Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1898-12-29

the case referred to. The Watchman
is angered because it finds itself
cornered by facts, and in its endeayor
to escape does not hesitate TO use the
most despicable methods. This is no
new course for it, and it is not sur
prising that under such crazy pilotage
it is rapidly approaching condition
that will forever point out warning
to the "cut-and-slashn style Of Journal
lists, if such other there be, in Yer
mont.
We hear very little Of late about
hard times, beyond the complaint that
some people always make. 1t is be-
yond question that the great business
depression of '93 has passed away
Industry has revived, labor is en-
ployed, capital is receiving fair re-
turns. On the whole. the people are
contented--as near AS they ever viii
be, perhaps. What has caused the re-
yival may be a matter of dispute, but
J the fact no one win deny. Undoubted-
~ a great deal is due to the immense
wheat and grain crops of the past two
years and the shortage in other see
tons. bringing the quotations up to a
generous figure. As result, the
western farmer has been brought up
from the slough of despond to the
pinnacle of prosperity. The West is
booming again, as of old. Debt has
been swept away, in large measure,
and there has been broadening out
that has created new demand for the
products of other centres. The inter-
change of these has made railroad
traffic immense and given employment
to thousands in handling, as well as
making the articles There has come
since the Inauguration of Mckinley
perhaps because of tia renewed conf
dcncc in the safety and stability of our
currency that has led to new invest
ments on a large scale. We hear no
more about the danger of debts being
paid in deprecated money. no more
about the depleted surplus in the.
treasury. The gold reserve does not
have to be restored from time to time
by bond issues, adding to our national
debt. We have fought foreign war
to most successful issue with no loss
or impairment of our financial pres
tige, but rather gain throughout Its
close finds us in a state of wonderful
prosperity, to judge by the figures at
hand. The country has done a very
much larger volume of business the
past year than ever before, rs clearing
house reports show. Never before
have our exports reached anything like
the enormous figures of the eleven
completed months of '9S. For the
year they will reach billion and a
quarter of dollars, or more than those
of any other country. We lead Great
Britain for the first time. Not since
'92 have the figures approached this
amount. and then they fell far short. |
Our imports are only about half of our
exports in amount, showing that we are
selling more and buying less outside
than ever before, so that the difference,
known as the balance of trade, is in |
our favor by about six hundred mil
lions. This is not all to be regarded |
as profit, for there are other items that |
enter, but it explains why gold is COM
ing our way at the rate of hundred |
and fifty millions year. An en-
couraging feature is that large pro-
portion of our exports are of manufac-
tured articles. indicating our ability
to enter the worlds markets and COM
pete in these lines with even the pau
per labor of Europe. This prosperity
is not yet diffnsed evenly over the en-
tire country, but it is in evidence
everywhere, and nowhere more than
in the improved popular feeling. There
is little disposition to croak and most
everyone is doing his part to push the
good thing along. The experience of
the past few years win not have been
advantage if it has taught peo-
pie habits of industry and frugality
and disposition to have the ledger
balance on the right side.
Taha Eoeu Coo1 j