.
Sir. B. V. Smalley of St Paul writes
to the Ndw York Evening Post the results
of his observations on a recent trip of a
month from Chicago to Portland , Oregon.
He stopped at various points on the way ,
thus gaining opportunities to gather re
liable information concerning the business
conditions , and his conclusion is that
trade is everywhere improving not much ,
but to an appreciable extent The rail
roads , he says , report a net gain in re
ceipts from freight , but none worth men
tioning as yet from passenger earnings.
Bank deposits are increasing and collec
tions are easier. People are paying a
little on their old debts carried along from
boom times , and there has been a great
deal of liquidation from foreclosure. All
the solid industries are doing fairly well.
Prices are low and profits small , but the
close economies practiced enable projec
tors to come out a little ahead.
ImproTed Trade Conditions.
The mercantile reports for the past
week leave no room for doubting the fact
that signs of marked improvement in busi
ness conditions are discernible on every
hand. The unexpected progress made by
the tariff bill in the Senate , with the pros
pect of an adjournment of Congress some
time in July , together with the optimistic
speeches of Secretary Gage , in which he
gave the country assurance of ultimate
relief from certain admitted defects in our
financial system , have all combined to
make the trade record of the week a most
satisfactory one. That the hopeful and
encouraging utterances of the President
and his Secretary of the Treasury had a
marked influence on'trade conditions was
evidenced by the increased foreign de
mand for American securities. Chirago. .
Times-Herald ( Ind. ) . . /igP
A r in ih ?
• " 1 " _ * fc
' "tlw/fffijH ? * " • e "Dproved. While
ib T * be ionnd Elated'cases
•
Where , tfce
return of commercial activity
has -not yet broken up the long spell of
stagnation , such cases by their rarity are
but the exception to prove the rule Bet
ter perhaps , than the actual improve
ment , which can be reduced to figures bv '
belief that business has '
not onlv improv-
! edbut that the improvement iVbZdto '
continue. President McKinley 1
and Secretary -
retary Gage touched the keynote of this l
senhment . in their recent notable utterJ J
ances The far-reaching effect of these l
speeches became evident when advices began -
gan pouring jn from jproad to the effect *
that American securities were 15 strong r
demand. Foreign capital
, keenly anxious
for the right moment , to arrive , has seized
tae opportunity and in a measureled the
way to a practical demonstration of reviva
ed confidence. The enhanced value of all
securities quoted on the Stock Exchan <
is but a barometrical indication of this
altered condition.
Reports as shown by
railroad earnings still bear witness to the
growing increase of trade. Individual
lines of business , too , almost without ex
ception , acknowledge the same state of
affairs. Not only is this manifest in the
larger manufacturing industries , such as
clothing , hardware and boots and shoes
but the more limited branches dependent
entirely on the general prosperity of " the
commercial world report a
gratifying in
crease m the volume of business on which
estimates are asked. Chicago Post ( Ind. ) .
A Good Example for the Peaple.
Among the solid facts on which expec
tations may be based are the flattering
crop prospect. President Hill of the Great
Northern is quoted as predicting that the
wheat fields contributory to
his line * ? will
furnish 90,000,000 bushels of grain this
season for transportation , and the man
agers of other lines- contribute equally
favorable information. The jobbers say
that the supply of manufactured goods
which may be counted among the neces
saries of life is generally exhausted
throughout the country , and'that the people
ple must buy and the mills must resume
operation to meet the demand , which will
bring into circulation the millions of del
lars that have been hoarded through the
hard times. It would be well if all people
ple , everywhere , would imitate the cheer
ful and optimistic tone of the President
and the members of his administration.
Let them withdraw their gaze from the
dark and gloomy aspect upon which it his
dwelt for several years past and habituate
themselves to poking upon the bright side
of things. Ttl\wcknown _ that almost
any man in food health night be made ill
J
7 s *
i
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
Interior Department Building , a view"of which is presented herewith , is one of the interesting and always sought
THE sights in Washington. In it is located the Patent Office , containing the models which the Government re
quired for years should be furnished with applications for patents. The accumulations of these interesting and in
many cases curious models for proposed machines form one of the most unique museums of museum-filled Washington ,
for no city in the country has so great a number of museums as the capital of the nation.
