The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-23

Those who come in close contact with the
general activity which pervades all lines Of
business and industry in every part of the
country must have come to the conclusion
that prosperity has its Inconvenience and
even its positive disadvantages. Thousands
of men, impatient to complete buildings
in which to extend their industries have
found themselves brought to a standstill
because orders for iron or other material
cannot be filled. Others who have been
vexed by the persistence of agents repre-
senting competing machine-making houses
suddenly discover. just when they want new
machinery, that their orders cannot be
filed for months, and when filled it must
be at prices far above those they were
urged, indeed entreated, TO offer a few
months ago. Now they must stand mac
tive while the procession of prosperity
passes in review. Rival agents who have
been contending with each other for bits of
transportation have suddenly found enough
to do, so that the shipper who
goes to haggle over prices is told
that he cannot have the car he
needs until some day next week. He
has never heard of a car famine in all these
years, but now thousands Of men cannot
sell their goods because they cannot ship
them. So it comes about hat those who
were in despair five years ago because of
accommodating stocks and shrinking prices
are now vexed because of the incon-
veniences which prosperity has brought.
For years those who employ labor have
been turning away those who seek work.
Many of these have found the need of a
few more workers, and, after inquiry, seem
astonished that those who were seeking
employment anxiously have disappeared and
that labor, which had so long been in ex-
cess of the demand. has to be sought and
in some sections is so scarce that the
hitherto unheard-of phrase labor famine
has been invented. Even the hobo finds
prosperity an inconvenience in that when
he applies for 'the price of a meal to break
a long fast he is CURLY told to go and find
work, of which there is enough and to
spare.
Even those people who plan to secure
their personal comfort above all else find
that prosperity has its inconvenience. The
| orders which they place at the usual period
before delivery of their goods cannot be
filled with the customary promptness. The
coatmaker and the dressmaker and all the
help they can get are far behind their or
ders. The telephone message for "a middle
section is answered that only 'uppers''
are left in the Pullmans on the day re-
quired. Instead of the comfort of a half
filled car is the discomfort of a crowd. II
a traveller visits Eastern cities Just now he
is likely as not to be informed that there
Is not a vacant room in the house when he
| goes to his usual hotel. All sorts of organi-
| cations, useful and ornamental, are holding
annual conventions. with attendance so be-
| yond precedent that public conveyances and
| hostelries are crowded. Those who are not
on the wing are so very lazy that they
cannot move. Prosperity has multiplied the
number of those who can employ servants,
resulting in a demand in excess of the sup
| ply. so that discomfort and bad housekeep-
ing pervade many servantless homes in
which there were quiet and happiness in the
good old hard times of the calamityite.
Indeed. there Is reason TO believe that
people generally never suffered so many in
conveniences and deprivations as since the
marvellous era of prospei ~ set in. The
calamityite should improve upon the occa.
sion by going up and down the land setting
forth the inconvenience and even the hard
ships Of prosperity and extolling the bless.
edness OF periods when people had less to
spend and much less to do. He could pa.
thetically appeal to all Of US to rebel agains,
the bondage of having too much to do which
has been forced upon us by prosperity.
In a murder trial at Richmond som days
ago a prominent attorney VIII is wei
known over the State as well as in his owl