The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-08-22
THE BUSINESS REVIVAL.


"There is an unmistakable sign Of an
Improvement in business" greets oone con
stantly on opening the metropolitan news
papers. The N. Y. Herald m|ney article
of the 10Th says "The total Exchanges OF
TWENTY-FIVE leading clearing hdases in the
United States last week were SPA 424 SOB
against 5000, G93,OO5 in 1884, aincrease OF
% Der cent. Outside of New |ork, 1926
473 OBS, against 1904 ,G0i ,7s1, an increase OF
1917 per cent" And the none article OF
the Chicago Times of the same date said
" Yesterday the clearings returnd reached
the good aggregate, for Tuesdayof 81, l37,.
600. Currency calls from the cdntry were
larger than any former day tbs season,
and in the loan market the ney transac-
tions made were considered encouraging.
Business men of almost all class made in
creased demands for funds, thouh as mon
ey was plenty no change occurrd in regu-
lar bank rates" There is no mre certain
and reliable gauge of the state all volume
of trade than the operations of tn clearing
houses. They measure the stat OF busl-
ness as accurately as the thermometer
measures the temperature OF th@eather.
We mentioned last week an improve
ment at the prominent trade cente' in sales
of dry goods, boots and shoes, wDl, hard
ware, groceries, etc, and the repts from
the same quarters continue to row, if
anything, even more favorable. General
Passenger Agent Percival Lowell of the
C., B. IL @, who has just returnecfrom a
tr., over that road and its various lancheS,
repots the prospect for an immeie yield
of corn favorable in all directions nd the
country Merchant in good spirits al conf
dent. The barometer Of westermade is
the country merchant, and being n. gen
orally with low stock he will nurally
replenish literally in the fall, thuatford-
ing good outlook for railroad lsiness
both ways.
But the most favorable symptomof ALL
undoubtedly, is the wonderful iprove-
ment in the iron trade A Pittsblg dis
patch of Monday says; "Orders ha, been
steadily increasing, and many mil have
been compelled to put on doubleforce
A tour of the mills today found thmanu-
facturers more hopeful than for yeas. Ev-
cry mill along the Monongahela rer is
running double time. The other nils of
the city are either running double urn or
are preparing to start up on doubl turn
Pittsburg will be noisy with bushes this
winter" This favorable outlook fc iron
is not confined to Pittsburg. Ittouc.es all
the great iron mills in Pennsylvania and
st. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee and Joliet
are sharing and rejoicing In the impllse.
The revival in iron naturally stimulates
the lumber business and already Minnesota
and Northern Wisconsin are rejoicing in
an advance of 81 to 50 per THOUSAND on
certain grades of lumber and proportion
ate advance on lath, pickets and shingles.
AZ ,l,- L-..vu, vi all unquestlOnably lies
the sure prospect of an unprecedented cot
ton crop at the South and big corn crop
in the West. Cotton is in good demand
abroad and brings fair prices, which as
sures the country of favorable balance of
trade, healthy inflow of gold and pro
pitious condition of exchanges. A rich
South also betokens heavy trade at COM
nercial Centers in the North. Never, the
papers say, were there at this season so
many Southern merchants In New York as
now. Indeed two-thirds of the great South
srn influx to the Grant funeral in New
York consisted of merchants who had
,ome to purchase goods, And while it Is
rue that corn may not keep up with cotton
n price or equal cotton directly in its bear
ng on foreign trade, 1t will do so indirectly,
or corn makes beef, pork, lard and wills.
Ky, and all these are mighty in their influ.
nee on trade at home and abroad
The business prospects of the country
ire indeed getting brighter, and the Repub-
leans who last November told us If Cleve-
and was elected we might as well sell out
md move to Stanley's free state of Con-
o." as the whole country, which had been
,uilt up by such men as Blaine would 60
o ruin unless he was elected President,
nay as we'll admit now that "a change was
eeded," and that 1t was possible for the
'arty of great moral ideas to be mistaken
One of the most brutal prize fight re-
orded In the annals of the ring" occurred
ear Braidwood, in this state, on Monday
norning, between two miners named Pat