Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 240, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 October 1916 — WAR PROSPERITY [ARTICLE]

WAR PROSPERITY

' That there is in this country a certain specious and temporary prosperity, we are not prepared to deny. We assert with the utmost confidence that such prosperity as we are now enjoyingis specious and temporary; that it is in no way due to lanything which the democratic party has done, but that, on the contrary, such as it is, it is duetto condition which exist outside the country ?nd over which the Democratic party has no control. During the past two fiscal years the exports taken in the aggregate have very materialy increased, indicating a certain'quality and degree of prosperity. We have a right, to examine the character of these exports, with a view of obtaining the exact quality of the presperity which we now enjoy and of determining its sources and probable future continuance.

On August 1, 1914 the great European war started. Of necessity the war has not only disturbed and modified conditions the world over. It has served to increase tremendously the demand for certain products of the United States, while cutting off the source of supply of many articles heretofore furnished by the waring countries. This should demonstrate conclusively that this war alone is responsible for the tremendous increase in exports during the past two years. It is only neccswry to call attention to the tremendous increases that have taken place in the exports or certain classes of articles used very extensively -by the -armies in Europe to demonstrate the fact that these tremendous increases tare due to thq war alone and the necessnity of appropriate legislation to meet the situation that will result when the quantity of these exports again become normal. Fm "eAcmipia; aeroplanes and aeroplane parts, motorcycles, automobiles and automobile tires increased from something like three in 1913, to one hundred' and fifty in 1916. Explosives, fire arinS, certain fabrications of steel and iron, also increased materially, and are not to be classed as articles that will maintain the present prosperity. These are articles that will help increase the exports of theis country, only during the time that the war is in progress. s To express the above more clearly, exports of non-war materials compared with 1913, a normal year, fell off in 1916, 12.5 per cent, while war materials increased as compare! with 1913, 352 per cent.