The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-04-22
TRYING TO MAKE HARD TIMES.

every act and every utterance OF re
publican leaders convicts them OF
wanting to prevent prosperity in or
der to get hold of the government
seems harsh, but their persistent cal
amity bowling warrants harsh Ian
guage. Take, for instance, the re-
cent interview given out by Senator
Penrose in which he said, 1T is ma,
tural for business men in public ut.
terances to express optimism. Nc
one wants to own publicly that his
business is on the verge of bank
ruptcy. 1t is, however, well known
to everyone who wants to know the
facts and who is in position to know
them that business is going to go
steadily from bad to worse under the
present administration and that no
hope of improvement OF any klnd
can be held out until the people re-
cord their verdict in 1916 in favor
of - republican policies in gener-
al, together with the election OF a
republican president and majority
in both branches of congress.
Senator Penrose would admit. II
forced to it, that the established
commercial agencies of the United
States are in position to know the
facts about business and that they
are honest. He would not charge
that they are lying to the public IN
order to cover up their own impend-
ing bankruptcy, though he seems to
make that charge against many OF
the best business men in the coun-
try. Bradstreet's review OF trade
conditions given out on the same day
with the Senator's interview said:
This weeks reports, trade and
industrial, are best best noted for
some time past, being in some re-
snects the best noted since the spring
of 1914. Sentiment is bolstered by
the smart uplift in stock market
prices: better weather has superin-
duced improvement in general lines
of retail trade, foreign orders for
machinery, tools, automobiles and
numerous other manufactures make
for capacity work in the enterprises
thus benefited; operations on do
nestle account are steadily lmprov-
ing: idle workmen arc less numer-
GUS: money is easy
The quotation might be continued,
but it is all the same except that
soft coal and lumber were not shar-
ing during the week in the general
uplift. Backing the reports OF the
commercial agencies are the reports
of all the bank examiners in the
United States. Except in Maine their
last reports showed nothing but bet
tering conditions everywhere, and as
Secretary McAdoo pointed out these
men are from all parties. Their re-
ports are not partisan.
Another evidence of good times
among the multitude. of proofs that
are available is the record OF sales
for railroad bonds. The railroads
have suffered from the depression in
their most vital point. They lost
public confidence. They could not
borrow money advantageously, but
the tide is turning. In the last quar-
ter there was large increase in the
amount of railroad bonds sold and a
decrease in the amount OF short time
notes which, of course, had to be ne
gotiated at high interest rates. The
amount of bonds sold was in excess
of $3.50, 100000.
This is a fact which all men may
know. 1t is not an opinion by any
man, honest or otherwise, and when
republican leaders like Penrose
couple Misrepresentation both Of
fact and opinion with their predic--
lions that there will be no return OF
prosperity without republican vic
tory, how shall they escape the
charge that they are crying hard
times in order to make the times
hard because their only hope of po-
litical victory lies in the suffering OF
the people?-St. Louis Republic.