The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1916-06-10

formation In the business Rorld Thatl
certain railroads have recently ey.
lnerienCed large Increases in their rev.
ennes no Well informed man win at.
tempt 20 deny-a get a cursory al
q sAis Will shoN In practically every
instance that these Increases are due
10 tho enormous movement iu iorcisn
ear munitions and hence the lion
share of them are confined 10 the
great steel districts OF the east where
orders ior hundreds OF millions OF
dollars worth OF war supplies have
been concentrated during the last
year and a han
Again certain Of the great Western
Ines have shown marked Increases
due in larg part 10 the fact that the
Panama Canal vas ont Of commission
during the greater part OF the past
winter and hence these roads have
carried an enormous amount Of ton
mage which would otherNl lse have
taken the sea route IN other words
tits so.callcd prosperity of the rail
reads is due not 10 wholesome and |
dependable change in the domestic |
business situation bat TO aanormal
conditions produced b, the great Eu.
rcpean tragedy and once the can
non cease roaring aud the soldiers |
return TO their fields and factories Il I
means that We here In the United
States are certain to be brought face |
TO face with one OF the most serious
economic situation in our history and !
one which it viii require the best |
thought IN the nation to meet and !
cope with.
In the twinkling Of an eye the
boom IN war munitions viii disap |
pear and We will once more be
brought back TO earth With billions
OF dollars OF war debt encumberlng !
every great European nation 1t means
t1at n sell defense their future ,
Commercial policy will be to buy as
little as possible upon the one hand
and to sell as much as possible upon |
the othcr-lor only in this way can
they hope to reeoup their wasted .
fortunes. The first result will be a !
tremendous falling off in AMcrican
exports-and here in the great cent
raj vest this means a heavy blow to I
the farmers wheat, pork and beef ,
for the new Europe that Is to be has
mortgaged its buying power for
long time to come and will have TO
sit down to a more frugal dinner
table than in many long year on
the other hand, il means that the
American manufacturer will have to
fight as never before for every avail ,
atle dollars worth of world trade
for even as econom will be the watch
word at home, so, get the business
will be the European slogan in every
gieat mart and market upon the hab-
table globe.
Hardly had the march to Paris be-
gun when the great German captains
Of industry and the German trade OK.
pcrts got their heads together to
make plans for the future-to see
what commercial policies should be
inaugurated regardless OF whether IN
the end Germany should win or lusv.
N a little while France and England
followed suit-while here in the
United States We have become intoX.
icated with the idea that we are
prosperous that the goose hangs
high" and hence we have paid lit
tie or no heed to the rude awakening
which is almost certainly in store for
Us and with which We may have to
deal at any moment
That It will find MS with mer
chant marine hopelessly inadequate
is already certain and this means
that we will be dependent upon ships
owned by our commercial adversar-
ies in which to transport our goods.
That we should have put in more
time cultivating friendly neutral
markets while the other fellows were
fighting and less time JOY riding with
war babies this also is certain
And yet at this late day lamonting
over these matters is a good deal Ike
ciying over spilled milk. Maniiestly
he Overwhelming need OF the hog-
is to 1put our own house in order
to see to ii that our great industri.
al enterprises are put upon a sound
footing at the earliest possible nom
ent in order that we may build upl
here at home an increased demand
70. the products of our farms and
factories which viii take tn place
Of the decreased foreign demand
which Is certain TO come with the
conclusion of European peace-and
tn no other industry does this apply
with such powerful force as 10 the
railroads. II is. therefore. Of the