Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1841-01-16

further in tho year 1886, the excesf of imports ex-
cecded the exports upwards of six'yonc millions OF
dollars and that in 1887, the import of the single
article of silk, mere luxury, which our own coun
try Is as capable of producing any other amounted
" twenty three mllionu of dollars, while our export
of -FOUR during the year, was but about SC en-
millions Of dollas 1t is to he ho cd, and the increas-
cd confidence growing out of the resumption of
specie payments about to take place, warrants the
conclusion, that hn ncss will resame its accu-toncd
channels, and taking lessons Of prudence from tha
past, our citizens will not again he tempted into thos
wild cxcases which have well nigh led on to lank.
rup,cy AID ruin, ard the pJstraton Of pubc and
private credit and confidence.
Our Commonwealth possesses fertile soil and
unhounled agricultural md mineral wealth. We
have within ourselves almost all the nccessaries.
aud many of the luxuiies of life. With the increase
of intelligence and means we find our fTmers aug
menting the products of 'helr soil, improving the'
stocks Of d,mestit animals, and addi"g TO the neat
ness of their household establishments No one
can pass through our Commo Iweallh, without
being stuck with the air of subsiani i comfort, and
increasing prosperity, which pervadcs he agr,culu
raj districts of the State.
The variety and extent Of our water power, give
great facilities to the manufacture of our grain into
brcal stulis, and for every Other branch of manu-
factue, either needed for the supply of our citizens
or for the employment of their cdpi al.
Had Pcnnsylvnnl already reached the full dcvel-
opment of her resources with her present pecuriay
responsibilities weighing her down, we might well
contemplate our situation, with tremhl ng solicudr.
But this is not the case. Throughout the whole
eSassqps eSaspSs 9f her ample tiory' there is scarcely
of the great staples of her mineral W a'th. Anhia
cite ard b,umnous coal iron, marble an line tone,
have been scattereLby nature with a mos! profu ed
to prove, with what prodigaity they have hecn 'av.
ished uron us. The coal fed Of our Commonwealth
embraces more than one fifth OF its area, and more
than three times much a. enr" Europe. Con.
nccted with the coal, VIII oh abounds in 81 large a
portion Of tho Commonwealth, we have large sup
plies of iron orc, almo in immediate contact with
it. In add tion thereto we have, with convenient
distances almost all the other varieties of iron ore
found in any part ofthe world. The ajrrta,ion OF
anthracite c,al to the smelling Of iron ore, has been
followed by its successful and profia application
in The further stages of the manufacture of the met
al; and that the same resources will spec lily fol-.
low from the application Of bituminous coal, may I've
looked for with almost absolute certainty While
H..
wanted for the finer purposes, and the demand for
it, increased by the nau al of the population of the
country, that manufactured from mineral coal, will
he employed in the construction of rail roads, and
for nnumerable other purposes. This discovery
must stand as a distinguished era in the annals Of
our Commonwealth. 1t cannot fail to adj millions
dollars 10 active and available capital and will ere
long tGansfr to our own ciliz most if not all of
the large sums that are now annually sent a roa
for rail road iron, and ythcr iror manufactured arti
clcs. The manufacture of the numerous and valu-
able CO mmod,ics will not only result in enriching
Pcnnsyv min, but will cut of Ia &c item in the inn
ports Of this country, tending to emancipa:c Us from
European dcpen lcnce, en- bic sister states to
complete their rail roads at n cheaper and better
rate, and strengthen the National Union by the
strongest of all ties, hlt of mutual interest.
Nor is there in Pennsylvania a single class of
citizens who will not share directly in the alvanta>
ges. The owners of coal and iron deposits, an
those who engage in the manufacture and sale of
these productions, will derive the first ben fit; hut
the farmer, the mechanic, the merchant and every
other citizen, viii fepl immcd atcly the saluary i'm.
pulse which will be communicates TO his own pecu.
liar business The value of our canals and rad
roads mus, lie greatly en anccd, as wei as that of
all Other species of property. With the cheap and
ready means VII ch they will allold for the r MS
poIta'i Of our rious products ana mlnuf ctures,
there can re 10 doubt that the trade and bu mess
of the sia'e NUT extend and increase with unex-
amPd rapidty, and hy prudence and good man
agemenl be peri rIetulted.
In this gradual and certain dcvcopemen. oC our
resources may be found abundaut means to liqui.
date oui publ lcbi, and to discharge every othrr
liability, that con justly be cast upon the State.
confess II affords me peculiar grit c ton to advert
to this topic, for it shows most satisiactohy that
though this Commonwealth has been somewhat in
advance Of the time in extending her improvement
system so widely she has done, the people not
whstandlng are destined at no remote period to
realize, most amply, oil the benefits was ever ex-
pected to produce The increase of our manufac-
lures will necessarily tend to ur rd additional sour
ces of empl ymenr for the laborer, and furnish in.
creased security against all improper combinations
for the reduction of wages.
If any just Cause of apprehension has existed,
from the attempts in large manufacturing establish