The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1906-01-12

1t mas been a year oil gIStenlng ma
tiOnal prosperity and its brightness is
reflected into the year that is to come.
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 haryeSts, manufacturers and
The commerce of the United States
Of America for the twelve months
which ROW have SLIPPED finally into
the past
The North has he! 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 th. bushel sown, the
earth has returned its twenty fold. 1t
IS not necessary % give the figures
in order that The great fact may be
grasped In all the staples of life the
Eear has broken the record of Yield.
1t j, possible that in the case of cot
tn an exception should be made, but
o. the southern staple there has been
9 production as large as th2 people Of
the C0-tOngIOWiug sections Could
I've wished. The prices are high;
everyone had some cotton and every
ne has a share OF the selling price.
The Secretary Of Agriculture has
sid that the weli-bcing Of the Amer.
can farmer is q matter of the pro-
fJunlest interest to the entire cOun.
%rv. H might have gone farther and
have said that the wcll-being OF the
entire country depends upon the we'll
being of he 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 60 back to the
basis and the proper place for the
prophecy If happiness when we stand
upon the farm.
By the time that the new year has
run half its course it is probable that
there will be a fuller and better un-
Outstanding between the sister cOun-
tries Of North and South America.
The third conference of the pan.
American states is TO he held In Bra
I'll, 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-
lieyed will come plans which, when
put to the working lest, will make Sc
cure upon 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 a minimum the
danger OF yellow fever epidemics in
the South.
1t 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
gear which saw the fuifillment of the
dream Of the fathers.
To go again into the immediate past
1t may be said for the last of the old
years that it saw the making of 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 $10O,OO0.00O.
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 it, never touched
the billion dollar mark until the year
1895. and have never in any calendar
year been as much as a billion and
half dollars in value; but, this year
they have considerably exceeded that
figure and will approximate value
of $1,600,000, 900" None of the of,
ficialS who make a study of trade con-
Gtions has been able to discover any
Thing In the future which should pre-
vent a like marvellous growth of the
commerce OF the United States dur
ing the coming year. Co."
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
terlals in the ten months ending Nov.
j, 1905. amounted to ISL, 900 geo. an
increase of Il per cent over the cor
responding period of last year, while
the increase in all other imports
amounted to but $54,000,O00. an in.
crease of II per cent over the CORE
cnnndiOur ~