Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-21
WALL STREETKEEPS
EYE0N WASHINGTON
Big Operators Are Not Holding
Off From Supineness, But
in Caution.
ADMINISTRATION PLANS
ANAlYZED WITH CARE
Reduced Railroad Tonnage Material
ly Affects Producing Mills and
Equipment Companies.
BY w. G. NICHOLAS.
Special Correspondence If The Star.

Special correspondence If The Star.
NEW YORK. December ~ 1919
What Immediately follows may strike
the casual reader az having no special
hearing on the stock market and on the
business situation. That would he a
mistake There is nothing bearing on
the present view of business more
strongly than the description the writer
has tried To make plain. with an ac-
Companying forecast.
The stock market and the men who
compose the most important factors Of
the business world are not further hold
ing off through hopeless cowardice. as
many mistaken persons contend The
Issue i one Of uncertainty. it is true
but that is not necessarily supineness
Few seriously charge the new national
administration with disloyalty in the at
tempt to rashly reconstruct and ruin the
machinery of government along freshly
designed progressive lines. as ii has
been denominated. Because all the new
~ designated leaders and teachers of
speciaIties that have taken thousands
OF able citizens half their lives 10 master
in whole or part. il is not TO wonder
that the multitudeS do not instanta-
neously and unanimously accept at the
claimed by them as a justified miracle.
There has been an earnest and fine
hearted desire 10 either assist or lndorse
any Intelligent and broad-gauged crusade
for the replacement of old machinery
with creations more modern and useful,
but that is a different proposition than
that OF appointing an army of raw APP
prenices to put the finishing touches on
a warehousefull of high-class jewelry
Concluding touches might be put on. all
right. but how about the finished product?
How would the watches run. bridges
be built, the scales weigh. he
locomotive cross the landscape? What
are the promised products. when will
they be produced who will test their
merits and who do the guaranteeing?
This curiosity is not hostile. Indeed
most of il is friendly. Cnbroken success
would give almost unanimous satsfac
ton The craving and widespread hope
IS for the wholesale and finished inn
prove!nent of the financial political and
practical working mechanism-a move
ment ideal in action and cleanest in re-
suits
Something along that line appeals to
a powerful following of President Will
sons heartfelt friends, hopeful for his
successful leadership-but alas. they are
thus far disappointed in realization in
part They are his warm admirers but
II Is upon the triumph of his original
patriotic campaign that they are strong
est in their devotion. 1t is not that thev
are sore over the barely tangible full
Hlment of expectations; the element of
disappointment is in the forefront
coupled with ash-draped grief lest WASH
ington recovery might not be in time
This is an intellectually rich country and
its ultimate restoration to the fullness
OF prosperity is "A certainty. Common
sense. good temper. patience and human
cooperation are the winning clements
a commanding force and within control
Of the right man.