The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-17
South and West Prosperous
Business Men Declare.
Corn Now Becoming Popular
Crop of Dixie.
FEW MORTGAGES ARE GIVEN
Interest Rate Low in Middle
West Now.
Reason to Hope for Good Year,
Holland Says.

New York, Feb. 17.-Almost every
one who is familiar with business con-
ditions in the middle west and who
has recently visited New York has
brought encouraging reports of con-
dltions now prevailing in that part of
the country. Mr.. B. F. Yoakum, who
sees with very accurate vision what
agricultural and commercial condi-
tons in the southwest are, has re-
Gently brought to New York reports
telling of considerable inVeStn entS in
the development of natural resources,
especially in the state of Louisiana.
Already good reports had come to this
city from Louisiana telling of the
courage and faith of the people of
that state, and especially the people
of New Orleans, which are demon
strated through their readiness to in
vest their own capital in large
amounts in the reclamation of the
marVeIously rich lands of that state.
w ord has been brought to this city
recently telling of the purpose of the
planters of many parts of the south t.
restrict somewhat this year the acre
age heretofore devoted to cotton and
in place of that to undertake the Gull
tvatlon of Indian corn other
grains. One of the peculiar features
of the agricultural development of
the United States in the past three or
four years is the phenomenal increase
of the southern states 1t is now prac-
tically certain that whatever climatic
disturbances or setbacks may take
place in the growing season or just
before the harvests, it is not conceiv-
able that these can be of such extent
as very greatly to impair the harvest
of corn.
Not many persons in the north
realize the extent to which industry IS
progressing in many parts of the
manufacturing. This is especially true
of the development of electric energy
by the utilization of water power.
George Westinghouse said a day or
two ago that entirely feasible develop
ment of the Waterpower all along the
Appalachian range of mountains
would be adequate for the generation
of electric energy sufficient to oper-
ate practically all the mills, all the
trolley lines and to furnish light for
the larger communities One feature
of this business development of the
south which has attracted attention
here is the utilization of home capital
for these investments.
The Prosperous Middle west.
day or two ago Walton H
Holmes, who is now president of one
of the great trust institutions of Kan
SaS City and who is familiar with bus
mess conditions in that part of the
west of which Kansas City is the fl
nancl2I metropolis, spoke with much
enthusiasm of business conditions,
especially in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Mr.. Holmes spoke in somewhat gener-
al terms, but there were two state
ments made by him which are regard
ed here as of much consequence. In
the first place he explained the bust
ness prosperity of Kansas and Okla
homa by saying that the two states
have recently developed along such
wise economic lines that no longer is
either state dependent upon a single
crop for prosperity. Moreover, as each
state grows many things that are neces-
saries of life and as a wide diversifi-
cation of crops is now practiced in
these states, they are, to certain ex-
tent. Independent of financial or bust
n ess conditions in other parts of the
country.
In his opinion, not so many persons
in Kansas are seeking loans secured
by bond and mortgage as used to be
the case. The natural inference from