The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-08-19
Cheerful Outlook.
(Charleston Post }

The, bushes world has shown a
gratifying rbuoyancy in the midst
|of the depression caused by the
coal and the rail strikes. A sur
I vey of the markets shows that the
| understone is generally healthy
!; and that there Is. altogether a
cheerful outlook on the situation.
This condition is doubtless due to
the feeling that the strikes will
! be brought to an end in some way
before they have seriously halt
ed the revival of business, which
alad set in rather definitely before
;;,s:1ey began.
| The strikes have, as a matter
of fact, undermined the industrial
situation more deeply than is gem
orally realized and. unless they are
soon settled by compromise or
otherwise the business revival will
undoubtedly be arrested and it
may take a long time for it to get
, under way again. The coal strike
has been under way for about five
months and the reserve stocks Of
coal have been very heavily eaten
into. Winter is, coming on and the
period of seasonal idleness or slow
ing down is near at hand. If the
strike continues three or four
months more unauestionably Pc
riod Of hardship for industry and
| of suffering for the general public
will have to be faced and gone
through with, and there Will be a
general breaking down OF morale
and axdisintegrating effect result
ing from the long continued series
of difficulties to the ordinary
course OF peaceful and constructive
life, which cannot but produce an
unhealthy psychology and make for
far spreading and deep reaching
! discomfort. This probable effect is
perhaps not taken into account as
fully as it deserves to be, although
consideration of it is probably not
lost sight Of by those in highest
authority, whose efforts toward a
general composition, disappointing
as they have been thus far, and in
some quarters resented as unhelp-
full interference. are yet based on
broad conceptions and an instinct,
II not. comprehension, of under
lying conditions. 1t is not unlike
ly that a sense of this and feel
ing that the necessities of the sit
, uatioa are such .as 10 compel and
| therefore to assure an adjustn ent
short OF a desperate crisis account
largely for the reported optini snl
! OF the business world. An impress
sion doubtless prevails there that
the last word has not been spoken
in the negotiations for a settle
; naent OF the strikes and this I'M
press:cn is OF itself significant and
/ encouraging. =
II the coal and the rail strikes
could be settled on a reasona bic
basis and the industrial situation
stabilized so that business might
have :: chance Of operating on well
defined lines for fairly long con-
tinueti period there would unques-
sionabiy resust-despite the many
discourasing conditions, especially
the unhealed state of Europe
distinct revival of activities IN skis
country making for a semblance
OF content-actual content is pra..-
tically unknown in the world Of
human affairs today-and certainly
strengthening the foundations on
which material prosperity and a
! larger measure Of happiness rest.
That there is a feeling in the busi-
ness world that something of this
sort is possible and. may even be
near at. hand. is encouraging.