The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-09-23
HILL breaches PROSPERITY
Says the Country is All Right and no Rea-
son Exists for a Calamity Howl


the Father Of the Northwest" cannot
see why the business men of the coun.
try should at present fear to engage in
new enterprises, nor can he see any
reason whatever for the semi-paralysis
which is gradually creeping over the
United States.
It's only a senseless lack of conf
dence," said Mr.. Hill, in an interview
just given out. And why this lack ol
confdence2 Some man, somewhere,
has grown timid over something OF
other and has cried boo at his neigh
Dor. His neighbor probably jumped
and the next fellow took fright without
knowing why he was frightened. And
so on. It's just like flock of sheep.
If one starts to run, every sheep in the
flock will follow, even if they die for it.
During this big national conserva-
tion congress we have talked about
conserving water and conserving land;
conserving coal and conserving iron.
It's too bad somebody didn't say a
word about conserving common sense.
That's what this country needs
right now-to conserve common sense.
There's an article by Col. George Har-
vey in the September North American
Review dealing with the Conservation
of Common Sense that we'll illustrates
the business condition of this country
right now and gives as the panacea for
the business paralysis, the suggestion
that our business men use little COM
mon sense-just ordinary sound com
mon sense. 1 wish business men
everywhere would take that advice.
1 can see no reason for the fears
which seem to possess our business
men. I have preached return to
the farm policy for years and expect to
continue to do SO; but that's no reason
for fear on the part of business. Money
and business are, of course, very care
full and it is right that they should be,
but not to the extent of cutting off
their noses to spite their faces. Es-
pecially when it is so unnecessary, and
they need the noses, too.
Here's a little except which, to
my mind, bears down hard and strikes
at the core of our present ills:
In the disestablishmen of credit
we find the most obvious cause of the
prevailing depression. The link that
connects labor with capital is not
broken, but we may not deny that it is
less cohesive than it should be or than
conditions warrant. Financially, the
country is stronger than ever before in
its history. Recovery from panic so
severe as that of three years ago was
never before so prompt and compare
lively complete. The masses are
practically free from debt. Money is
held by the banks in abundance and
rates are low.
Why then does capital pause upon
the threshold of investment The an
swer we believe to be plain. 1t awaits
adjustment of the relations of govern
ment to business. Such at any rate is
the plea, and pressure is constantly
brought to bear upon executives and
courts to make haste-haste which, in
our judgment, would result in less
speed. Great complications growing
out OF nightly changed conditions call
for the most serious consideration. To
settle grave question offhand is only
to invite disaster. Better not settle it
at all until reasonable certainty can
be felt that it can be settled right.
Stability is ever capitals primary re-
quirement. But the adjustment which
it now demands cannot be effected in
a month or a year, and never can or
should be complete. Elasticity is the
prime requisite of changes essential to
development.
6 But capital is notoriously timid.
In the present instance, too, it is abso-
lutely foolish. No decision of any
court can permanently impair any So
called vested interest. Confiscation is
undreamed Of, as compared with only a
few years ago. The disintegration Of
properties does not involve their de-
struction. Moreover, the sharp revolt
against all combinations that
achieve great good no less than those
that work injury-is clearly yielding to
study and reason. No sane person
now maintains that business, especially
manufacturing, can or should be done
as it was done half century ago. In
a broad sense the day of the individual
competitor is past, but the opportunity
of the individual remains even wider
within the corporation. The sole prob