The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1908-03-13
BUSINESS CONDITIONS.
The Whole Country IL Leaning on
the Farmer.

There ere. according TO the reports
10 the railroads. 100000 cars and hun.
dreds of engines idle. whereas a year
ago there were not enough 10 carry
the freight offered Such aE enormous
shriukage Of business on the railroads
Is a pretty good barometer Of business
depression elsewhere. Another indi-
cation of business stagnation Is the
iron trade. which only produced lit.
tie over 100000 tons Of pig iron
In January compared with $500.
600 tons In October But as a
trust controls the iron industry u Is no
longer as reliable a trade barometer
as IL used To- be-. The steel trust. In
spite of the falling on Ia the demand
for Co. products. has determined 20
maintain prices. Before the organlza-
ton of the steel trust the price Of iron
and steel was gagged by supply and
demand. and in times of business dis
tress The price OF steel products FOL
lowed closely the price OF other com.
mobiles.
lmporiatlons of merchandise al New
York have dropped ~ per cent In
January as compared with December.
There Del also curtailment of produc-
ton in nearly an Industries Of from 20
% % per cent. and declines Ia values
of no Co 20 per cent In many manu-
| featured products Economy % preva.
| lent aud many workmen are cut Of a
/ job
These are not pleasing facts. but Il
Is no use 90 conceal them In looking
forward % what will come. business
cannot much revive until the process
/ of roadiustment is completed from the
/ changed conditions from the boom
| times to the present liquidation. The
/ great trusts are fighting against this
| rcadiustmont aud are stralning every
nerve Co hold up the price % their
/ products. They probably know that
/ this EFFORT retards a return 90 prosper
| ity. for lower prices are needed 20 In.
l duce greater consumption. but being
/ protected bog the tarin they can com
pei the people 90 sim pay the price OF
/ prosperity without participating Ia T.
The managers Of the great trusts
are all Republicans. they have been
| fostered by Republican tariff legisla
tion and they desire 10 keep the Re.
| publican party ia power. To reduce
the price 40 their products they would
have Co lower wages. and that just be
fore a national election would be like
Do Co lead 20 disaster 10 the party
which protects them. They, therefore.
prefer 90 run their furnaces ON half
or onethird time than 90 increase
their output and reduce prices and
wages They hope 90 control their
vorkmen by Keeping them ON half
time better than By more work and
reduced pay
There d. one redeeming feature that
appears 90 Offset these discouraging
facts. The price ~ farm products con
tinucs fairly rcmuneratiye. so that
whereas there Is much poverty Ia the
cities there o. plenty on the farms
/ 20 o. appalling 20 think OF what condt
tions would now BE- 10 there had been
crop failure the past year OF any of
the leading agricultural products
The whole country o. now leaning on
the farmers and those who look ahead
for signs 20 the times are fixing their
gaze ON what the promise of the next
| crops will be-. both here and abroad
for good or bad crops will decide the
business future Of the country Tor the
next year at least.
Meanwhile. the trusts and Other
tau1 protected interests are bleeding
the farmers 40 every pore. FOR no one
else can afford 90 buy trust product,
In any quantity on account 81 hiEl
trust prices 10 the present Repub
lican congress had revised the tariff
80 that the protected monopolisti
would feel the competition from
abroad the farmers. az least would b,
saving millions "a month which d. nov
absorbed by the trusts. ~ you want
Co know What Do g'ing 20 happen keeT
your eyes fixed on the weather mai
and the farmers.