Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-05-01
PROSPERITY AND ITS CONTINUANCE.

= i!e w d siliiiSlDH }ffoSt discusses IN a
hopeful way the outlook for the contin-
nance of prosperity 1t says.
Is the Industrial activity of the
country merely transient visitor or
has it come TO stay? This question is.
iafHrmatively answered by the railway
corporations in their declared purpose
TO spend $4,000 for new equipment
and for the extension Of their lines.
These corporations are. perhaps, the
best authorities as to- business condi-
lions and prospects. The. are the first
To feel and the last TO srecover from thu
effects of hard times. The panic OF 1895
bankrupted many of them, but since
1.-The industrial reyival set in they have
been, one after another, getting nut Of
the hands of receivers ard resuming
profitable activity Statistics Of railway
earnings for the first three months of
1900 show surprising gains. If anything
| in the way of big figures can surprise a
| people accustomed. for the past three
Years. to statistics of bank clsarances.
l3savings bank deposits, exports. in.
crease Of the gold supply, output of
factories, mines and farlns. tie like of
(which noaothe,ttime or nation ever Wit
messed. The increased gross earnings
of los system is given as follows
Firstfthrea months $780, . sl53, Sac. 99S
4 First three months 1899. 11S,Sl2.a59
Increase for 1900 .....i...5.... $50. OBJ .739
II is not To be expected that the times
Twill always be. increasingly or uniform
IlN good. That is mt the way Of human
! affairs. Even it conditions in the
limited States are not adversely af-
\ fected by domestic occurrences, they
are somewhat a the mercy Of foreign
4 events quite beyond our control. The
1relations between demand and supply
can not be sofregulated that we can al
\ ways find a profitable market for all
that we produce. We could not contin-
4 ue to prosper If the nations to which we
4 sell our wares We're suffering ADVERSE
5lty. for the consuming capacity of ma
s,.tion. like that of the individual or fam
4 lily, is proportioned to the purse. But
4 1t Is a demonstrable fact that this
4 country has, in existing conditions, a
lguarantee against a recurrence of such
/ a terrible depression as that of 1873 or
4 1893. We have it in the vastly in
4 creased solidity of our finances result
ing from a settlement of foreign in
4 debtedness and Importation of gold in
payment for our exports. We have ii
lin the mmeasurable superiority Of oul
natural resources. We are the worlds
headquarters for iron and cotton. and
4 these two great staples would alone sc
4 far toward staving off hard times. We
4 are not only ahead of all rivals in ag-
riculture and mining, but are fast dis
tancing competition in nearly all lines
Iof manufacture. Our machinery is the
i best in the world. In all this we have
Ian assurance that hard times can not
4 again paralyze our industries and
wreck our hopes as did either of the
4 two great crises of the last thirty years
Believing this the railway companies
are preparing to meet the demands OF
\ increased business. They will expend
i $50, 1000 this year. In this connection
/ we venture to suggest to those of our
4 readers who revel in statistics that II
would be interesting TO compare the to.
4 tai value Of the railways In the United