Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 June 1919 — “NOW WE HAVE EXPERT TESTIMONY” [ARTICLE]

“NOW WE HAVE EXPERT TESTIMONY”

Leading Indiana Republican Papers Agree That “Business Is Good” in This State. Indianapolis, June 11. —While the Republican machine in Indiana may refuse to concede for a min-j ute that “business is good” thej leading Republican papers of this | state are printing news daily showing that Indiana is enjoying greater prosperity than ever before. The news columns of'the Indianapoirs Star and the Indianapolis News, the leading Republican papers in Indiana, teem with reports J of prosperous conditions that must he shocking to the Republican ma-J chine which predicted last year that the country would go to the dogs unless the Democrats are 1 thrown out of power. It was the favorite cry of Will Hays and his helpers that In the' reconstruction time the Democrats' could not be trusted. The Star' and the News, which have sup- 1 ported him steadfastly, now print

daily articles showing bow good business Is In Indlsna. The Indianapolis New« on June 9 printed the following editorial which is In line with a recent statement by former President Win, H. Taft In a apeeeb delivered here; “The trend of business conditions In the United Ststes Is shown by the fact that In May there was only 531 commercial failures, a new lowrecord for any month since monthly records were first complied by the R. G. Dunn & Co., 1894. The figures show that the number of Insolvencies has declined every month this year. The number of failures last month was nearly 40% lower than for May, 1918, and 59%’and 64% lower, respectively, than in 1917 and 1916. Contrasted with the high record of May, 1915, a decline of about 69% Is shown. During the war many merchants in all parts of the country discontinued the credit system, principally because the government urged it. The credit system undoubtedly has been the cause of» many commercial failures. Business men during the war also learned the value of conducting their business so as to yield a safe margin of profit. It may bo reasonably presumed, in light of the steadily declining number of commercial failures, that business generally Is In better condition now than for some time. Bankers point to the insolvency figures as an Indication that the-coun-try Is enjoying increasing prosperity and is on the. eve of further commercial expansion.” The Indianapolis Star, organ of the Republican party in . Indiana, printed the following this week regarding building conditions in Indianapolis, showing again that “business is good”: ‘‘.May exceeded all records for erection of \iew buildings and repairs to present structures, according to the report of Walter B. Stern, commissioner of building, submitted to the board of safety. Eight hundred permits were issued during the month and the pr6perty involved has a valuation of sl,156,091. In May a year ago 468 permits were issued with a valuation of $315,622.” Testifying further that “business is good” in spite of the calamity howl of the Republican press bureau, the Indianapolis Star, Republican organ, prints the following: “Carl Hunt, editor of Associated Advertising, the official publication of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, and P. S. Florea, secretary of the organization, both former Indianapolis men, were In Indianapolis yesterday on their way •from New Orleans x to New York. They say that the advertising business indicates prosperous conditions .everywhere in the country. They were in New Orleans to make arrangements for the national meeting of the Associated Advertising Clubs to be held there next September.” Mr. Hunt formerly was a wellknown Indianapolis Republican newspaper man. The Indianapolis Star, Republican organ, is authority for the statement that business is so good among the furniture men of Indiana that only a few could get away to attend their state convention last week. The Star says; “Prohibition and high wages have helped to bring about the biggest! boom in the furniture business in' history, is the opinion of leading furniture men of the state who 1 gathered here yesterday to attend the seventeenth annual session of the Indiana Retail Furniture Dealers* association. There are about 300 members in the association. Seventy-five attended the convention. The small attendance was accounted for by the heavy trade now enjoyed by the furniture men. John F. Seramur of Anderson, president, was swamped with telegrams from members who wired that they were' too busy to come.”