The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-10
Good Times Are Coming.


Tho gold reserve in the treasury at
ltashington amounted on Saturday
Ast to $3.50, ,S27, which was the most
that it has been at any one time since
Nov. Is. 1890. Nobody now thinks OF
trying to start a run on the treasury
The endless chain" is ended so far as
the new administration is concerned
There is no fear that any dollar issued
by the United States will fall in value
below a dollar in gold
On the first day of March in this year
of grace the amount of money in CIR
culation among the people of the United
States was 81 ,G75 69i,9 953, an increase Of
S14G.952, 1876 over one year ago. There
IS now in circulation more than $23'.l4
per capita as compared with $2l1O on
June l. 1896, a gain in nine months or
S2,O4, The circulation of bank notes is
greater today by ll,0O0,0OO than 1t was
one year ago, and greater than at any
time since 1855
What has wrought this change? Not
a change in national legislation. That
will come suon,and it will accelerate re-
Covery but it hasn't had time to be put
into effect yet Not any new discoveries
Unnatural wealth. We had just the same
resources two years agO that we have
today. The change IS wholly IA change
in the temper of the people. Fear has
been banished. Confidence has been
restored Those who have money to
lend are again willing to lend il. Those
Who need money with which to extend
business operations are once more will
ing 20 take on themselves the response
bilities of new debts, trusting in the
future to bring means Of repayment.
1t viii naturally be some little time
before Improvement in business condi-
tiuns will begin TO be conspicuous to the
great mass of people, for the simple
reason that before much net progress
can he made, our merchants and manu-
faCturers and various other active fac
tors in commerce and industry Will hay a
to clean up their accumulated debts and
set right the deficiencies accruing dur
ing The last three trying years Of de-
preston. Recovery viii be slow. II is
with business as with a patient in a
hospital 1t cannot healthily jump up
from under the surgeons knife and leap
and run. But figures such as those Civ
en- above, which are authoritative, show
that the period of conValescence has
set in: that the state of the public 3
financial health has been perceptibly
improved by the election of NICK inley,
with the assurances which that event
carried with it; and that if no un-
81
of needless war shall intervene to
cause a relapse. we may reasonably
look for steady Improvement from this
time onward.
1t is possible for every reader of these
lines to hasten rrosperity's return.
Each small debt paid means the free
ing of 50 much money to swell the
growing volume Of business exchanges.
In community like Scranton one dol
lar in money can quickly wipe out, by
successive payments from debtor tC
creditor Indebtedness amounting To
ten, twenty, one hundred times its own
value. 1t is these small debts that tie
up the business of the community. Let
them once be paid and the large ones
can easily be attended to, clearing the
way for added investments in stock
plant, labor and materials, which in
turn causes otner business to prosper
until the Whole circle Of trade is en-
larged. There no longer is just ground
for apprehension as to federal policies
Therefore let each victim of the uast
panic resolve to do what he, himself
can to eNtricate himself and his neigh
borhOod from its i'll effects. In no way
can this resolution be more effectively
carried out than by prompt liquidation
OF outstanding small accOunts-debts
principally Of pennies, dimes and quar-
ters' owed to the butcher the baker, the
candlestick maker, and perhaps also tc
the patient, long-suffering newspaper
publisher