Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-10-01
FURROWED BROWS
OVER UNCERTA|NTY
SEENBYLAWRENCE
Utter Absence Of Conviction
of What Future Holds
Noted in West.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

(This is the final article Of series
on the effect of President Wilson's
tour, and it's relationship to social and
industrial conditions.)
President Wilson's transcontinental
trip was unique in this respect-poli-
ticians had little to do with it, and, as
a consequence. the reception commit
tees who managed the visit of the
President to their respective cities
were composed of representative citi-
zens, usually business men. So those
of us travelling with the President had
an opportunity to get a fair view Of
public sentiment by taking these men
aside and discussing with them the
outlook in the different communities.
Situation Burrows Brows.
It may be the throes of reconstruc-
ton, it may be the uncertainty over
the establishment of peace in Europe.
1T may be outcropping of strikes and
industrial disturbances in our own
country and the agitation for higher
wages along with the rise in the cost
of living, or it may be all these fac
tors combined which makes a bust
ness man furrow his brow. think hard
for a minute and frankly say, Il don't
know"
There never seemed to me to be
such an utter absence Of conviction
about what the future holds in store.
Usually in a political campaign or
when some essential piece of legisla-
ton is before the country. as the mat
ter of new tariff or the reform of
our banking system. business men
talk with a sense Of definiteness and
clarity about what the buying and
selling public may expect.
Doubt More Pronounced.
, But, so far as I could discern, the
undercurrent of doubt was more pro-
nounced than it was even during the
war.
Fortunately. the question Of taxa
ton has been disposed of for the
forthcoming year and one item of
worry has been subtracted. though I
encountered good>deal of disappoint-
ment over the reports from Washing
ton, such as were recently sponsored
by Senator Penrose. that it would be
impossible to reduce taxes immedi-
ately, but that perhaps there might
be an opportunity to do SO after the
republicans had won the next presi-
Dental election and controlled all
branches of the government.
Mr.. Penrose's argument is that the
republican majority in the Senate is
too slender to attempt tariff or taxa.
ton revision until 1920. That is
really only another way Of saying
that ii might have been better for the
republicans II they had not won the
Senate at all in the last election I'M
less they could have won a substan-
tial majority Of votes therein.
skeptics Place Responsibility.
For at present skeptics are going
to hold the republican majority
strictly accountable for what Is done
in both houses of Congress, and it is
going to be the difiicult~task Of the
republican managers to convince the
business men of the country that
really they could not do anything in.
the present Senate and that campaign
contributions must come for the ESQ
campaign IL they are to get the rene
dies held out to them by republican
orators last autumn.
Business men talked freely about
the league of nations and looking at
It az business proposition. practi-
cAlly all of those who have had any
trade in foreign markets viewed the
league as the beginning of COM