Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936 | View Entire Issue (July 9, 1897)
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
