Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-08

So far as the general business of the
country is concerned, we notice every
where indications Of a more hopeful
feeling--attributable chiefly to san
guine reports concerning the condition
of the crops. These proving true,
money will once more move IN all OF
its accustomed channels. From the
family of the farmer, who require their
annual supplies, to the jobber of mer-
chandise in our great cities, fresh i'm
petus must be given to trade. The
country cannot 90 backward. We have
passed through the era of collapse and
are now recuperating. 1t may MT be
a process visible to the eye, but silent
ly and stealthily it is leaving its trail.
The NssO York Times of the 5th says,
in its reviews of the situation, that
many merchants have this week struck
their balance sheets for the half year,
and have found that matters are bet
ter than they expected. In regard to
the great producing interests of the
country, there is much in the situation
that calls for general congratulation.
The farmers of the Northwest are now
rapidly marketing the surplus grain
left over from last year, and this grain,
after reaching the lake ports, is being
rapidly transported to the East; in
evidence of which may be mentioned
the fact that on one day recently
freight engagements were made in
Chicago for 100000 bushels of grain
for the Atlantic cities.
Crop accounts continue to be of the
most cheering character. In the South
a full crop of cotton, sugar and rice
viii no doubt be raised, which will do
much toward recuperating the South
ern States, while at the West the
wheat harvest promises to be the most
abundant for many years, and other
grains promise equally well. The
grain crops of Hungary and Russia
are likely to be below toe average, and
the recent floods in Hungary and
France will further reduce the Cont
mental ha,vests. This makes it
pretty certain that the surplus wheat
Of America will all be wanted on the
other side of the Atlantic, and every
business man knows that a
good export demand for our ce-e Is,
especially with decreasing imports,
means better times for the country at
large. In the coal regions, the contest
between labor and capital is over, and
labor has succumbed to the general de-
mand for lower wages. Cheap labor in
a country like ours IS very important,
that being a great element of general
prosperity. 1t is evident th-:t from
this time forward we are to rely upon
ourselves for all the iron which weneed
in the construction and repair Of rail-
roads and for otter purposes; and,
looking still further ahead, it is
now generally conceded that in
the future we will compete with Great
Britain for the supply to other ooun-
tries. This is a very important matter,
and has not yet received that consid-
Grafton to which it is properly entitled
in estimating the future of the general
situation. The annual increase in the |
production of gold and silver in the
United States is yet another matter
that has to be taken into account when
considering the prospects of the coun-
try. The Western Territories and the |
Pacific States are very rich in gold and
silver, and the supply seems to be
almost inexhaustible.
This brief summary of the general
situation should convince every ntelli-
gent man that there are substantial
reasons for the improvement which has
recently set in.