Saturday, January 30, 2021

Better Times Ahead, Says Editor of Hickory Daily Record, January 1, 1921

The people of the United States face the year which began today with basic conditions fundamentally sound. The general depression which began six months ago has left little distress in its wake and, thanks to a rather general preparation for the final reckoning, the business of the country is not seriously affected. Some sections and some industries are hit hard and the bottom has not been reached in some cases, but better times are just ahead for the majority of industries and occupations of the country.

As we think of conditions around Hickory, where the effect of lower prices has not caused distress among farmers whose places produce practically every need, we have more reason to be thankful for the system of diversified farming that has helped this whole section in the lean years. Our manufacturing industries have slowed down along with those in other places, but Hickory does not really know anything about hard times as experienced by cotton and tobacco sections.

The conditions in the United States which make a great many people blue at times would be regarded as bounding prosperity in every country in Europe, including England. Relatively speaking, the United States is a thousand per cent better off than these countries, and it is in position to enjoy continued prosperity if congress adheres to its policy to reduce public expenditures to the minimum.

The people of North Carolina face the new year with bountiful crops, good bank accounts and general plenty. Those who have been careful with their earnings in the last few years have no reason to fear anything, and those who have spent it as they made it may be reassured that in a few months at least prosperity will return with a generous hand, though with not so lavish a hand as during 1919-20. That sort of prosperity, until more people learn the lesson of thrift and saving, probably is bad for the country.

The Record has faith in the future and confidence that the American people, their country is sound as a dollar, will overcome shortly a business depression that was bound to come.

From the editorial page of The Hickory Daily Record, Saturday evening, Jan. 1, 1921)

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