The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-02-16
MUST RESUME
BUILDING TO
SAVE NATION
Especial to The Journai.)

Washington, Feb. 1.-THE main is
sue now before our country is-are we
! in a state of liquidation, trying to
settle up our affairs, or are we a go
/ ing concern?
This country has two hundred and
sixty five billion dollars of wealth:
weather. than four of the wealthiest
nations of the world combined; we
have $4,000 100000 worth of gold in
this country-the greatest amount
ever known in the possession of this
country, and considerably more than
half of the gold of the world. We are
over the war. We have shown moral
! characteristics in accepting the draft
that have enabled US to put men on
the western front in numbers second
only to France, and our men have
fought we'll.
The war is over-anw we do not eX-
pect attack from anybody, but we are
still wondering what we are going to
do-how we are going to get along.
After the Civil war was over, when
we had foreign complications and
when we had but $133, 100000 in gold
against sS346,000,0O0 in greenbacks.
Secretary Sherman came out and
said: THE way to resume specie pay
ment is to resume" Payment was re-
sumed and we did business. because
the people had faith in the country.
This is the greatest, strongest
healthiest. wealthiest country in the
world and it is country that should
be doing business and not a country
in a state of Hquidation; and yet, be-
cause of a psychological status, every
body is waiting to see if somebody
else is going to reduce his price on
cor of fnr 1CJ1yS ~ on iG
down. Iron consumption is down. The
great question is one OF consumption
If we do not buy, we cannot exist and
do business-this is the issue.
Might Have Been Easy.
Now if we had the four million i'm
migrants that this country would have
received if the war had not COM
menced-if we had our two million SOL
diers home again, if adjustments had
been rnade and If we were all working
steadily in the pursuits of peace-if
we had the three to five billion dol
lars worth of domestic structures of
which we are short, and the shortage
of which is causing increase in rents
(and rentals growing out of this
shortage cumulatively increase the
cost of ever necessity of life)-if we
had these things and We're all work
Y,
tional draft on our products from
abroad, prices might again be what
they used to be.
When the European war broke out
we expected it TO last but a few
months and looked Immediately for
return TO old conditions. In the mean
time different conditions have been
arising and we still have our minds
fixed on a return to the old condi
lions. The thought of nation is one
of a ante bellum character. But, con-
ditions have come about which have
changed this country far more than
conditions which came about from the
Civil war. We cannot turn the clock
back
When the armistice was signed in
Pullman car in France. and people
tossed a lot of newspapers out of win
dows here, we all thought we We're
back to the old conditions. Many now
know we are not to go back to those
conditions, but it is hard to realize
that we must adjust ourselves to new
conditions and act promptly.
The inertia of economic events is .
continuing force and we must all take
the new hand of cards that has been
dealt to us, familiarize ourselves with
them as quickly as possible and play
with them. 1t will do us no good to
sit and look at them and hope that
in some mysterious way they will
change back into the old hand we had
be fore the war.
ANTE belIum" People.
After the Civil war. we charac-
terized people who maintained their
old ideas as ante bellum.'' The dark
les said 'befo' de wah.'' but the ma
jority of people in this country now
are still in the mental hoop skirts and
pantelettes OF the before the-war at
titude Of mind. and they do not fully