Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-03-01
at'ashia9ton Standara
OLYMPIA, WaNGI.
FRIDAY MORNING, MiECIl I. 1907.
Forebodings and Conditions.

Forebodings and Conditions.
Hill. the Railroad President. is
again INDUCING in his pcssimistic
forcbodinmS. \ few months ago. it
was excess of population IN the dim
future that made him rcpine: it is
now IL recession of business, as he
calls it. that causes him to feel dis
h,artcnrd. The masses. he predicts.
will suffer from a general policy Of
rrtr,nchmcnt Less money will he
spent on new works. and this he
thinks will hr felt very soon in the
falling oil OF orders. 1t has already
begun. he says. in Chicago. The
railroads are curtailing their ex-
pcnscs. On his own lines. the work
under way will be finished and that
will be- all He further says:
This movement toward economy is
scarcely preceptible. but it should be
sufficient To relieve the strain from con-
gcsted business. In a way it is a good
thing. 1t is better so, as the curtailment
is gradual. Otherwise there might be
sudden slump with serious results.
The first tendency is toward the curtail-
mcnt OF Injuries. Then there will be a
falling off in the amount OF manufactured
articles. This will continue during the
future, the year 1908 may he hard one
and many men may be out Of employ
ment.
An article in the O,,goni,,n of the
24th. under the suggestive title,
Taking Heed of the Warming" is
in the same train of thought. 1t
notes the fact that banks are holding
tight rein on borrowers and are
taking no chances, but finds CLEAN
Of comfort in the thought that this
conservative policy may do much
towards heading off the threatened
relapse that always accompanies too
much prosperity, the partisan patois
for high-preSSure methods of bust
ness. This distrust has, however,
extended to foreign investors, which
may possibly, it infers, start reac-
ton that will find unintentional aid
in the unwiSe clamOr of labor for
concessions that changing conditions
have rendered impossible. With the
collaterals behind all legitimate en-
terprises, a knowledge of the neces-
sity for union of effort to sustain
enterprise as well as labor, a cOnser-
vative course pursued by our bust
ness men as well as by capitalists
and bankers, the emergency may be
met and passed over without panic
or serious stagnation of business.
AS an instance of the condition which
confronts capital, it is noted that
the contract price on the Milwau-
kee roads extension to the Sound,
through the Rocky mountain tunnel
is IS per cent. more than the cost of
the Northern Pacific tunnel, of about
the same length, built through the
Cascades, about twenty years ago.
All other branches show similar in
crease in cost. What is needed is
brain and Drawn to work in harmony
for common safety, by keeping en-
terprise moving along with reason
able life-sustaining progress.
In this connection it may not be
undressing to note what DR.. New
ell Dwight Hills, a renowned New
York divine, lately said while on
visit West, to the people of Belling-
ham, on the matter of railroad stag
nation of several months duration
and not yet over. He declares that
it is the opinion of himself, and many
Others who have given the subject
much consideration, that the cause
may be attributable in a large degree
to failure to comprehend the mag
nitude of the demand that was being
made upon their resources, the un-
precedented condition of traffic when
brought in conflict with climatic con-
ditions that are likely to prevail, in
whole or in part, at any time, in
some district of our widespread cOun-
try. He says that Both the bust
ness of the county and the railroads
themselves have Outgrown the abil-
ity of the men in charge. What the
situation requires more than any,
thing else is competent men at the
heads of the railroads. The man who
was an efficient railway president
twenty years ago, or even ten years
ago, is back number now"
This is probably the truth, bluntly
stated. The eminent success of rail-
roads, under exceedingly favorable
conditions, has inspired the public
with confidence in their management,
when it might more properly have
been attributed to a steady and in
creasing demand from national devel-
opment of the country, due in large
measure to opening up this very ra-
pid and effective means of growth.
1t would seem that the experience
of the past few months should lead
to as much activity as is necessary to
place the railroad systems in a condi-
ton to handle the business and to
formulate plans, in connection with
shippers, so as to guard against fu-
ture scarcity of staple commodities
from a weather blockade. If it be
true, as DIR. Hills says, that the rail
business has outgrown the ability
of the men in CHARGE" as the gloomy
anticipations of Mr.. Hill seem to
indicate, and there is to be no effort
made to better conditions, then in
deed the matter is serious. What is
needed now, is administrative ability
to forsee possible conditions and pro-
vide means and activities for making
it impossible to precipitate another
fuel famine or food scarcity that may
attain and maintain for months the
nature of public calamity.
LOOKS WARLIKE.-Uncle Sam is
about to send seven battleships, with
a complement of cruisers and auxil-
iaries, to the Pacific Coast, and pro.
vide extra coaling stations. The
deet will be distributed along the
coasts of Washington, Oregon and
California. The Philippines and Ha.
waiian Islands are, of course, outside
the pale of defense, with the navy we
have, which but demonstrates the
wisdom of the statesmen who many
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