Graham guardian., 1911-04-21
APRIL 2l. 1911.
OZARK" DAYS

DARK" DAYS
From many cities come reports
of the 'darkening" of theaters IN
honor of Holy Week. always ac-
companied by a sort of foot note to
the effect that the managements are
glad of a chance to close because OF
continuously rotten" business. No
business in the country has been so
persistently bad for two or even
three years as the show business.
New York reports an unmltigated
frost" for that length Of time.
The managers blame it all upon the
moving picture shows, but that isn't
the cause. The cause is that the
people have no money, that the
prosperity talk is all sheer lying.
The people are cutting out their
pleasures. If you want a sign that
there is no one blowing money away,
look at the record of total sales on
the stock exchanges. People are
not buying anything these days, but
automobiles, and many OF them, II
we are to believe reports, are going
into debt to make those purchases.
Needless to say, automobile mort
cages cannot be regarded as symp-
toms of prosperity for the pur-
chasers of the machines. The plain
truth is that there never was such
universal talk of hard times since
1907. as there is now. What makes
it worse is that the natural condi-
tions as to the country's real wealth
are all right. The tightness is an
artificial affair. 1t begins to wear
the aspect of deliberately con-
trived squeeze in the interest OF
those interests which hope thereby
to put a stop to the regulation OF
business by the government. The
beneficiaries of the tariff are tight
ening up to show the country what
the mere talk of revision can bring
on in the way of stringency. The
railroads have stopped their talk Of
improvements, because the Inter-
state Commerce Commission woulc
not let them raise their freight rates
Corporation stocks go slumping be-
cause cities will insist on regu
lating franchises. The steel mills
proclaim that they cannot operate
because the people won't let th'
railroads have their own way ant
the railroads will not buy rails ant
equipment. Moreover, there arise
lament over the high wages ex
torted by organized labor from tn
great corporations. The big banks
which are beginning to own tn
railroads, are not letting out thei
money. The tracks are blocke,
with trains of 'empties," for eac
road is sending back its empties be
longing to other roads, to save tn
rent of 35 cents day for each car
The increase of empties and the d.
crease of loaded cars passing throug
a gateway like St. Louis is some
thing almost appalling. And yet til
crop reports and prospects are a
good. There seems to be no reaso
for the pinch except that the FEY
men who have control of the sluic'
ways of money will not let Il
money flow among the people. Al
yet you will hear ordinarily sal
people saying that this is what 9
ways happens when the democra
come into power hard times. II
democrats always scare bushes
Such folly! The mere fact that Il
big business interests are able tn
concertedly to bring about stringe
cies because they cannot do ever
thing they wish, because they don
like this tax or that regulatio
shows the evil of their concentrate
power. Their use of their pow'
over money to coerce legislature
Congress. courts and people in
alan io0ins efforts at regulatio
sApNs tina, the regulation is We