The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-05-06
Letter from Missouri.
A Cold Winter, Hard Times and the Auto
Craze. Old Friends of the Writer who
Have Passed AWAY.

To THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL:
Several months have passed since my
last letter was written to The Journal.
During these months great and import
ant events have taken place in this and
other lands. These great events, how
ever, would be wholly out of place in a
etter written from Missouri months or
even weeks or days after they had taken
place, for the simple reason that every
body is conversant with the news within
few, hours of their occurrence, "that
which is known in secret is published
from the house top" In this country
we know as much about what is going
on IN Europe as the European knows him.
self. and in many cases good deal more.
The Associated Press is a marvel of en-
ergy in the collection and distribution of
general news. Under these conditions
it is difficult oftentimes to find topics of
interest to the readers of a paper which
is published a thousand miles from the
writers view point.
The weather conditions is always an
interesting topic for talk, and ought to
be for an article written from any Sec
ton. The weather is so changeable.
There is, it is true, good deal of same
ness in seasons in the same localities;
but there are many variations. The past
winter in this region has been one of un-
usual length, and severity. The cold has
not been intense. Only on one or two
occasions has the thermometer been
forced down below the zero mark, but
for an unusual number of days and
weeks, iC has been forced to stay near
enough to it to make you feel like keep
ing the fires going by day and night. We
have had, moreover, superabundance
of cloudy days. Day after day the sun
has risen and set without his presence
being visible to the naked eye. "The
Sunny South would not be term ap-
propriately applied to this locality during
the past winter. Whether the cloudy
weather has had an influence in produc-
ing Respondent feelings in the minds of
people or not l do not know, but as a
persons who have grown so tired of liv-
ing as to end their existence in one way
or another.
We have been struggling also with the
old and oft-recurring problem of Hard
Times" This problem has confronted
us with tremendous force. The railroads
claim that they have been severely in
jured by unjust legislation. Their earn
ing power, they say, has been sadly cur.
tailed, and as a result they are destitute
of funds to make the necessary improve
ments to the roadbed, to equipment, or
even to maintenance of normal and
necessary up-keep. The shops here in
consequence have been running on short
time, and this has very considerably de-
creased the bi-monthly pay roll. An
other factor which also has entered into
tie problem of hard times has been the
High Pric:s' which have prevailed for
articles of food. In July wheat sold as
low as 65 cents per bushel. Today it is
worth just twice as much; and many
other things in proportion. Labor has
been scarce and the l4Gorer has found it
difficult to pay his bills. This has hurt
the merchant and in turn the jobber and
the wholesale dealer. Yet this region of
country is, ! am credibly Informed, in
much better shape than many of the
States farther west. The European war
is dreadful calamity, but it has never
theless opened up to US market for our
surplus stock of horses and mules and
our immense crop of wheat.
According to present indications the
long cold winter has had very beneficial
effect upon our prospective fruit crop.
1t held back the buds from premature
development and as result today every
thing is looking bright and beautiful.
The peach, pear and other frnit-bearing
trees are literally full of blossoms. |
wish some of my friends in Maine could
see today what | have seen, every tree
full of blossoms rich in their varied hues.
| have simply been enchanted with the
sight of the trees in my own garden. If
the fruit should correspond to the BIOS
SONS the trees could not bear one tenth
part of the strain which would weight
them down.
The hard times of which have told
you above are upon us; so, too, is the auto.
The hard times do not appear to have
any bad effect upon this thriving bust
ness. Hard times or soft times; money
plentiful or scarce; business brisk or dull,
the auto craze goes on and on in its ter
rible intensity. -Four new garages have
just been or are Immediately to be open
ed up. The business is on the boom,
not the bum, remember, but the boom.
People are going automobile crazy. In
many cases the fever is up to one hum
dred and five degrees with scarcely any
let up. To procure an auto people will
mortgage their homes or sell them at a
sacrifice; dispose of their jewels and GO
in debt beyond redemption. All for
pleasure. The fever is said to be terri