The Elbert County tribune., 1906-01-11

Nowhere on the horizon is there
visible a cloud of doubt that next year
will be as generous-handed as has the
year whose bell has just tolled. All
records OF prosperity for this and for
any other country have been broken
by the harvests, manufacturers and
the commerce of the United States
of America for the twelve months
which now have slipped finally into
the past
The North has had a prosperity in
which the West has shared. and the
South simply is fat with plenty. No
principal crop in the United States
has failed For the. bushel sown, the
earth has returned its twenty fold. 1t
Is not necessary TO give the figures
In order that the great fact may be
grasped. In all the staples Of life the
year has broken the record of yield.
II is possible that In the case of cot
ton an exception should be made. but
OF the southern staple there has been
production as large as the people of
the cotton-growing sections could
have wished. The prices are high;
one has a share of the selling price.
The Secretary OF Agriculture has
said that the well-being of the Ameri-
can farmer is a matter of the pro-
foundest interest to the entire coun-
try. He might have gone farther and
have said that the well-being of the
entire country depends upon the we'll
being of the American farmer. 1t has
been year of unsurpassed prosperity
20 the agriculturists of the country.
Production has been unequaled, and
as the wealth and the happiness of
all depend upon that which springs
from the ground. we go back to the
basis and the proper place for the
prophecy of happiness when we stand
upon the farm.
BY the time that the new year has
run half its course 1t is probable that
there Will be a fuller and better un-
derstanding between the sister coun-
tries of North and South America.
The third conference of the pan
American states is to be held in Bra
zil. and there the Secretary of State
of the greatest of the American coun-
tries will meet with the officials of
the smaller republics. and out of their
conferences and discussions it is be-
lieved will come plans which, when
put, to the working test. will make Sc
cure upon a firm foundation the peace
Of two continents.
1t is probable that before the first
session of the Fifty-ninth Congress
sees the day of adjournment that a
national quarantine law will be passed
which will reduce to minimum the
danger of yellow fever epidemics in
the South.
It is probable that before the new
year becomes an old year two stars
will be added to the flag of the United
States. Arizona and New Mexico. join
ed to become one state. and Okla
homa and Indian Territory, Joined. to
become the other When this end is
accomplished. there will be no terri
tories left in the Union, ard the year
1906 will go down in history as the
year which saw the fulfillment of the
dream of the fathers.
To go again into the immediate past
Il may be said for the last of the old
years that 1t saw the making of a rec
ord for American commerce in both
matters of exports and of imports.
The year 1904 produced the first bill
lion dollar record for imports; the
year 1905. saw a material increase,
and during each one of its twelve
months the value of the imports
amounted to practically $100,000,000.
against an average Of less than half
that amount only a score of years ago.
The exports OF the United States.
as an official puts 1t. never touched
the billion dollar mark until the year
1895, and have never in any calendar
year been as much as billion and a
half dollars in value; but, this year
they have considerably exceeded that
figure and will approximate a value
of $1,600.000, 900" None of the Of
ficials who make study of trade con-
ditions has been able to discover any
thing in the future which should pre-
commerce of the United States dur
ing the coming year.
The manufactures of the country in
creased their share during the last
year in both imports and exports Of
the United States. The increase in
the importation of manufacturers ma
terials In the ten months ending Nov
i. 1905. amounted to sS1 100000, an
increase of 81 per cent over the cor
responding period of last year, while
the increase in all other imports
amounted to but s54.000,000. an in
crease of 12 per cent over the CORE
spending months of 1904.
In the matter of exports of manu-
factures the value of increase during
ten months of 1905 was S5S,000, 900,
an Increase of Ia per cent, while the
gain of all other exports was about
$50 100000. an increase of 7 per cent