The Interior Department Building is a large white marble structure , covering two entire squares , extending from
Seventh to Ninth streets and from F to G streets. While in its construction little attempt at ornamentation was made ,
its plain and severely classical exterior always attracts the attention of those who are so fortunate as to have the oppor
tunity of studying its architectural lines. Within it is a busy place. Its main floor is occupied , first , by the office of
the Secretary of the Interior , Hon. Cornelius N. Bliss , and adjoining this the offices of the assistant secretaries and others
of the Secretary's personal staff. The northern front is occupied by the officials of the Patent Office , and at the northwest
corner is the office of the Commissioner of Patents , Hon. Benjamin Bntterworth. Stretching down the western end
of the building are the offices of the Division of Public Lands , and in the southeast corner are the rooms of the Commis
sioner of the General Land Office , Hon. Binger Herrman , formerly member of Congress from Oregon. These are always
busy rooms , for there is from morning till night a flow of members of Congress , attorneys and others passing in and out , in
teresting themselves in matters pertaining to land claims and the distribution of public lands to those who are establish
ing homes in various parts of the country. Upon the floor above is the model room of the Patent Office , which is always
the subject of much interest. The Pension Bureau , which is a part of the Interior Department , occupies , as is well
known , a building erected exclusively for its use , which is located only a couple of squares away from the Interior De
partment , and connected by telephone and other conveniences , making it practicable for the officers of the Interior De
partment to speak with their subordinates at the Pension Office at any time they may choose.
if his friends , through a concerted move
ment , were to make a point of telling him
every time they met him how sick he look
ed. The imagination is a powerful motor.
When everybody one meets talks of hard
times , a tinge of melancholy is created
which overspreads the whole community.
This cloud can be dissipated by cheerful
talk and by considering the really favora
ble fac + ors of the situation. Minneapolis
Tribune ( Rep. ) .
The Brijrhteninjr Outlook.
Democrat and anti-protectionist though
he is. Senator Gorman is too good a poli
tician and too shrewd a business man to
maintain a hopeless resistance to the Re
publican tariff bill. There is new hope in
this for every legitimate branch of busi
ness. It means that it will not be neces
sary to wait until autumn to get a taste
of better times. It means that the new
tariff will have a longer period in which
to work out its results and vindicate itself
before being put to the test of a congres
sional election. This prospect that the
new tariff wilrgo into effect with the fiscal
year is a bad thing for Bryanism , but it
is a good thing for the merchant , the man
ufacturer , the farmer and the wage earn
er. Boston Journal ( Rep. ) .
Unmistakable Siens. C * *
There are unmistakable 9Da | lF ' * :
turn of fi&xrz i/tfP' f * Uas Deea a P *
jna.T > iffUi0t/fjN & most of the mills and
fcractories anq the same reports come from
the industrial cities of eastern "Ohio and
western Pennsylvania. There was a re
vival just after the election in November ,
due in the main to a restoration of confi
dence , but the people were not fully pre
pared for a complete return to commer
cial and industrial activity. They had
felt the effects of the depression too long
to recover from it suddenly , and it was not
to be expected that _ building enterprises
which are the surest revivers of business ,
would be undertaken at the beginning of
tvinter. With the opening of spring it will
> e different , however. Big projects which
lave been delayed by the panic will now
) e pushed as soon as the weather permits
md before the first of April there is cer-
ain to be a distinct improvement in com-
aercial and industrial conditions.
Every Line Is Improving : .
One of the commercial agencies calls
attention to the fact that there is a re
markable similarity between the course of
prices now and in the earlier months of
1S79 , "when the most wonderful advance
in production and prices ever known In
this or any other country was close at
hand. " In that year consumption gradu
ally gained , month by month , until sud
denly the demand outran the supply. The
iron industry is expanding its production
and is getting larger orders. The prices
received are not high. Neither are the
wages which are paid. But there is em
ployment for men who were idle last year.
The manufacturers of woolen goods have
increasing orders. Reports come from all
parts of the country that the retail dis
tribution of products is unusually large
and increasing. At this moment the vol
ume of business transacted is larger than
in the prosperous year 1S92. Before many
weeks have elapsed the volume will be
very much large ? . Chicago Tribune
( Rep. ) .
Most Gratifying : Chance.
The most gratifying change appearing
in financial circles is the evidence of increasing -
creasing commercial demand for loans.
The .bank statement showed an increase { (
in the loan item of $4,409,000. nnfl ; * ; , i M
lieved that most of this was made up of
mercantile discounts , the inquiry for
wnich last week was reported by the
banks as larger than for several months
previous. This must reflect larger busi
ness , but as yet the new discounting is
done more largely for concerns handling ,
goods than for manufacturers desirin"
to make up new stock. Much of this me
cantile demand for money comes from the
country in the shape of notes of business
coBcerns with the endorsement of interior'
banks , and presumably much of this pa
per Is made againstimported goods which
New York has been carrying , bnt which
, < „ .
