Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1899-04-11
Why Are We Not In It?

Sunday week was a day of moods. It |
rained and bowed and showed, lightning
flashed and thunder rolled, the day wind
ing up with squali, at which the sun
got red in the face as it closed the scene.
The morning opened at 50 degrees of
temperature, falling to 80 at evening and
80 at night. 1t was dayo changes, but
these changes were from above. where
all things work for good. Now we will
come below, and we read the papers from
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and
Chicago, We find great changes are
existing at the present time, great de-
gree of prosperity, as compared with last
year and the phenomenal business year
of 1902 The Weekly Review of Trade,
New York. says that payments through
the principle clearing houses for the past
week have been 81 per cent. greater than
in 1892, and as per cent greater than in
1905 The February exports of manu-
featured products have about doubled
since 1892, the merchandise exports ex-
coed imports for the month Sss, 6e4, III,
and all realize that the volume of bust
ness in all branches is the greatest ever
known. The national prosperity rests
on solid foundations, the gold supply is
increasing, and there appears no occa-
sion for monetary disturbances.
Now if such rosy statement in respect
to the state of trade and the national
prosperity be true-and figures, it is said,
won't lie, unless wrongly put down-it
would certainly be a good time to push
up the prices of farm products notch or
two, so that the greatest, most extensive
and most important industry of our coun-
try might feel little, at least, of the
pructifying and regenerating spirit ofthe
BUSINESS situation as it flows along the
speculative channels of stock and a few
choice lines of trade. Our farmers want
this to the end that the uplift may en-
courage them to more cheerfulness as they
plod along the burrows on the hilltops
and bottom lands OF their humiliation-as
many look at it; our merchants need it,
and the small manufacturers, tradesmen,
professional people and workers all along
the line of the varied industries are wait
ing and wondering why they too are not
in this new vortex of prosperity.
What is the matter with this wonderful
anomaly of business influx that it don't
benefit one tenth of the people? Is it
caused by the monied people who are
specializing in stocks, by the mania for
trusts which has broken ont with violent
effort to pile immense volumes of capital
in narrow lines by the spectators, who
never want settling day to come; or
the war and acquisitions, or politics, or
what is it? Let it be what it may, there
certainly will be day of judgmentsom
time and somewhere that will even things
up, if one or two lines of business get so
strangely out of proportion to the general
welfare of the whole. Let us take a
hopeful view, however, and condescend-
ingly wait and pray that these flashes of
business electricity may by some new
ways of legerdemain ultimately-and
quickly, before they ssipate-bnrst their
narrow bounds and encircle and illumine
the whole business realm. In the mean
time it may possibly be better to bask in
the effulgent sunlight of hope than cover
in the darkness of despair. S. ]. B.