Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-07-22

There is and has been depression
in the business OF manufacturing ana
Of distributing manufactured goods
but 1, will be difficult to trace 1t to
legislation.
In the beginning OF his civilization.
man created wealth from the soil first
When one man could produce more
than he needed for his own family a
few left the soil and created things by
manufacture which they exchanged for
the other mans surplus products OF
the soil but at the beginning all wealth
began with the man who produced
from the soil and the multiplication Of
men by the millions has not changed
the fundamentals of society.
Last year this country was extremely
short on soil production, SO short that
1t had very little surplus to send abroad
and those engaged in soil production
concluded that they would wait for
another crop before they took on very
many of the things that are manu-
featured in the shops. This put crin1p
in salesmens orders last year and cur
tailed employment.
And then the man who produces from
the soil drew upon the surplus savings
he had stored up in the banks. The
little bank drew upon the city bank
and the city bank drew upon the money
centers. This made money tight and
the man who manufactures was asked
to pay up his loans. He did 1t by
shutting down his factory until he
could cash his stock of merchandise
and collec, on his accounts. The man
ufacturer has been undergoing period
Of liquidation for a year. This and the
curtailed demand for his goods has
caused unemployment in the east.
Shut of mans income and he will
BE- compelled to wear old clothes. Do
this to all the men who trade at one
store and It stops business at the store.
Cut farm yields IN the whole country
as seriously as they were cut last year
and it affects the whole people the
same as cutting down a mans income
affects those with whom he is wont to
trade.
The buying O, automobiles of itself
must first be the wherewithal with
which to buy and when bought auto
mobiles merely displace other things
that might have been bought with the
money. The buying OF automobiles has
closed down some buggy factories and
opened UP larger auto factories. 1t has
taken the place OF much pleasure
travelling by railroad but it has bull.
many new hotel. It has even cut
into the jewelry business but it has
helped the dealer in auto coats and
stopped farmers from buying wild
land for speculation but the building
permits show that It has not stopped
investment IN homes
Likewise with moving pictures, they
are the result Of prosperity not the
cause. When the country enjoys good
crop income the people in the towns
| will be employed making things 10
I sell to those who raised the crops and
when employment Is good everybody
can go to the movies. They might save
banks and ler the banks loan 1t at very
low rates to the railroads but the saw
ings of the people per capita did not
show a decline until the crops fell
short and next year. those savings will
pick up again side by side with an
increase in the movie business. Men
will ca, before they go to the picture
show.
AS to fool laws what are they The
president Of the Erie road probably re-
fers to the law which Senator Cum
road 70 ask for permission to increase
its rates and to Justify the increase
instead Of first increasing and then iit.
eating the county's objections 10 what
/ naO DSen QONe. But tldt ola not ue-
press business. Even railroads do not
create prosperity. They haul ii. Who
would ever increase street car fares In
! order to boost business in a town? II
we did not have a new law for two
/ years and could repeat this years crop
! each season we would have prosperity
( again in spite of all the fool laws we
/ have in spite of more automobile ex-
/ rravagance and in spite Of additions
growth for the movies.
We people in Iowa should not let the
| middle men of the east forget as tc
who It is that creates prosperity
| Shipwreck ten men upon an island te
| begin society all over again at the
bottom and see what they would pro-
| cuce first. It would be food, ther
tools, vehicles and manufactured goods
Their amusements would come attel
a full stomach and that Is the law o.
economics which underlies all business
today.