Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-03-29
IT IS AN OBSTACLE.
Uncertainty Of Outcome with Spain
flinders Business.
NO GROUND FOR PANIC EXISTING.
stock Operators Make the Most OF
Warlike Reports, But Gain Little
Advantage Therefrom - Slight
Room for a Dismal View.

New York, March 26.--R. @. Dun &
Co. in their weekly review Of trade say:
"a waiting state of things always him
ders business to some extent. With more
than $S4 900 gold received or on Its way
since this movement began. with ample
bank reserves and treasury reserves. and
redemption of notes In all ways nearly a
third smaller in February to date, with no
stringency on the money market and ater-
ling exchange weak, with the volume Of
business at clearing houses outside New
York larger than In 1892 by SO per cent
this month, and with failures nearly 30 per
cent. smaller than last year and 81 per cent.
smaller than in the same month Of 1892,
/ there Is not much visible ground for panic,
even II earnest efforts should fail to keep
pace with honor. Warlike reports come
every day, and stock operators make the
| most of them, and yet the average Of prices
| of railroad stocks Is $500, againgt s5S.
| tions been perceptibly affected except
| where industrial buying Tor some weeks
past has made necessary pause for breath,
40 to spsAk, or where unnatural prices had
,.n.., .'' ''''Fs g: ssf s: ;p 6 f
Maine. Some decreas.
ments would be expected with Wa.
parently near, but as yet scarcely any in
dication of decrease for that reason is SEEN
the nation is surprising all records in mar
keting products. Atlantic exports of wheat
for the week have been 2160, 800 bushels
against 1,272,2S6 bushels last year, and In
four weeks 9,S02514 bushels flour inc1uded),
against 5.l03,427 bushels last year. The
price has declined 2b cents. but the heavy
shipments and contracts for export are
having constant influence. Corn has de-
clined only small fraction, with exports
not sixth lower than year ago to date.
me iron and steel Industry Is more fully
employed than ever before In TIA history
and although production of Bessemer pie
IS beyond all precedent. the price advances,
and billets are still bought in open market
by some of the largest producers. Other
pig IS steady In price. and no decline appears
IN nnished products excepting steel plates
at the east
Failures for the week have been ISL in
the United States. against 2sl last year.
ana Il In Canada. against 80 last year"
Bradstreet's says:
The favorable features of the weak IN
distributive trade have been the renort.
coming. with few exceptions from all "a rita
OF the west and northwest, and marred
only by the check to business and sbIn-
m caused by heavy rains and high water
IN the Ohio valley. The unsettled oondi-
ton OF our relations with Spain IL ored-
lteo with exercising some effect upon i'm
mediate demands and upon future under
4aklngs IN the eastern portion Of the ooun.
Try. But the two industries, cotton and
WOODEN. most complaining are those in
which conditions other than foreign DOM
plcations have for some time past been
working toward depression The condition
OF the iron and steel trade is ono which
sxcites satisfaction and almost surprise,
FROM number Of widely separated seq
lions the report comes Of unprecedented
activity in nearly all branches Of the trade.
Inc price situation this week Ia notable
IN showing decreases more numerous than
Tor some time past. This, Of course. In
ciudes many lines in which speculation
plays prominent part. The passing Of
the cold wave. with little or no reported
damage to the growing winter wheat.
coupled with the general forward condition
OF agricultural matters and the anticipated
neavy acreage In spring wheat, il cred
ited with much Of the depressing influence
manifested In cereals this week. AIDING
TINS, OF course. is the encouragement q
speculation by the strong statistical posi-
ton OF the immediate wheat supplies and
as to our political relations"