The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1854-07-28
ONO, THE CENTRE OF POPULA-
TION AND COMMERCE.

! 'uul IChI1 hlt tIO SbulCto VI bOiu-
nerce. and where commerce must ulli>
mntely tend, seems TO be lltle Under-
stood by many persons. We hear much
OF the immense commerce of New YORK /;
| that the revenue is collected there; that
the public money must be expended
there, because i, is collected there; aud
various assertions and opinions Of this
sort, based upon the idea that an lmpoi>
jng city is the centre or source of com :
merce. Nolhing is, in fact. more absurd
than such an idea. New York, like all
importing cities, is merely an agent for
The lransfer OF fabrics, money, and per-
sous, to the place Of their ultimate des>
tination, and makes its living and its
wealth by its receipts for this agency,
like commission mcTchaut The i'm.
porter of silk goods, for example, adds
his commission on the money, which he
transfers from the capitalist to the bor>
rover All this makes a commercial
city, but does not make commerce, and
is not its end, any more than farmers
wagon makes The hay and wheat carried
nn it. The sources Of commerce are in
a people and soil able to produce, and a
people and wealth able TO consume. II
is the producer who furnishes the arti>
Giles fcr the commercial agency TO tron'-
fer, and it is the consumer who takes
them from him. New York collects
revenue, but who pays it? Ohio pays
one tenth tho revenue Of the United
States. The government informs US il.
has collected fifty millions OF revenue.
Then Ohio has paid five millions of it;
Indiana and Kentucky have paid five
millions more,
The sources of commerce are produc~
lion and consumption. Now let us see
where production and consumption are.
If the wealth Of couatry were very
unequalIy distributed, they might be one
sided, especially if somo portions Of the
county were barren. Bal ia The UniIed
States, tho advantages OF the country and
the wealth oflhe country are very equally
distributed. The older States have
larger share of manufac.ories, but the
new ones in suil, and all natural prnduc.
tions. Ohio is probably as wealthy, IN
proportion TO lis inhabitants, as any Slate,
except, perhaps, Massachusetts or New
York. In this nearly equal distribution
of advantages, tho centre Of production
and consumption is practically not far
from the centre Of population. Where
is the centre of population, and Uba, las
been its progress? Without calculating
it TO single mile, we may slate that in
l790 the centre of population was in
Adams county, Pennsylvania; and in
1850, il was in Belmont county, Ohio.
Thus, between 1890 and 1850, (sixly
years,) The centre Of population has tra-
vrled two hundred and twenty miles
almost due west. The centre Of popula>
ton travels about 81 miles decennial.y,
or nearly four miles per annum. In hall
century it will be in Indiana; ard il
will be century a, least tic eveD befure
il crosses the Mississippi. Probably, if
.he Union continues as it is, i, will never
cross The Mississippi. The reason is
obvious. Between the California noun
'ains and the west line 10 Missouri, there
is bu, small portion of fertile lands;
while east Of the Mississippi, and west
of the Aleghenies, everv acre may be
made garden spot. West Of the MIS-
sissippi 10 the Pacific, is greater dis
iance than from the Atlantic 10 the Mis-
sssippi, Au, far less fertile aud productive.
The centre of population is in Ohio,
and ii is evident from The preceding facts
rha, it will be so for half century
Here in Ohio, then, is the centre Of
commerce; and it is this fact which so
rapidly creates its weaIlb, develops its
industry, and gives such activity to loco-
motion; and this activity, industry, and
development, is not likely to be at all
diminished; on The contrary, it will in
crease. The commercial growth Of its
chief ports have never been equaled by |
the growth OF any part Of The world.
Cincinnati, Cleveland, Sondusky, and
Toledo, are all growing rapidly; and 10
these we should add tho interior towns
of Dayton, Columbus, and Z'nesville,
more Immediately dependent on manu-
faoture, bu, connected with the others by
railway. To illustrate the growth of
commerce in Ohio, we will give the
aggregate population and growth of these
towns; for it is well known that The COM
lnerce of these places has increased more
rapidly than the population, SO that in
giving the growth of The towns, we really
represent the growth Of commerce.
TIE aggregate population Of Cincin>
natl, Cleveland, Sandusky, Toledo, Day.
ION. Columbus, and Zonesville, at dlffer>
snt periods, were as follows:
In lS20"...,....... ....""... l3. l4l
In 0.......,................ 32,722
In IG4O............"."... 72,5I2
In lS50.............,..... lS0, ,S5f
In lS53....... ..."... about PAT .512
Here is a steady increase OF 40 per