Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 February 1898 — As Seen In Paris. [ARTICLE]

As Seen In Paris.

The Paris “Daily Messenger” of December 31,1897, surveys the dying year in America as follows: “The year which dies today has been a most prosperous ono for the United States. The clouds of commercial and agricultural adversity, which hung over the country since 1889 are at last dispelled. Money has come out from its hiding place. Chicago-ftke activity prevudes the cities, merchants are doing a brisk business, factories long closed resound with the music of work, the black ohimnies of commerce are growing blacker,railroad companies are increasing the wages of their employees, the number of theunetnployed is grqwing less, farmers are paying off their mortgages, long haired Populism and its kindred diseases are fast disappearing and the nation has at this moment a Treasury reserve in gold of more than $160,000,000. Jn the domain

of legislation the most important measure passed during the year has been the Dingley law. Its effect thus far has been to increase the revenue of the country, and to cause some irritation with certain Continental countries, notably with Germany and Austria, one of whose statesmen went the length of advocating a European coalition against the United States.”