The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-10-10
Is THE COUNTRY PRosPERoUsp

Is THE COUNTRY PRosPERoUsp
To raise the question whether the
country Is prosperous or not is perhaps
a suggestion of doubt, and one doing so
takes the hazard Of being regarded by
some as disoyal.
In the campaign Of 1896 there were
confident predictions and positive prom
Uses that prosperity would be immediate
and immense as soon as Mckinley and
the Republican party were indicted into
power. Since that event the prophets
and promisers have continually asserted
that the country is prosperous. or, in
other words, If there has not been real
prosperity, the manufactured article has
been abundant.
We are neither optimistic nor pessi-
mistic, believing 1t to be better to take
the true measure of conditions as they
exist AS 1t is with all true Americans.
we are anxious that there should be
prosperity in high degree, and when 1t
appears we shall greet 1t joyfully and
lovingly, without regard to the source
from which 1t proceeds; but we shall at
tribute 1t to the true cause, Invested Of
all party pretudices and partialities.
There has been and Is animation and
enlargement in the iron industry. The
country had economical for years in the
consumption of iron products until
stocks were exhausted or had run very
low, and the time arrived when the de-
mand became imperative and inordin-
ately large. The war added materially
to that demand. We are glad that the
industry is flourishing, and hope that 1t
will continue. but the iron industry is in
considerable compared to the many other
and vaster Industries of the country. The
prosperity of million or two contrib
utes orly partially to the prosperity of
the seventy or more other millions of
people.
When the price Of wheat rose it made
us happy, as it did all good Americans,
but we We're unable to see that it was
direct result OF McKinley's election,
though it was strongly affirmed that that
was the real and only cause. We sup
posed tnat>the cause was failure of crops
in India AID australia and diminished
crops In Europe and Argentina, but by
those who shouted dollar wheat" We
were told that we were mistaken.
Now the price of wheat has re-
ceded to almost sths lowest point it ever
reached, in fact, has gone down until
bushel is worth Just about as much as
an ounce Of bar silver, or as the fifty
cent silver dollar. Inascribing the cause
for this we find ourselves in accord for
once with the former shouters for dol
lar wheat" We do not. see that, if the
Republican party and Mckinley were
Justly entitled to be glorified for causing
the price of wheat to go up.one year ago,
they should not be held responsible for
the recent decline. 1t Is said to be "a
poor rule that won't work both ways"
but we are reminded by the dollar
wheat" songsters that there are excep-
lions to all rules. They say that in all
tIIcIe are piChoihCAeh iAiSAPiiSo-
BILE by any rule of logic, and that the
cause of wheats going up year ago, and
It's going down now, is exceptional and
belongs to the class of inexplicable phs-
nomena. These same people now say
that the price of wheat has gone down
because there is abundant production
in those countries where a year ago
there was a deficiency, and foreign de-
mand has largely fallen off.
The economists in an unbroken line
maintain that the basis of general pros
perity is the prosperity of agriculture.
which is proposition so self-evident
that we hardly think Hanna. Mckinley
and the others will dispute it. There
fore we notice with pain the present low
prices of wheat, corn, cotton and WOOL
Neither the Dingley tariff law nor the
war seems to have had a favorable in
luence upon the great agricultural in
terests of the country.
AS opening the mills has not accom-
plished what was predicted and prom
Used, we suggest trying the experiment
of opening the minis. All has been done
that can be by legislation to open the
mills. The mills must have consumers
Of their products and consumption will
only be enlarged by rendering agricul-
ture prosperous. The mills and the minis
should be landmarks to each other Let
us see what that will do towards i'm
proving the conditions Of agriculture.
Let us apply remedies to the basis of
prosperity instead of expanding our en-
ergies in ornamenting the apex.
A WIRELESS STREET FUTURE
The improved appearance of orr