MMBiilfiHi
are now being distributed through the
country to those on whose orders they
were originally engaged. New York Com
mercial Bulletin ( Deru.
Basis for Confidence.
The general symptoms developed in
Wall street during the past week have
been the most hopeful features witnessed
for many months past. Without any spe
cial stimulus or speculative effort , there
has been a marked revival of buying oper
ations and , with few exceptions , an ad
vance in prices. Also , it is a notable
symptom that several persons of emi
nence and directly in touch with the farm
ing interest and the larger industries have
simultaneously expressed their views on
the business outlook in unexpectedly hope
ful terms. Mr. Thomson , president of the
Pennsylvania Railroad ; Mr. Gould of the
Missouri Pacific , Mr. Chauncey M. De-
pew and Mr. C. P. Huntington , who are
among the foremost representatives of the
railroad interest in different sections of
the country , have uniformly expressed
sanguine expectations as to the general
outcome of the harvest and the prospects
of business at large. Similar estimates of _
the drift of the crops and of businessh
been made by Mr. Andrew Qa < jcMrr'T ' - "
' " as to condi"
tll jFra'"vWase
Jm ± oJ
gr 5 JjpWeEients ? , constitute a basis
WztTconfidence which cannot be disregard-
'fed. Weekly Financial Review.
Improvement Will Snrely Continue.
Some stress is laid on Former Post
master General John Wanamaker's state
ment that "the country is not prosperous , "
and that "since the outset of the last pres
idential campaign the party press and po
litical leaders generally fixed the Novem
ber election of 1S96 as the date of the be
ginning of _ good times. " And the state
ment follows that 'thus far but one of the
important issues of the campaign is nearing -
ing settlement and hardly any improve
ment of the wretched times is manifest"
Mr. Wanamaker draws erroneous conclu
sions. No man in the country who was
at all conversant with the trend of busi
ness affairs thought for a moment that
good times could be made to come instant
aneously. But what did take place im
mediately on the election of Mr. MoKin-
ley was the immediate restoration of con
fidence and the return of vast numbers of
workinginen to the avenues of labor and
trade. Gradually , but surely , business
has been growing better , and the country
only awaits the passage of the tariff bill to
settle down to a development of the manu
facturing resources of the country , which
will stimulate other business. Buffalo
News rind. ) .
Encouraging : Revelations.
The investigations of the Bureau of La
bor of this State as to the industrial con
ditions in the three principal cities have
resulted in some very eneouraging revelat
tions. It appears that the tide of pros
perity for which every one has been so
long waiting has quietly been rising , in
spite of assertions to the contrary. The
investigations of the bureau , complete
only for Duluth , _ ehow that in that city
there is a net increase of 27 per cent in
the number of employes over the number '
employed at practically the same time '
last year. So far as the investigations in I
St Paul and Minneapolis have gone , it is ]
stated the percentage of increase will be i
fully as great as in Duluth. Such a material - <
terial increase is not only encouraging as 1
showing an increased demand for manu"i
factured articles , but it is an inovvitiVvn e
of an increased demand for products of all
kinds , and more important still , a certain
promise that demand will continue to in
crease. Almost every manufacturing in
dustry in the State
has found it neces
sary to increase the number of operatives.
St Paul Pioneer Press ( Rep. ) .
Every Man Feels It.
There is not a progressive business man
in Kansas City who does not feel more
cheerful over present conditionssand fu
ture prospects than he has felt for many
years. The great majority recognize that ,
the movement towards better times is well
under way , not by reason of Mr. McKin-
ley'a election or because of the promise of
•
a new tariff law , but because the natural
forces which control trade are moving in
that direction. There is everywhere a dis
position to hold on to property in place
of the inclination prevalent for several
years past to sell. The shrewdest money
makers in the country are seeking invest
ments. They are not liquidating. En
forced sales are at an end. Here and there ,
in spots , business records are ahead of
any previous reports for years past. Bank
deposits are increasing because the net
profits of trade and industry are growing
and not because people are pulling idle
money out of hiding places and putting it
in banks. Kansas City Star ( Ind. ) .
Improved Condition of Trade.
