The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-11-13
ENEMIES OF PROSPERITY.
Organizes Are stin Trying to Create
Distrust.

| Distrust.
Political interests of great power
throughout the country are again en-
gagged in a campaign against public
prosperity. The effort to create dis
trust, to impair confidence in the fu-
ture, to belittle the improvement thus
far realized has no better object than
| to promote the success of some party
OF candidate, but is pushed with all the
passionate zeal of men, who are fight
ing for place and power. 1t is, there
fore, the more important to those prom
| inent business interests which no patri-
facts disclosing the real situation
should be steadily kept in mind. The
followers of Bryan, under whatever
name, are still asserting that there has
been no real improvement. Men en-
gagged in business know better, but the
great majority of voters have no such
personal experience to guide them. A
million or more wage-earners whose
wages have been raised or who have
found employment after long idleness
know better. but there are millions who
have not that experience.
| Much use is made of the fact that the
buyers of goods, which came with a
great rush in September and early this
month, has not continued at the same
rate. This is as if farmer, after har-
esting the largest crop ever raised,
should think his business (prostrated
because he had no other crop ready.
1t takes time for the works and the
jobbers 10 produce and ship goods or
dered at the first round Of n big season,
and more time has to elap$e before the
distributing merchants find-out what
goods sell best and determine how large
additional supplies of each they may
need. The pause in new orders while
those already taken are being filled, is
not n stopplge of business, but the only
continuance that is healthful. There
would be good ground for fear of reac-
ton if men went wildly on buying with
out regard to the consuming demand, in
the idea that prices were sure TO adj
vance.
The volume of business actually trans
acted. as shown through payments at
it was in three weeks of September, and
yet is larger by about % per cent. than
il was in the latter part of July. The
daily average payments through the
principal clearing houses were Sl42 ,000,-
900 in March, S2OG.O00,0O0 in the entire
month Of September. and over S205. 0O0,-
600 in October thus far, and il may be
doubted whether any man who knows
anything about business imagincs that
such u change can have occurred with
out a general and great improvement,
compared with which the slight de-
crease in October is insignificant. As
the rush came this year in September,
but in most other years did not reach
its maximum until October, the com
parison with previous years is less en-
couraging than month ago, and yet
the payments in October thus far have
been only two per cent. smaller than in
the best fall month of 1892, the best
year in past history.
About the stock market there are
multitudes who grieve because all the
profits they expected have not been
realized. Stocks which they bought at
or near the top, as if certain prices
| would go on climbing every day and
every week, are now lower, and they
have sustained losses. Every great up
ward movement has of necessity such
periods of REIMBURSEMENT, in which the
capable can take profits and the in
, capable persist until they take losses.
| Last week, after all the depression
achieved by labored and prolonged eff
forts, prices began TO rise again, and.
though the rise was stubbornly resisted,
The average closed one dollar per share
higher for railroad stocks and S1.ls per
share higher for trust stocks than q
week ago. Whether the time has come
| for another sustained advance every
body must judge for himself, but the
! readiness Of prices TO rise when per-
mitted does not encourage the belief
+, that the end has been reached. The
| truth is that the country is on the road
toward prosperity, and, though the full
measure desired is not to be attained
in Il day or month or a quarter, it
will as far surrnss anticipations as the
gain since last March has surpassed the
dreams of the most hopefully. Y.
! Tribune.