Mexico Missouri message., 1915-12-30
A PROSPERITY SPEECH.
President Beird of The C. & A. 'R. r.
Has Word That Sounds
Mighty Good.

dedicated at Slater the other day
and President w. G. Beird of the
Chicago G. Alton Railroad made a
speech. The speech has some good
meat in it. We give part of it here.
What he says about coming prosper
ity we are sure will interest all our
readers:
l believe there is a new business
period into which we are now enter
ing. That we will surpass all other
business periods. This now p-omi-
ses to extend over two years and it
may be for greater period. AS to
the latter no man can say, because
of the many world elements entering
into our domestic and foreign rela-
tions. This great business pr"sper.
ity has been and is being forced upon
us of America against our own judg
ment and our own bad actions. 1t is
not due to any wise actions, sound
legislation or business sagacity of
our own. We are growing strong
and rich only because of the misfor-
tunes of our neighbors. refer to
the European war.
In the present calendar year
$3.50, 100000 have been added to
our store of gold. we have repur-
chased $5,OOO,OOO of our securities
held abroad; repaid at least $780,
100000 of foreign held obligations,
and loaned externally about $780,
OO0, 900 to be repaid in a period of
five years.
But again l call attention to the
fact that this condition of prosperity
has been forced upon us. During
the past seven or eight years, thru
and by the action of legislatures
national and state-the rulings of
commissioners and courts, which
have been supported by a selfish and
overpowerful public, business has
been prostrated. Those who could
and should support the business of
the country with suitable finances
have not dared to do so. Those who
were prepared to and desired to go
forth with large manufacturing enter
prises have waited, and the great
distributors of goods and of COM
merce have not felt safe in ordering,
because of the enfeebled and sickly
business conditions of trade. In
fact, adverse legislation has gone so
far that it was all but criminal to be
associated with big business. This
has brought on semi-paralysis of
business that at times threatened the
whole country, and many concerns
have fallen out of the business world,
and the rest have only been able to
pull thru and exist.
Because this condition of business
depression has been so suddenly
changed to one of business prosper
ity is not sign that we have cor
rected the evil or underlying cause
for our domestic troubles or improv-
ed our foreign business relation, for
we have not Our present business
conditions are being forced upon us
in spite of all adverse legislation;
not because of the Democratic party
or a Democratic tariff, not because
of the Republican party or Repub-
lican policy, but in disregard of both
of them; not because of politics or
politicians, but in spite OF them and
their behavior. We have a great
deal to blame the politician for, but
not much to thank him for.
If this reasoning is correct, we
should look to the future, to put our
business house in order. for reac-
tion is sure to come, and as truly as
it does, and finds us unprepared as
we are and have been for the past
six or eight years, so sure we are to
have a business panic such as we
have never had before. Look we'll,
then, to the making of better laws
and less laws, and better regulation
and less regulation of business af-