Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1825-11-05

stated, have SHOWN 10 De oo,5OO only.
II, then, you will allow 81 bushels OF
wheat to the ton, $40, 500 bushels will,
of itself, make the whole quantity; and
which, at the rate OF fifteen bushels to
the acre, can be produced from 1896
acres of land, being less than four town.
ships. Or, TO place the subject in ano-
Their point of view; il our population at
present consists oil 90 900 inhabitants and
every soul will export the wheat that
can be produced from one acre of land,
then our export OF that commodity would
yield the revenue have stated.--And,
how little industry would it require TO
produce that result? But when | have
shown that four townships OF land will
yield such an amount of freight, as to
produce revenue so profitable TO the
state, what may not be anticipated from
the surplus produced OF every descrp-
ton, of seventy-six millions OF acres
that being the territorial extent of Hi
nois and Missouri only Should one half
OF the surplus produce of these Two states,
when they become fully peopied, pass
Oh this canal, the revenue arising from il,
and even at much lower rate of tolls
than is allowed by the existing law, would
more than support the government OF
both states. But when we add to the
revenue arising from our exports, THAI
which must necessarily and inevitably
accrue from the imports into two such
states as they are destined TO be, our re-
sources will be adequate to all useful
purposes whatever. And in estimating
the future importance of this canal, as a
source OF revenue TO the state, it must
be remem bered, that Missouri, as we'll
as large tract of country both TO the
north and west of that state, will have nc
other convenient outlet 10 the north than
| this. Is it prudent then 10 surrender
these advantages to private corpora
ton for sixty years For, if the canal
shall not be completed before the year
1885, the time fixed on for its compile
ton by that act, that is the period to
which the surrender extends.
If we look back, and examine the pro-
gress of wealth and population in The
western country, | think we shall all
agree that it will be highly imprudenl.
Indeed, it seem TO Die, that slight
retrospect will enable us, most fairly, 10
arrive at the conclusion, that, within less
than thirty years, Illinois and Missouri
alone, will be able to give constant en-
ployment TO the canal.
The commerce OF New Orleans, il
must be admitted, is principally supports
ed and fed by the wealth and industry OF
The people Of the west; and, in 1928,
the goods imported into that place, pfin-
cipaily tor western consumption, amount-
ed to S4,2S3,l2 and the exports from
II during the same year, and consisting
principally of the products of the wes-
tern country, amounted to S6,789,4lO.
Making the entire trade OF that place
amount, in one year, 10 8ll,072, 535.
| What the commerce. OF that place was
IN 1908, only twenty years previous 10
the period have mentioned, and, at the
time the American standard was
| first raised on the western bank of the
Mississippi, | am not able 10 say; but it
| could not have been great as will be seen
| by the then stale of the western popula-
lion. For in 1900, the whole population
Of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois,
Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi,
amounted to but 386,4o8, and ten years
alter that, that is in 1910, which is ,he
| FIRST enumeration we have of the popu-
iation OF the Louisiana country, including
the state of Louisiana, Arkansas and
Missouri, the whole population of that
country amounted to but $50. The
trade OF New Orleans, therefore in 1903,
! could not have embraced the CONNECT
cial wealth OF more than 100000 inha-
bitanls, which was less than the present
population of Kentucky, and if its COM
merce have increased in the same ratio
that The population Of the states before
stated has done, which in 1920 amount
ed in the aggregate to 2,O8O,438, its
commerce could not then have much ex-
ceeded S2,OoO,OOO, which is more than
S9,OOO,0OO less than it commanded in
1928, and this is, therefore, the in
crease OF the short period Of 30 years on
ly. With the produce Of the present
| population ct the west, it is we'll known
that New. Orleans is SO often glutted that
whole cargoes are sacrificed, either by
the destructive operation of the climate
upon them, or by sales at such prices as
to ruin their enlerprizing owners. When
even Missouri aud Illinois, saying no.
thing about The other vast tracts of coun-