Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-18
WAR FINANCE BOARD
FACTOR|N RESTORING
CONFIDENCE IN IOWA
BY EDWARD G. LOWRY
Copyright, 1922, by The Public

DIES MONIES, Iowa, March IL
DIES MONIES, Iowa, March17.--,
Here in Iowa one encounters q con-
valescent patient now sitting up and
taking solid food after an illness
that was sharp and severe, but. one
suspects. never at any time really
dangerous. n
| The whole state is interested in
the experience that it has just come
through. 1t is sitting up, with it.
self, holding it's own hands, taking
it's own temperature every three
hours and giving three lusty cheers
when it discovers, each time, that 1t
still is normal.
1t is rather a question, even to
the state itself, just how sick it has
been. During last October, accord
ing to it's own account, it was in
| bad way indeed. The farmers and
the bankers and the business men
undoubtedly were scared. They even
began to ask themselves, SIS Iowa
broker" This gave them very much
the same state Of mind that Mr..
Rockefeller would have If he walked
up some morning with the suspicion
that Standard Oil securities no long
er possessed any value. -
Iowa stands to the east as the
classic model of midwestern agricul-
tural statse. 1t, therefore, is par,
ticularly interesting to visit it at this
time. It is a sort of national habit
of mind to ask what the agricul-t
tural situation is in Iowa, and then
judge the rest of the United States
accordingly. This usage Of making
Iowa the standard test case applies
to the west as we'll as to the east,
so that when it began to be noised
about through this western country
last autumn that Iowa was in bad
way economically and financially,
and approaching insolvency, the ap-
1 prehension spread to the neighbour.
ing states.
\ * Confidence Restored
7 They reasoned that having less
natural resources than Iowa, less
wealth and being in a generally
weaker position, that if this rich
state was approaching precipice.
they must be in even greater danger I
II was along about this time, ito
; ward the eEd of October, that the
war finance corporation began loan.
| ing money in the state. The effect
! in restored confidence has been i'm
| mediate and striking. The present
new attitude of mind, the recovery,
began along in January. and is
progressing. The farmer feels. with
the banker and business men, that
he now is out of the hole; that this
year he can make long stride for
ward toward paying his debts, AMI
| that next year he will see really
good times, as in the old before the
war days. This new feeling and
] buoyancy is manifested in q thou
! sand ways.
| Iowa produces not only corn and
hogs and dairy products, but secre.
! taries of agriculture and successful
farm journals. These farm journals
are in direct contact with the farm
eI and rise and fall with him. They
are all reporting large increase in
advertising patronage. They are
getting back to normal size. The
advertisers say that their announce
ments are bringing them not pros
poets, but customers. One nationa;
bank president said:
IF I could be guaranteed for ten
years the present condition and
situation of feeding corn at forty
five cents a bushel to hogs that
fetch ten cents a pound, l would
leave the banking business Etonlor-
row." -,
7 The daily papers are full Of sucf:
little items as these:
1.-THE .Ames Canning companysidle
last season, will work to full capacity
| this season."