The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-13

sugar cane As most OF the properties
ar. mortgaged. this means that the men
who hold the mortgages will be forced TO
take the property. The talk was Bit
terry against the Washington Admins
tration and this was before New Orleans
erai reserve cities. Next to the sugar
industry there was much complaint Of
the rice industry having been seriously
affected.
"In Texas there was severe criticism
OF the Administration for its Mexican
policy. and there was much tariff talk
on account Of the meat and lumber In.
dustries having been hurt by the revision
of the schedules. In California Il was
again tariff talk. The lemon growers.
who have millions invested In orchards.
and the grape growers. who have the
largest vineyards In the world, feel tina.
their profits are In danger. The tariff
Of 1929 was recalled az having forced
the cutting down of lemon groves
Beet sugar interests. including the
owners OF beet growing land. continued In
the same etrain-,omplete wiping out OF
the beet sugar Industry In 1916 and re-
duction in the value OF land In California
as result The farmers talked about
the importation OF dairy and farm prod
ucts from Australia q movement already
under way which Is bringing In cheese.
putkcfs USE. bnu WoOt AZ ttcHO
the talk was regarding the expected e.
feet OF the tariff on hides and wool.
AT St. Louis q railroad executive who
had Just returned from Washington told
me that three-fourths OF the lumber mills
were closed. due FIRST to the duiness in
business and second 10 the effects OF the
tariff. which was bringing in British
Columbia lumber. A. Salt Lake City the
first talk heard was about the effect OF
the tariff on the best sugar industry and
IL was said that millions Of dollars OF in
vestmen;s in Utah would be destroyed and
that the value OF land would be cut in
two.
Although tariff talk struck me very
strongly, ! was even more impressed by
the agitation throughout the country
against capital. particularly as repre-
scented In public utilities. San Francisco
has already built some municipal street
railways and Is attacking the private
lines. Denver is threatening TO coniscate
the property OF the water works company.
whose $4,000. 900 bonds come due next
July. The political cry Is TO take the
property at physical valuation and wipe
out the stock. In Kansas City the gas
company went into receiverehip the day ]
arrived. The street railways were already
In the hands OF a receiver and the au-
thorities were trying TO get . receiver for
the United Gas improvement Company OF
Philadelphia which owns some OF the
Kansas City gas stock.
''1n Toledo the street railway franchise
having expired the City Council passed an
ordinance that the company should carry
passengers for three cents and threatened
10 seize the property II this was not done.
AZ result the company refused to charge
any fare unless the passengers paid Ave
cents and about ouc-tnird Of the popula-
ton is riding free In Detroit some OF the
franchises OF the street railways are ex-
p!ring and the political slogan is NO re-
newa! OF franchises on any terms
These various local conditions appear
to me TO DE n reflection in a minor way
of the situation In the Fast regarding the
larger corporations and the sentiment OF
Congress. State legislatures and radical
mouthpleces. The spirit OF hostility 10
capital seems still to be in the ascendant.
but the great number OF men that are
being deprived OF work and the Idle that
are seen In every city show that the re-
suits are beginning to reach the public.
1T is recognized by all railroad men
that they cannot earn anything commen-
surate with the risk on money put into
property at this time. and but little IL
being spent In the way OF development
was impressed with the number OF closed
factories, particularly around ST. Louis.
many Of the largest works being shut
down. In Denver ] was told that more
than 1000 houses were vacant In Kan
sas City. the second largest beef packing
city in the country. railroad men told me
that shipments OF meat had fallen or %
per cent. due TO the depression In the
Fast. In Los Angeles, ordinarily one OF
the most active cities the curbs were well
lined with men out OF work. II was the
same way in San Francisco. So far as
the idle 81 labor goes I think there
has been nothing like II since 1895.
California has never had such big
crop as this year. The rains have filled
the reservoirs for irrigation ard power
purposes and the Sierra Nevada Moup-
tains have ten feet OF snow on the tops
which means water all this season About
5000 carloads of citrus fruits can be
shipped this year. against 25. carloads
last year-if. so the growers say. the East
can buy them. In Kansas and Missouri!
ploughing was a month ahead OF last
year. the condition OF the ground was per-
feet winter wheat was already four inches
high, and Kansas thinks that II things 20
right the State crop will be over 100000
600 bushels, against about half as much
last year Yet. on account OF other things
I saw. am unable to be carried away
by crop prospects"
Not much Is TO be gained by celebrating
such review as the foregoing. The at
fairs OF politics in the large are we'll
known to all men. but the country II only
Just beginning to apply them to the quiet
that IL spreading over industrial CONNER
c.al and financial centres. AS 1T does so
there Is no likelihood that verdict OF
popular approval will be rendered on fur
ther attempts to revolutiOnize the cond-
lions to which economic enterprise In the
United States has become adjusted. There
has been enough expression Of the spiri,
OF change TO teach needed lessons to revo-
lutionaries and rsactlonaries alike, and
all the Indications are that ruthless polit.-
cal persistence In change for the sake OF
change alone will be- severely punished by
punished people. The clear meaning of
the Congressional election in the Seventh
New Jersey district last Tuesday was that
politics which proceeded against the lines
OF business experience and not along them
was earning popular condemnation. This
Of itself was OF good omen for a return of
confidence breeding conditions for busl-
ness. but Il would be OF better omen II
Washington should shortly manifest evil
dence OF It's understanding that the time
for revolution had gone by and the time
for reconstruction had arrived.