The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-07
Walter Wellman Says They
are Near at Hand.
Improved Conditions Every
where in Cotton Belt.
Recovery in the West Sl0w--SOme
Lessons of the Hard Times.

| the times are getting better IN most parts
| Of the country, that at last business is i'm
proving slowly but surely and the people are
regaining little of their former cheerful
| ness, is the testimony Of most of the sena-
| tors and representatives with whom have
talked on this subject. 1t must be remem-
| bered that our members Of congress come
| from all parts Of the country, that they
are in close touch with their constituents,
| and that IL Is only natural they should be
| able to feel the public pulse quite as
| quickly and accurately as any one. The
| representatives from the southern states
are perhaps the most encouraged Almost
| without exception they speak OF better
| conditions now prevailing among their
| people. While tho price Of cotton has not
! been high, it is a little better than IL was
| st one time a few years ago. The most
| important thing Is that In many parts of
| the south the planters have learned TO d.
versify their crops u little, and they have
| particularly learned 90 exercise greater
economy in their operations. They lind
| they can make as much money with cot
ton at cents as they used 90 make at 10
or IL. The only difference is that they
| have to cut a little closer, watch the small
things, manage more judoiously.
Years ago the cotton planter, for In
stance, never thought Of raising corn upon
| TO which To feed kis mules, or vegetables
| his family and help. AS rule he
bought all such things from the north, or
from other parts Of tho country, and con-
fined his attention solely 10 cotton. Now
be looks 10 10 that his corn and vegetables
are raised on his own place, and also that
| the pigs produce bacon at home and the
hens eggs and poultry. In many such
ways farming has undergone quite revo-
| luton in the cotton belt, and the result Is
that the south is returning TO prosperous
days.
Hard Time Lessons.
The times have been very hard In the
western states There the recovery Is pref
| ty slow, but IL Is coming. A senator who
has just returned from journey out
through the Mississippi valley and the
| prairie states farther west tells me the
people are beginning 10 feel little better.
| They have had such hard conditions 10
| face Tint nny change sccrrrs to them ofte
| for the better. The hard times have taught
several lessons. Chief among these is that
| debts never make man well TO DO.
Another thing tho hard times have done
| Is TO put a stop 20 the Wild and reckless
speculation In town lots and other real
| estate that has been going on in the west
| for several years. Almost every man OF
| business in the western country was caught
| IN one or another Of the various promising
| town site speculations Money was TO be
| made hand over fist. Values were 10
| double In few years. The boom was on,
! and merchants and professional men and
| thrifty farmers were attracted by the won
derful possibilities. They put in their cap
ital or their savings, and the only lucky
ones among them have been those who
got out while tho booms were still on.
| Men who have Travelled through the west
say thnt all tho speculative fever has been
taken out of the people. Probably 1t will
| be a good many years before the disease
returns TO plague them.
Signs Of Prosperity.
am told that tho farmers Of the coun-
try who stopped buying things they could
| DO without as soon as the hard times struck
the country arc now beginning TO stock
up. They shut down buying clothing rs
| much as possible and boots and Shoes and
| harnesses, and wagons, and books, and
| wall paper, and paint for their houses and
barns. They wore out their old things,
or pegged along with tho old vehicles,
| who had money stopped buying because
they were too thrifty to spend more than
| their income. Those who We're without
money stopped because their credit had
run out. Now they have reached the turn
| of tho tide. They are ready to replenish
| their stocks. They are feeling "a little
more hopeful for the future. The small
merchants are the first TO note the signs Of
moro active trade Soon 10 will be felt
| among the jobbors and wholesalers. Then
| 1t reaches the manufacturers more people
| are put TO work. and prosperity shows ac-
| tual signs Of returning.
F! In some Of the states Of the west, am
| told, the landlords of hotels in many smart
cities are just beginning TO pay rent, for
| the first time in three years. All through
| tho hard times the owners Of the buildings
| have given their property rent free rather
than have the hotels closed. man who
| knows whereof he speaks tells mo he is
| able to namo dozen we'll known hotels in
western cities which have not paid dol
| lar Of rent since 1894. Many others have
paid only nominal sums. The propriotors
knew that il the houses were closed their
property might be irrotrievably damaged.
Ii was cheaper by far for them TO go for
year or two without revenue thnn To have
| the cobwehs in the windows. Now the
trade is picking up a littlo and the land
lords arc either beginning to pay rent or
are expecting 60 do SO in very short time.
Where We Are Behind.
Delegates 20 the international postal
songress say they find many things in this
.ountry TO adfliro. but in some very i'm
portant particulars they think they are
ahead Of Us Ia the old world For instance,
Herr FritSch, director of tho German
postal system, wonders that the people OF
the United States have given up their
streets 20 all sorts cf monopolcs. For in
stance. hc says Tint In Berlin, where the
telephone Is managed by the government
! as an adjunct 90 the postal system, there
are no fewer than $4,000 Subscribers 20
the exchange. This seems an incredible
number, considering that thcro arc only
some 900, 900 subscribers 20 telephone ex.
changes I'm the whole United States. But
IN Berlin the rates are SO low, about one