There is no doubt of a change for the
better ; pessimists may doubt and parti
sans mrfy swear , but the first wave of the
returning tide of prosperity is seen and
felt. The failures during May , 1S97 , were
less in number than in any one of the
twenty-one months immediately preced
ing it ; the cash responsibilities of the
firms and persons faiiii.g were lesp./fe ur
in any month sjnee Spnt ya * " ' ' "yards of
Usftime-of bj fc 1S81 ? was eqnal to
the jDliy Phenomenal ye2r 1S92. But
wj 0pfnxne in cash was far less ; we still
ave in the era of ruinously low prices
that paradise of "cheap commodities for
the workmen" to which the Democrats in
vited us to enter , and into which , unfortu
nately , we did enter. And because the
prices of things that are sold are Iqw the
But wages of those that make them are low.
there are not nearly
so many idle men
in May , 3S97 , * as in May , 1S9G. More
mills and factories in
are operation now
than then. The demand for labor in
creases perceptibly. Chicago Inter Ocean
( Rep. ) .
Steady Gain in Business.
The gain in business continues , not
without fluctuations , and at the best mod
erate , but yet distinct. It is still in quan
tities rather than prices , although in some
branches an advance in prices appears , but
on the whole the number of hands em-
plowed , the volume of new orders and
the amount of work done , are slowly in
creasing. Prospects of good crops of
wheat and corn help ; growing demand
from dealers , whose stor-fe * m , Ann
gaining consumption deplete aI = o helps
and m the money and exchange market
large buying of American securities has
an influence. Money coming hither from
the West even as late as June 10 , with
great crops near at hand , indicates a
healthy condition at the West. Indica
tions of the volume of business are seen
in clearing house exchanges , which for
the week exceed the '
last
year s S.7 per
cent , and in railroad earnings which
? 0 mlM- the United states aIone to
* MUi > , y8i
on roads reported bv Dun's
Review for May , 3.3 per cent larger than
V o 3 * ' a ? . d3 per ceilt IarS < * in
1S92. Washington Post ( Dem. ) .
Nearly Up to the Standard.
The volume of actual transactions is * -
# nom
m value a tenth smaller than it was in
the years of the greatest prosperitv ever
attained in the United States , aldiough
the volume of payments now represents
a much lower range of prices. This de
crease , whether a little * more or less ' * s
greatly to be regretted , but it is ' not
paralysis. Whatever else may be with
reason said of the difficulties in the wav
of industrial recovery , it cannot be said
that business is paralyzed when the earn
ings of all railroads reported for Mw „ - ,
only 2.3 per cent smaller than in the " same
month of 1S92. New York Tribune
( Rep. ) .
Lumber Men Encouraged.
In the opinion of the lumber men , their
market is gradually and steadily g ettinir
around to the point where profits
can
once more be expected. Sales are increas
ing at a pate which
, though not rapid * is
nevertheless encouraging. Heavy dea/ers
now see in the situation sufficient to jus
tify them'in laying in liberal stocks , and
very large transfers to them hae recent
ly been made at leading mill points. To a
purchase of 32,000,000 feet , made in the
latter part of May , alarge local yard man
added another purchase of 22,000,000
51
i * *
feet within a few days. Three other largs- 4 |
trans/era , ranging from 10,000,000 to 12- |
000,000 feet each , have also recently be n " * a
completed. Prices are now firm. In strango- m
contrast to the demoralization that pre- 4 %
vailed a few weeks ago. Chicago Tloics * < |
Herald ( Ind. ) . |
Sevlvlnjs Trade. |
The change which has come over the - |
face of things In the business world Is |
unmistakable. The confidenc * for which |
everybody has been looking la here. It 1
may lose its sharp edge by some nnfore- |
seen event , but it is hardly t < * be expected • <
that any serious check will now occur.
It seems to be taken for granted that
there will be a tariff law on the Btntuto-
book within a few weeks. Perhaps a
month is too short a time to give the alow-
going legislators of the Senate. The as
surance in regard to the tariff is the most
potent influence in giving more confidence , ,
but the good effects of Secretary Gage' *
speeches have by no means worn off , eith
er in the United States or abroad. Satis
factory crop reports , increased railroad ,
earnings and the statement of bank clear- f
lags , which , considering the fact that 9
one day of last week was a holiday , is fa- J
vorable , are among the subsidiary lnilu- I [ 1
ences that are making for faith In the fu- i M
ture. Buffalo Express. I | 1
Prosperity at ITnnil. 5 il
The time has come when to carp an < I \ [
cavil at the slowness with which prosperity - J
perity is returning to this country , after * ' m
the depression of the past three years , •
has lack of truth added to that mean mal- i M
ice which can rejoiee in misfortune. Prosperity -
perity is coming , and the slowness of its. • I
approach only means its sureness and its- • '
stability. There are signs on every hand H
that President McKinley was right whea '
he said that the country is going not H
backward , but forward , and that rho-
steady hands and hearts of the American H
people are strengthened and encouraged
by the immediate prospect of a revival
of wholesome and profitable activity in. . ; H
all branches of labor , trade and husiness. '
The taunt of Populist Bryan that others- '
beside himself regret his rejection at the- H
polls i3 as untrue as it is unpatriotic H
New York Mail and Express ( Rep. ) .
