Show SIGNS OF TILE THE TIMES A portent Is a signboard stuck up with big bold letters on It so that he who runs may read read and and heed And not seeing such signs on the highways and byways we say there are no signs Indicating the trend of the times and no portents forewarning forewarn forewarn- ing us But bigger plainer clo closer er signs are all around us of ot the hard sledding coming ahead When a European agent could come to a manufacturer and say I place an order for a n million million mil rail lion shell and when the operator protested I cant can't get the help could reply Aw get em 10 per percent percent percent cent plus contract And so prices soared The muni muni- tion maker soon ran up to 12 a day Men flocked out of tho the machinist trade o out t of the electro fixtures trades out of all kinds of working to get this plum And soon the shepman shepman shepman shep- shep man had to pay per for a simp to listen to blaas along with the other other other oth oth- er nannies And the farm hand said No more fourteen hours fur me fur the eight eight hours hour and then the hay But n the meantime the manufacturer manufacturer manufacturer found a market for his product at the increased cost and his margin of at profit was greater If It he sells ten articles costing 1 at a profit of 10 per cent he has only made a dollar but of U those ose same articles are now worth tour four bucks apiece his profit is 4 and hence he is holding up by argument by plea by everything In his power the justness of at the present prices This has gone on until she's top heavy It begins to waver and the farseeing man has already retrenched and pulled in In his sail for the coming blow The English pound sterling has hit a figure lower than ever in its history the German mark is begging begging begging beg beg- ging the Russian ruble has no value Our men are selling all taxable taxable taxable tax tax- able Investments they hold and reInvesting reinvesting reinvesting re re- re- re investing in the taxable non-taxable security The Federal Reserve Bank tries to thwart this wholesale dumping over of such investments by raising its discount rate This is not a blow aimed at the farmer by no means The man of money wishes to use all aU his hla available credit to buy up pounds sterling on spec Dump off oft the tho slow stuff and invest in the sure for nothing seems surer than that the Bank Dank of England's five pound notes wll wil be worth more than per and so soon that the returns are as speedy as magic And Liberty Bonds are turned Inon in inon inon on watches rugs planolas oil all mining stocks and every blooming thing imaginable All putting a stress on money centers and the Federal Reserve Reserve Reserve Re Re- serve banks Call money in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York the other day shot up to 20 per cent Let the bubble be pricked by ever everso everso so GO slight an Instrument and BANG BANGI we have a panic And what is a pane but a general slow down a slow down in giving you credit and a slow down in purchases A general scare all around And there are portents signs in indications indications in in- I and what nots all around us fairly screaming that this is what we wo are aro coming up against and that soon It behooves every everyone one oneto oneto to salt down some rocks As long longas as we simply must have at atH 4 H silk illk shirts at 1250 hats at 20 suits at 80 shoes at 16 and 16 and re re- fuse to produce why to right those conditions we simply must have a panic to get sanity again There is need of ot production but no producers willing to work The main spring of the is busted and soon the whole kilter will come to a stop When she does stop where will it find you you eleven eleven high and riding easy or six low and pinched And there is only the one way of getting eleven high the high the good old-fashioned old way of working striving saving |