Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1907 — SAYE GOOD TIMES WILL STAY. [ARTICLE]

SAYE GOOD TIMES WILL STAY.

Secretary Wilson Dccjnres Condition* Favor Continued ProsperityThe great West ft prosperous and the country as a whole, therefore, ft In no danger of hard times. That ft the word that Secretary of' Agriculture Wilson has brought back to Washington with him on his return from a long tour on the other side of the Mississippi river and in the intermountain States. He fc aglow with enthusiasm over the crop outlook*, general trade conditions and the political temper of the people. “The people of the West," said 1 Secretary Wilson, “are not fearful of a panic or of hard times. The West ous. There is plenty of money. In fact, I have reason to believe the West is loaning money to the East Instead of the East to the West, and this ft being done at good rates of interest The people of the West are not worrying over Wall street and its troubles. They scarcely know that such troubles exist save as they read of them In the newspapers. The rest of the country li no longer dependent on Wall street “The crop outlook Is good. Grain crops generally will be good, with the exception of the oat crop. There will be a good corn crop, not a bumper crop, but a good one, if frosts do not come too early. Prices for farm products and for stock are high, and the farmers are making money.” The special mission of the Secretary of Agriculture on the trip just finished was to study forest reserve problems, the reserves having been placed under the direction .of bis department two yearn ago. — —l r ■ “With regard to the forest reserves I found two chief problems,” said the Secretary, “first, to Insure protection from fire, and, second, to reforest the land where continual fires have destroyed the young trees. There are millions of acres growing nothing except a little grass. The question of reforestation is ■pressing. “The price of lumber indicates that we are up against a wood famine. Lumber Is being shipped from the Northwest all over the world. In the forest region the homesteader, or the man who gets patent pnder the timber and stone act, often sells to private corporations, some of which have as many as 3GX>QO.OOO _acres _aml are still buying. Considerable pressure comes from persons who want to get title merely to sell to such companies and put" the money in their pockets. I failed to find much sentiment against the reserves, except from the small element that would like to get possession to sell. What seems to be the best offer of the government is that of land in the reclaimed districts for the cost of the water used in irrigation." “The only apprehension I observed among the people in the West t,rows out of the fear of a fuel famine next winter. I aui glad the people appreciate the situation, because mueh can be done to prevent a famine by those who can put in their coal supply In advance of cold weather.”