The Washington times., 1909-09-04
PROSPERIIY'S ERA
HERE, SAYS DROOP
Capital Business Man Gives
Reason for Optimistic
Outlook.

Optimism as to the commercial fu-
ture Of Washington. specifically and the
country generally. is the keynote Of an
interview with Z. II. Droop. o. the piano
firm OF Z F. Droop Sons & Co. a mem
Der OF both Washington trade bodies
and the newly elected president OF the
National Association OF Piano Dealers
or the United states and Canada.
Prosperity is not en- route" said
Mr. Droop. 1T is already here. Evil
dences Of il may be seen on every hand.
and they have been becoming more and
more apparent for the past few
months. The country has before il the
promise Of a great revival commercially,
and Washington is going 10 set her full
quota OF the returning good times
Heavy Orders Placed.
For instance never in the history
OF the city perhaps have Washington
merchants placed orders so fearlessly.
What is true in my business I know
to be true in others, for I have talked
with business men who feel just as
confident that the better times are go
Ing to justify the heavy orders, both
for luxuries and commodities.
There IS a tendency on the Part Of
the buying public, and this also is re-
Elective Of commercial confidence, to buy
better things. People OF the middle class.
those neither very wealthy or quite
poor. you may say, enter business es-
adjustment and select the higher grade
articles. Every man judges more or
less by his own experience when con
sidering the question Of prosperity, and
l know that this tendency on the part
Of the buying public has been most
patent to me in my business-Rh ich now
has ceased to be the dealing ir Injuries.
but in commodities.
The people OF Westminster. with
money in their pockets and with an in
ner consciousness that the hard times
have flown, may be regarded somewhat
as the pulse of commercial prosperity
and that pulse beats strongly today
Obviously, you cannot cure a sick
man IN week or a month. The same
principles apply to recovery from the
effects But there is one gratifying fact.
The growth ssnce the days OF financial
depression has been a healthy one. We
have entered into better understanding
OF business affairs: we are more con-
sentative: the old days OF speculation
and extravaganza are slipping away and
the general moral tone, commercials
speaking, is better.
believe that never before has there
been a greater desire 10 deal honestly
and fairly with ona tanother, and the
principle that have always believed in
and been taught, t seems to me. is be-
ginning to prevail. That principle has
TO do with the golden rule and the
brotherhood of man in business as
we'll as other things.
Revertins to the days OF the panic
and our recovery from them, 1 am CON
hdent that the personality OF Theodore
Roosevelt. as well as that Of the best
man Tor the place who succeeded him, Is
really responsible for the better times
Of today. The American public owes a
debt of gratitude to Mr.. Roosevelt for
turning on the light so soon as he did
Era of Extravaganza.
I'VE were Lying in an era Of scatter
brain extravagances. II was apparent
in almost every business. no matter
how conservative. In some quarters it
was the day OF wildcat speculation and
corruption Roosevelt saw n ahead of
the rest OF them, and, being af,aid.-of
nothing on earth, ne turned the search
light on the rotten places and the re-
juvenation began We are now reaping
TO come sooner or later. The country
was commercially sick and there had
to be a period Of nausea President
Taft. his finger upon the public pulse.
is the logical man 10 carry out the
clean-cut policies of his predecessor and
to tone up the rebuilt country at large.
There is Just one local criticism that
have 10 make. We all know that
prosperity IS here. That cannot be
denied. yet 1t is generally left to a little
handful OF Washington merchants 10
reflect that feeling and to demonstrate
TO the outside world that Washington
has a part in it. regret to say that I
do not think there is proper appreciation
on the part Of the public as TO the
work, prompted by civic pride, that is
done BY those few business men
The incident expenses of every ceie-
bration, every civic event. that occurs
in Washington, comes from the pockets
OF few Of its business men, Washing
ton-the whole of Washington-wsntS
to wake up and pun together. Do not
leave IL 70 the handful OF men who take
the leading parts in the two trade
bodies. Let everybody do his share in
the pulling for the civic upiift Let
US ali get out Of the influence OF that
lethargic feeling of Oh. well, what's
the use. I guess somebody will see 10
it-and the Capital has the brightest
days in It's history before her.