The Delta independent., 1916-09-08
The Business Situation.


peace talk. With this peace talk come
also speculations as to the effect on
conditions in this country in the event
of cessation of hostiliries.
This subject is being approached
from widely differing points of view.
On the one hand is the fear that the
shock of peace, as it is termed, will
be quite as great as was the first
shock of war. On the other hand is
the more optimistic view that when
the time for cessation of hostilities
does come the negotiations to that end
will continue for a considerable period
and that instead of a sudden letting
down of the conditions which have
made for the present extraordinary de-
mand on the part of Europe on the
manufacturers of this country there
will be a gradual withdrawal of that
demand which will giJc the large in
dustrial conditions of this country
plenty of time in which to adjust
themselves to the new conditions.
Back and beyond the immediate re-
suits of peace negotiations, how
ever, is that condition which will COM
pei all of Europe to continue to depend
to a marked degree upon the United
States for its rehabilitation. Vast
amounts of capital will be needed to
build up the industries that have been
laid PROSTATE by the war, and this
capital will have to come largely from
ture of munitions of war will cease,
and this important source of rosperi-
ty will come to an end, but in it's place
will come a demand for other lines
of manufactured goods that doubtless
will be quite as great as that which
now exists.
Europe's shelves are bare and there
is no country on earth so we'll equip.
ped to restock those shelves as the
United States. Labor, capital and
manufactured supplies will all be in
great demand all over Europe with
the ending of the war and in the sup
plying of these will come Americas
great opportunity. An important eIe-
ment to enable this country to take
full advantage of this opportunity is
of course lacking, and that is the
failure to provide an adequate mer-
chant marine, but Notwithstanding this
the merchants and manufacturers of
this country will be in position to reap
a large share of the benefit that will
follow this demand.
AS matter of fact, some close
students of the situation are firmly
of the opinion that if the United Sta
tes takes full advantage of the oppor-
tunity that will be offered, the pros
perity that will come to this country
with peace will be not only much
greater but more widespread than that
which has marked the course of the
war itself 1t is of course true that
war has converted this country into
an important market for Europe, but
it also has been true that the demand
has to considerable extent been cen
tralized. Peace will create demand
for all kinds of goods, instead of mere
ly special variety, and with this di-
versified demand will come a spread
ing of prosperity over much wider
extent. Indeed, so important are the
prospects along this line that for some
time there has been talk of COM
mercial war that will be quite as Wig
orously fought as is the present arm
ed contest, and 1t is for this reason
that the United States will have to
place Itself in a position to compete
with the other nations of the world in
this respect.
The presidential campaign is likely
this year to be merely minor factor
in the business situation in this coun.
try. There was time, not so many
years ago. when the party lines were
so closely drawn that the prospects
of change in the national admins
tration caused a considerable degree
of unrest and hesitation. but this CON
dition has been changed to a marked
ehteht. AS IL Hatter OF TACT the dif-
ference in policies between the two
leading political parties this year are
not such as to give much disturbance
TO business.
With respect to one Of the main is
sues before the country at present
that relating to preparedness, the
platforms of both the Republican and
Democratic parties are practically the