North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-12-03

THE PRoGREss REPUBLIC. The census OF
the United States, for 1885, is enough to asonish all
the world but ourselves-whom nothing can astonsh
in the way Of doing up things SLICK. The increase
of our wealth and population evidences of our
great prosperity For the past eight years, especial
y have to be deeply thankful for the steady
and prosperous advancement of our commerce and in
ternal resources There have beeiino sudden huctu-
atoms, and nothing but general progress. Some in
teress have suffered, but the Republic asa whole
have not felt thefIi rF>n : sEz 49, -
How striking the contrast between our country and
the civilized countries of Europe Our superiority,
in every respect has been strikingy manifested We
nave beheld Europe convulsed from to circum-
ference. France has spouted out her race of mon
archs, and her citizens have made the of Paris
reek with human gore. Rome cast OH: her spiritual
ruler, who was only reinstated by the cannon of the
Gau, who, more than once, in the days of old, has
become master of the Eternal City ; perhaps yet to
pay the debt to more than Cesar's vengeance. The
fields of Italy have been stained with blood, and the
cannon of Austria have battered the walls of Venice.
Bloody have been the struggles the plains of Hun
gary, and Vienna has smoked with the ashes of the
slain. Every nation in Europe but Russia and Eng
land have had the knife of civil barred in the
age contest of father against and brother against
brother Ireland has lost millions by the famine
and pestence; and what country in the old world
has escaped some scourge reverse of fortune! Not
We have been engaged in war, and we glory not
in that because the friends of peace. We have
also had the pesence but it would if those
other nations tended always to advance and prosper
ours. Strong are we now in population, and stronger
than all other nations in enterprise. and never-tirng
onward pushing In the year 1900 the population of
the u States was 100000; it is % SOC, 600.
The number of States then comprising the Union
sixteen it is now hrty-one. Our territory then
was 100000 square miles it is 8 ,2OO, 900.
All present domain west of the Mississippi then
belonged to France and Spain, and was an unbroken
wilderness. Florida belonged to Spain, and Georgia
was the only State on the Gulf of Mexico. West of
New York there were no States but Kentucky and
Tennessee, and these had spent of their feeble
energies in the bloody strifes with savage foe. H.
linois, Indiana, Michigan, and half of our western
States were yet but hunting grounds where Indians
roamed unmolested At that period the total value of
all kinds of manufactures and products of Industry in
the United States hardly exceeded hundred millions
of dollars. The expectation OF cotton alone has in
creased from Sc, 100000 annually, $751; 600 900
and $71 100000
Ourinland lake trade has increased from an amount
too insignificant 10 be estimated to the value
of $500. OOO, 600 annaaly Our foreign marine is now
hardly inferior in extent value that of Great Bril-
tain, and we gaining faster than on our
gigantic rival. Fifty years ago, scarcely one of oar
four thousand miles of canal existed, and one of
our present eight thousand miles of railway or
our present sixteen thousand miles of telegraph were
either known dreamed Of In short, under the in
1uence of free institutions, have grown great and
strong. with rapidity which is enough to as,onish
and confound the gigantic ambition of the Car
of all the Russians. The Emperor of Russia is called
the Colossus OF the north his empire is about three
times the area of the United States possessions with
about three times the amount in population It is
about one-fftb greater in area than the empire of
Great Britain. On the other hand, the British scep
tire exercises dominion over one hundred and eighty
millions, three times more than Russia. 1t is the
greatest empire present in the world and its in
dusral products are in proportion its population.
Next to England, in productive industry and COM
mercal enterprise. stands the United States but in
the rapdiy of advancement in giant strides to be the
first empire in the world, it requires no mystical
lore to predict that in thirty years hence the result
will be accomplished. Norfolk .4rgus.