Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-21
Am Fra of prosperity Ahead.

,aace, the quadrennial excitement over
the election of the President is over, and
banks and business men know for GER
tainty Just what to expect from the
policy of the Government as to the tariff,
as to the policy of purchasing the out
standing bonds, and as to coast defences |
and the building of a navy. There Will
be no change in the first, there will be
no buying of bonds at price beyond |
well-defined limits, and the erection OF
forts and the building of a navy will be
prosecuted with vigor. This means that
there will be steady movement OF busi-
ness in the regular channels, that the
banks will be able to act with certainty, |
that labor will be in demand by the
Federal Government, and that money
will circulate.
Then there is promise all over the
Union that the crops will be larger than
the average. All crops, SO far as the
season is defined, are in excellent con-
dition. This means work on the farms,
large earnings for the railroads, money
in the hands of all the farmers, and
general prosperity in all lines of busi-
nees. There is reason to hope that all
the labor in the Union will be proftably
employed during the coming summer
and fall, and well into next winter.
There will be great activity in railroad
building this year. The Railacag 4ge. a
special paper published monthly at
Chicago, and regarded as the best
authority in this line in the
country, in the issue for the
current month figures ont most fiatter-
ing showing for the immediate future.
1t shows 666 new lines projected for con-
struction. These projects have all sprung
into existence since January 1st, 1889.
The total mileage runs to the enormous
sum of So ,436 miles, and there are no less
than IA, ,S1S miles already under construc-
tion or contracted for. The meaning of
this will be apparent when we reflect that
about IL 900 miles of road is the largest
amount ever contracted in any year, and
that only once. Nearly 5000 miles more
of road have been surveyed, and there
are 1900 miles only incorporated or
merely projected. Not mile of all these
SO, ,436 miles is included in any of the
enterprises of last year, or of any previous
year.
One would suppose that in the twelve
States reaching from Maine to West Nir-
ginia, along, or close to the Atlantic sea-
coast, there we're already roads enough,
and the fact that there has been little
work il this line done in that territory
for years would seem to confirm this
view as correct. Yet 5000 miles of these
projected new lines are found in these
twelve States. In the Southern and
Southwestern States "a 600 miles of these
projected roads lie. This is nearly half
of all the building contemplated, and
5000 miles of this sum are under con-
tract, which is again more than half OF
the entire mileage under that subhead.
There are 1900 miles in the North
ern and Northwestern States, of
which nearly $500 miles are under
contract or in actual course of construe-
tion. In the Pacific States are nearly
5000 miles of projected road, of which
nearly 1000 are in course of construction
or under contract. There are l ,225 miles
of these projected roads in California /;
742 miles of which are in course of con-
struction or under contract; 412 miles
more have been actually surveyed and
only II miles are in perfectly chaotic
condition.
1t is not thing to wonder at that new
lines should be projected and built in
the Great West, when Massachusetts
proposes to lengthen her mileage by 239
miles, Connecticut by S52 and New
York by 1852. 1t seems to have
reached the stage of absolute cer-
tainty that there will be much
more road built in 1889 than was in
1888. It is quite likely that large addi-
tions will be made to the mileage under
construction and contract of lines aiming
to reach California within the next few
weeks. 1t is the opinion of all we'll in
formed railroad men that there are sew
eral roads most desirous of extending
their operations from Salt Lake to Los
Angeles.
Bringing this matter to the point of
local application, it may be observed
that there has never been a season SO
propitious to all agricultural and horti-
cultural industries in this section as the
present. 1t is simply perfection in all
the elements of this gracious dispense
tion. Our farmers will be well re-
warded for their labors, and will close
the current year enriched by their indus
tries. With the activity growing out OF
active railroad building all classes of the
people will prosper. From the Bay of
Fundy to that of San Diego the country
will prosper at every point, and all lines
of industry will be active to a phenome-
nal degree.
Two rnantha hava urouuht a oraaf