The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-04-14
Gtre9ntelIiqeuter:
Ob,ervallons In Regard to Business.

home on Saturday from trip South an
West after months absence. His ot
sGryatiOns along the line Of his travels, a
10 the condition Of business and the prot
poets for trade, are not by any mean
differing. He was in Georgia, Alabaml
Louisiana and Arkansas during his triI
aud his observations apply more partiCu
larly 10 those States. he found bushes
men inclined TO take q gloomy view Of III
situation. The cotton crop was vlrtus
failure in many localities the last yea
and did not pay the expenses OF raisin
It. The consequence Is that the peopl
arc poor and unable to buy anything be
yond the mere necessities Of life, and hav
no money wherewith to improve or bull
upthe country. This is particularly thl
case in certain portions Of Alabama. Tha
State is almost played out as cOttor
growing region. 1t requires from two L
four acres Of Alabama land 10 raise q
bale oI cotton, while in Texas they fire.
quntly raise bale to the acre. In Georgia
things look better than 10 Alabama, but
are by no means looking bright. 1nNew
Orleans business Is very dull and there are
many houses 10 rent. Taxes are enorm-
ously high on very high valuations.
There is general feeling Of discourage.
ment at the prospects for business. And
the same is true Of Little Rock, the lead.
ing city and tho Capital of Arkansas
No business is doing there OF any account
Business also Ia very dull at Memphis, as
indeed it is in every city and town in the
South. The country has not III
whcrcwithal to pay for merchandise,
and the merchants are already carry.
ing as big load in the way Of advances
and credits Gs they care 10 assume.
St. Louis is doing q fair trade,
owing to the immense region now opened
up by her railroad and steamboat lines.
10 fact, she is the great distributing
centre Of the West, and is rising steadily
in commercial importance. From 312,.
900 in 1870, her population has increased
to $4,000, making her now the eleventh
city OF the world. At Chicago, business
is just fair. The railroads appear to be
running light in all directions, both as re.
CARDS passengers and freight. 1t is ev-
ident that the West as well as the South
is laboring under business stsgnstion.
Merchants are inclined to look sharply
to the responsibility Of parties to whom
they sell, The panic has left behind it
d dread ol all long winded credits. The
horizon is not clear enough to invite new
ventures in the way Of debt and expan.
sion.
Mr.. WooDwARD's account Of things
in the South and West is hardly more
discouraging, as far as regards the
stagnation Of business, than the account
General KELLEY gives US Of his observa-
tions in Philadelphia, from which city he
has lately returned; The Spring trade
has 80 far disappointed the expectations
of merchants that they are now submit
ting 10 severe sacrifices on certain lines Of
goods in order to force trade and unload
q portion ol their stocks. "Domestics"
for which they paid eleven cents arc be.
ing sold at eight and three quarter cents
cash. This is lower than the goods can
be manufactured, and shows that depres.
sion is felt at the East as we'll as West.
The people OF Philadelphia arc also feel.
ing more or less discouraged over the
prospects Of the Centennial Exposition.
They still hope that Congress will do
something, but "hope deferred maketh the
heart sick" and their hopes have been
sadly deferred up to this time.
These observations are certainly not an
attractive picture as TO business prospects
for 1874, but we must not forget that q
few months may make decided change
Tor tho better, The harvests may be
abundant; there is no reason to doubt
that they will be; and II they are, the
tot the country will rise with the
prospect Of better times. There isan in.
ertia and apathy abroad in the land grow
Ing out Of want oil confidence either in
values or credits, and until more settled
feeling prevails trade will be unsatisac.
tory. When Congress decides tho cur
rency question there will be one element
oIuncertainty eliminated for the future and
to that extent business will be benefited,
be the result what it may. Upon this
point the last issue OF the New York Bul
ktin remarks as follows:
"Every business man knows perfectly
well that tho natural recovery from the
panic Of last autumn was checked by the
assembling Of Congress, and that business
interests have been In state OF suspense
since, because 1t has not been known
what Congress would do-whether in.
crease tho currency or put the country
on the way 10 specie resumption. There
has at no time been any doubt that tho
House was in favor OF expansion. There
was doubt as to how the Senate stood,
and after that was removed, doubts
wero raised as TO whether the President
would sigma bill raising the legal tender
circulation to $4O0, 100000. What business
men have wanted has been decision Of
some kind; they have been unanimous on
this point, and are unanimous on II now.
or course the best decision Is wanted but
II that cannot be obtained, they want At
least some settlement of this vexcd cur
reucy question; and all who know tho
prostrauon Of business from one end Of
the country to the other, and who tru "
reflect business views, say this"
DIR NOUNnSVITTR TPT,TPD