Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-05-19
The War and the Trade Winds
BY Agnes G. Laut in tho National Sunday Magazine.

What's all this talk of a new era in
American trade? VIII 1t reduce the bread
line? VIII 1t fill the empty dinner pail?
WIN 1t render impossible the monstrous
anomaly OF armies of unemployed In a
land of plenty-3tO.ON unemployed In New
York alone? Will 1t set the factories to
work that are closed, and work those FAC
tories fun time that are now on half time.
and put full crews back on the train? VIII
II tighten up the general ~slackness? That
Ii what all this general talk of a new era
age woman: and If 1t will. what Is to be
done. and how is that to be done?
,, sac james a. Farrell. president of the
week OF war did more than 10 years of
academic discussion TO convince people
that foreign trade is vital to domestic
prosperity"
Said Judge Gary, chairman of the same
corporation, IF this country takes adj
vantage of its present opportunities. the
extreme optimist of today will be consid-
cred conservative in 10 years"
Said Mr.. Schwab. The era of prosperity
~ already on the way
Said Secretary Redfield. The whole
world Is coming to America now"
Even Paul Warburg, now a member of
the federal reserve and guardedly retic-
ent. affirmed the likelihood of this coun-
Try becoming the solar center OF a new
NOrl0 fnance.
What do all these men mean? Is it hot
air and punk? There is not a man of
Them who does not weigh his words like
me gold. There is not a man of them
who has not made good on the job he is
talking about; and he has made good from
the ground up.
But What do you think of this coming
prosperity" asked a hotel porter who
was backing my boots,
Devil a bit j see of 1t for me-" he said.
$ there you are. The hotel porter and
the millions out Of work do not see il. The
DIX FELLOWS who usually employ millions
30 see II. Who Is shortsighted. or who
- l~ongsighted. or 1t II a pipe dream? The
c,stw'gs Is, and the hish-brows Who stir up
have straddled both sides OF the dispute
since the war began.
Here Is cotton, they cried, slulnped from,
resenting a loss to the south of 81. 900. 600
= day. But while they cried and while the
banks hustled to save the south with a
cotton pool. up went prices within 9 cents
mad their loan ready, the south didn't need
~; so that the loss In cotton was one that
did not materialize TO the nation as "a
whole
Wheat 60 cents a bushel,' said Chicago.
when war was declared and the agricul-
tnral department had announced the big
eest crop Tor 10 years. But as 1t became
apparent that the sea lanes We're to be
y open to commerce.. up jumped wheat
from 70 cents In the west to 81 SO, a sheer
gain OF almost 81 a bushel on the 800, O0O. OOO
bushels America has to export.
F1nanciers were In "a great a%uandary
now America was to pay It's debts to Eu-
rope In gold. While they worried. excess
oemands for American products from the
reversed the flow OF gold back to America
In a tide OF unprecedented volume.
But this new era In American trade is
more than a sudden boom OF war exports.
~ thai were all. the boom would pass
With the passing of the war and the new
era would matter little to the hotel por-
these big men had been planning 10 years
before. the. war. The war has simply