The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-06-27
The Prospects for Busfness--HoW
Things are Shaping Themselves.

FfJn1 ihe NEIO York C0uluIeIe eidL Chronicle.
There is evidently much more CONN.,
enceamong business men at presentin
the future than has existed for many
months before, In every part of the
country the newspapers are filled with
reports OF the excellence of the grow
ing, and in some cases OF the already
matured crops; and in every grade of
the mercantile scale from Wall street to
the retail country store the subj ect is
discussed, with hopes and apticipauOns
almost as ardent as those with which
promising cloud is regarded in time
OF drought. The change of sentiment
within IA few months has been very re-
markable. So short time ago as the
month of February, the gloomy, doubt
full feeling was very marked-failures
were predicted in every branch of
trade, and many went SO far as to pre-
dict a general ucrash," rlYaling that of
1857, while some still more eextravaRant
were even Influenced by n species of
superstition and believed that the fact
that this year of our Lord had the num-
ber seven in 1t, was sufficient In itself
to insure disaster to our finances.
The feeling of doubt and depression
has very happily given away to one of
greater confidence in the future. We
say happily, because there can be1no
greater impeachment to a healthy busi-
ness than the perpetual expectation OF
failures and the loss of all confidence in
the stability OF values. lsI .l-rl4-i
The prospects of an abundant harvest
are certainly very cheering, and their
realization cannot fail to have an i'm
mense effect upon the prosperity of the
country, but ne believe that there are
other reasons almost equally foTcible
for expecting u better business during
the coming year. Prominent among
the causes referred to is the increased
nFv,F
actions, u certainty of values remain
ing somewhere near their present stand
ard. "A general decline in prices has
been the leading cause for the great
stagnRtion in trade during the past
year. II is an axiom-that no pur-
chases are made on falling market
the consumer will not puchase because
he expects to buy at a cheaper rate by
waiting, and the retailer Is afraid to en-
ter the market when any stock taken
by him Will probably decline on his
hands. The point we would urge, then,
is simply this: that while a return 10
specie payments has been talked of,
and fifty different methods suggested to
the Government for reaching that de-
sirable end, we have quietly been ac.
mplishing, one of the most difficult
and trying portions of the task, in the
reduction OF prices from the Inflated
exorbitant rates at which they stood at
Ine emu OF tue war 70 point very u1uCu
nearer gold value-and this has been
done without any such wide spread
financial panic, or sacrifice of property
as was by many deemed almost una
vnidable year ago. For this escape
we are much indebted to the easy. sys:.
tenn of business which has prevailed
since 1861. st.,trs .urt,L RI
It Is extremely unlikely that the
coming twelve months Will see a de
cline in values at all equal to that which
has occurred during the past except
possibly in few articles where prices
have been sustained by scarcity OF
other artificial causes, as for instance In
breadsLuffs. A further material decline
must now denend chiefly on a decline
in gold, which can take place only BY
diminishing the volume of. paper .'ur'
rency ahoat, and this will be-and fol
| the safety of our finances should be
done by very gradual process. ap.