Improving Steadily. H
Secretary Gage's conviction of the ira- ; H
provement in business , expressed to the- il
Maryland bankers ia Cumberland , has- ijM
had p good influpnce. _ and has strengthened - H
ened the growihj : feeling that a slow but H
permanent improvement is spreading over H |
the country. His repetition at Camber- M
land of his statement the week before ia M
Cincinnati , that the administration wa * H
determined to secure a comprehensive and M
permanent rectification of the * currency , H
and that he had assurances from member * H
of Congress that at the next session a bill M
to that effect would be parsed , has had a H
very decided influence in improving tho- H
general tone and increasing confidence. H
New York Journal of Commerce ( Dem. ) . H
Buds of Promise. H
"There has been a decided Improvement - H
ment , " writes a Washington correspondent - H
ent , "in the financial situation since I j H
wns last in New York. All classes in tho- |
industrial and commercial world feel encouraged - H
couraged over the outlook and expectancy H
has replaced the apprehension that had H
become the habitual condition of the pub- H
lie mind for the last three years. The- H
people you meet in the banks downtown H
and visitors from other parts of the conn- H
try who gossip in the hotel rotundas all , " 5jfe ' H
tell the story that , while the ep * i K3jiij&p |
perity has not yev ' J S ff ff ' |
Cj | | CTgpB in the/president , confidence- |
raat Congress will dispose of the tariff" M
bill speedily and that the rates in the new M
schedules will be conservative |
yet ample-
for the needs of the Government. " Dun * * M
reports ' are encouraging to a degree ; Brad- M
street's are less pessimistic and decidedly H
more favorable , and the crop reports are- M
unusually encouraging. Grand Rapid *
Herald ( Rep. ) . 11
Prosperity Is at Hand. |
Everything that is apparent points to M
a rapid revival of prosperity this fail. We- H
are promised abundant harvests , with better - |
ter prices than for many years. If th& H
farmers pet good prices for large crops H
it will make a demand upon our manu- H
facturers for their products. The wheel3 |
of industry will revolve once more. There H
will be work for the unemployed , and we H
shall have that satisfactory condition for H
which we have yearned so long. We are H
not pessimists. We are exceedingly hope- H
ful of the future. The-speech of Presi- H
dent McKinley at the banquet Wednes- H
day night was worthy .he man and the oc- H
casion. Prosperity is at hand. Philadelphia - H
phia Inquirer ( Rep. ) . M
South Feels the Improvement. |
While the general business situation H
is somewhat hampered by the uncertainty |
attaching to the tariff bill , there are not H
wanting signs that a gradual improvement - H
ment in trade is in progress. It is true- |
that there is no disposition to Le enttr- |
prising , nor to put out new lines , until |
all uncertainties as to the future tariff H
duties are removed ; but , in spite of this. H
there is a fair movement for actual consumption - |
sumption in nearly all branches of Indus- H
try. With a favorable crop outlook , there- H
is every reason to expect a good trade ia |
the entire county tributary to this section - |
tion , especially as country merchants and M
farmers are already in a fairly prosperous- M
condition. The merchants here have taken - M
en advantage of the recent dullness to- M
carefully study the problems which have- M
hitherto militated acainst trade , and it |
is believed that many of the most seriou * |
difficulties have | been overcome. Of |
course , some months must yet eapse before - |
fore the crops are ready for market : bur. |
the mere prospect of good crops is ordinarily - |
ily sufficient to create confidence and set |
the wheels of commerce in motion. It is |
therefore , confidently believed that an improvement - | H
provement jn business will be noted fnn M
now on. New Orleans Picayune ( Dem. ) . |
Lnrce Handling of Goods. |
Bank clearings last week were light , bat |
little over § 900,000.000 in the Chronicle's H
table , in which one day is estimated. But M
the increase over the corresponding week |
of the previous year was no less than 17 M
J per cent , and in comparison with earlier H
i and more prosperous years it must be re- |
membered'that there has been sueh a decline - |
cline in prices that identical figures would M
indicate a very large gain in quantities. |
The truth is that in volume of meichan- |
dise-bandied the amount of business done H
now does not compare unfavorably with |
the amount done in good ' years , but at |
these lower prices profits are small and H
sometimes disappear entirely. Financial H
Chronicle ( Dem. ) . M