The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-01-01
FOR ERA
OF PROSPERITY
Most Officials at Washing
ton In Optimistic Mood
Over Coming Business
Year E..
NO MORE MEDDLING
BY GOVERNMENT
Congress Will Not Try Any More Legis-
lative Remedies for Business Con-
sumers' Strike Big Feature of Last
Year-Price TO Reasonable Levels.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON. ID. c., Jan. Nat I
urally reticent to be quoted individually
as to the future of business, the majority
of government officials closed their desks
for the year 1920 with a sigh of relief
and with an expressed feeling that 1921
will see the beginning Of a new era in
American prosperity.
Instead of apprehensions such as have
been experienced for two years that every
moment might disturb prosperous con-
ditions. the sentiment. about the immed-
late future is that America now will build
on such a sound and substantial basis as
to give assurance over a period of years
Officials do no, exude optimism and
paint rosy pictures but at the same time
they do inspire confidence. And their
conversation about the outlook for 1921
Is tinged with this central note-where
there Is abundance there can be neither
panic nor poverty. America is well
supplied with commodities and goods and
Is experiencing what the rest OF the
world IS experimentation a recession
III prices as the peoples of the war areas
return to their places IN the Manufacture
ing and production OF articles OF com
merce
Looking back over 1920 lessons may be
cleaned about the future. The striking
fact OF the past year was the strike OF
consumers. The public stubbornly re-
fused to buy at the prices which were
being asked. And when the people gen
orally stopped buying, the manufacturers
found that the retailers cancelled orders
for new goods.
This i a Democratic country said a
member of the cabinet VINO or course was
referring. to the use of the word Democ-
Iacy with a small ID" and things ham
pen III this country Just about as the
mass of people want them To happen. The
people stopped buying because they
thought prices were too high and now
that bottom has been reached, people are
starting To buy again. This viii mean
new orders for goods and new impetus to
the manufacturing world
Should prices go to the pre-war levels?
Government officials regard this as the
most delicate point OF all business con-
dltions. They choose rather to say that
prices should GO to reasonable" levels
and they believe the public will start
buying without insisting ON an absolute
return al once to .pre-war levels. IN so
many cases better goods are being pro-
duced than before the war. and again
there is no such abundance in some com.
modttles as there used to. he. Changed
conditions Will affect price reCessIoRs but.
generally speaking the public will about
decide when 1t thinks buying should he
resumed
/ Another thought which cabinet officials
suggest Is that every period OF irritation
has Its cOmpensations. Throughout the
war as the cost of living scared an i'm
mense number of men and women of the
salarled class felt the pinch and endured
real want simply because the dollar
wouldn't buy much. The purchasing
rower of the salared class diminished and
they weren't able to huy new clothes and
other necessities. Now. however as
y,.1. -, 4. IL
aried class will find the dollar going back
To something like a reasonable purchasing
mower. BuyIng Will come more heavily
/ from the salaried class than from any
other IN the immediate future. The same
reasoning holds true however with re.
spect to all classes of neople who have
postponed buying until prices came
down
OF course. the retailers prices carry the
| answer to the whole downward move
ment Of prices. Just as do landlords
rents. In both instances, certain fixed
! charges prevent retailers and landlords
! from reducing prices or rents at once
! The costs of fuel aud labor are important
/ factors Nevertheless TO induce buying
| and to get a larger volume of business
retailers are expected now that Christmas
= Is over to put on clearance sales every
where and get rid of much stock on their
| shelves to make way for new goods which
will be purchased at lower cost than
! before. Just as soon as spring comes and
| building materials drop. which is the
men everywhere. the erection of more
| DWELLINGS will affect the price of rents
to all classes of people.
| Many concerns are forcing the price of
labor down by shutting their plants or
stores and taking inventory - This
rather painful process Of REIMBURSEMENT
will in some cases be justified and i'll
| others unustitIed No CONGRATULATIONS
are being INDUCED in by government Off
| Gals except one-when the price of every
thing that is to be bought comes down.
| there will be no excuse for the price OF
| labor staying IN.
! Broadly speaking. government exnerts
| figure that the era of ill-advised legisla
| tive proposals to cure business difficulties
has about ended and Jnat the raising
% false homes and the creating OF arti
| fetal situations bv appeals to congress
| and the government have come to an end
| All the agitation for a revival Of the war
| finance corDoratiOn and the demand that
| the federal reserve board extend more lib
| eraI credits has about sizzlod ont.
President Wilson will veto the war f.
nance resolution and If congress passes the
measure over the veto. II is a safe bet
| that the machinery Of the war finance
bcornoration viii never get to pnin, under
| the nresent administration Havino no
| particular nolitical axos to grind. for
while the nrasent administration wants
| 70 90 ont az mower with a record of sound
finance and steadiness and MANY Demo
cratic officers insist that the Rennbli-
cans will nursue the Same nolicv when
| they once ret inside the treasury building
| and examine the state of government fl
| uances as n consequence of the war evpen-
ditures. The return to normalcy will not
I've rrecipitata but gradual and 1921
should see the change the people have
waited fo~ so cxnectantly since the arm
| istice in 1918.
OPEN KEENE MASONIC TEMPLE.
| Croud wetcboS Old Year Out i'm New