The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-06-01
ESTABLISHED AUGUST "a, 1852.


ro,lov our community passes from a
o,ous Of busy manufacturing lifc Into a
sonJnion Of subsistence and inactivity.
mi. rhau.c viii not DO felt or realized to
any ma,crial extent forth present. Things
Vii CO. on in,,hcir accustomed channel Tor
awhile. A luy ,lay or two will pass before
n,, will miss the busy cla,ter OF the mills.
Fran al accounts there will be con.
siJrmbl. temporary thinning out OF our
,onuIo,ion for season. Many OF tho iron
ro,E,rs have been preparing for visits ol
n,e,ntc and business to other parts Of tho
r.ra,tv. Some will 30 10 SEQ their friends,
somcwilI 90 OIL fishing excursions, some
r, seek work ut other cmploymcnts, ana
o,hprs will rccrea,c in the last or West In
,sswayoi sight seeing.
4 puy day after pay day passes, and
,s,pu, Of thousands OF dollars that arc nc
rr.,u,rt 10 rrigatc the channels Of trade
Az, dried up, the community will begin to
rr,lin that II large source OF supply has
l,.u ,ut off anu that 4 season OF dulncss
NJ indefinite duration Is upon us. We
.haD then realize the magnitude anu the
impor,ance Of our iron interests to this re-
,iou, Those who remember the long strike
n ,hc boilers, lasting five months, several
wears a.o, do not need to bo told that it
males great deal Of difference to this
vicinity whether the mills are in operation
or whether they are standing idle.
Aswc lately remarked, it is useless to
discuss this question in my OF its bearings
in ,he lish, OF m original proposition. 1t
has passed beyond present settlement, and
both sides have takcna step which neither
will recall until the situation has changed.
How soon that change may come issimply
4 matter OF conjecture and speculation.
The data ior aprcdiction hinge upon the
contingencies Of the future. The general
condition Of tho country will be n main
factor in influencing Il settlement. The
pnseut condition oi business is one Of
uea, hesitation and uncertainty. This
IL particularly true OF the iron busi-
ness. last years crop shortage
dealt it Il severe blow, tho
effect Of which did not make itself felt
until early this spring, but which will con-
,inac until the export prospects OF the
country are fully ascertained by the crops
at home and abroad. While it is very
certain that poor crops will still further de-
press trade, yet it is by no means certain
tia, good crops, in the absence Of foreign
demand, will materially rcsuscitatc it.
There is lack Of confidence on the part
Of projectors OF great enterprises, wherein
iron is 50 largely consumed, i'll the immedi-
ate future, and it will take time and bright
skies to rc-animate them.
This being the case the iron manulac.
turers Of the country feel that il is II time to
be conservative, and hence their reluctance
to tic themselves to M increased scale OF
expense in the production Of their goods.
They believe that the trade will continue
its present hand.tonoutll buying into the
fall business, and that this simply means
over production and II stasnant and profit
itts run on their part. Many OF the iron
workers See the situation in exactly the
SAME light. They have 10 hesitation in
saying that Il let np in production is 4
necessity. And this is one OF their argyll
inents for stand oil OH both sides Their
plea is that the market will rectiiy
itScli by stoppagc OF production,
and then will come i'll active demand, bet
ter prices and better pay all round. Hence
their indifference to the present stop. And
hence the assertion OH both sides that it is
useless nj present to discuss terms OF set
,lement. The settlement must be brought
about by e7cnts, the character OF which
cannot now In ,lctrrmiued. So.
ltis noticeable that the feeling on both
sides is one OF comparative amicability.
Both sides have agreed in Il friendly way
to disagree for the present, and TO remit
their negotiations and terms OF adjustment
to the happening OF future events. We
trust that this feeling will characterize the
s!oppase throughout its continuance, be
the time lOng or short.