New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-12
Ntw:llork DAILY Gribn,ra
ST. LOUIS AND CHICAGO.

ReDrbLican. which he aterward collected in panlph-
let entitled Thoughts about the City of st. LOUIS
From this gentleman learn not only the questiona-
BILE fact that "St. Louis, as commercial emporium,
has for some years been advancing more rapidly than
any other place in the West but the quite remarkable
fact that in this city there has never been an instance
among our merchants any of those fraudulent trans
actions which have sometimes dsgraced the mercan"
title reputation of other cities. MIR. Hogan assaults
the pretensions of Cincinnati in very peremptory
manner. without intending any invldous COMPARE
sons though that city has been making very COM
mepdable progress since Judge Burnet saw 1t mere
cluster of Lighthouses in 1892. She has, in fact good
share of population in 1850 claiming lis, 49, and at
the present time not less than 900. The mills fac
tories and packing establishments, and the numerous
railroads centering there, show likewise that Cncn-
natl is doing a very fair business ST. Louis Is
as much preeminent as her eulogst claims.
So far as mere site is concerned, We think ST. LOUIS
has no superior west of the Aeghenies She also has
for Western city very superior facilities in the way
of river commerce. and she also is the center OF vast
region which is bound to contribute 10 her prosperity,
but very considerable part of her surroundings Is
cursed with negro Slavery, and this indirectly must
affect the business of the city. Last Spring we
visited one of the greatest packing houses in the
Western country and not surprised to learn that
the largest part of the hogs there packed were raised
by farmers in Illinois, were we astonished 10 near
how large share of the commercial enterprise IN
that city, was imported directly from the East. The
counties of Marion Rails Shelby, in fact broad belt
of counties from Marion City west to the Missouri
contain some of the best land the sun shines on, but
one has only to pass through there to know that even
their GOOD land cannot bring the enterprise OF its own
ers I'D to par. Everything is down at heel Inc
houses are small and comfortless the farms are large
but barely support their owners and their human cIa
tells: the schools are in a wretched condition; Mis-
sour has 81 900 white native adults that cannot read
and write: the churches are few and small; the coli
leces are scarcely worth naming; the railroads mostly
are lame in the back very large part of Missouri
need not fear comparison of surface and soil With
any State in the Mississippi Valley, and yet in fifteen
wears have Iowa and Wisconsin settled nearly as large
a population as Missouri has in fifty years. Into all
the Free States in her vicinity, population rushing
with amazing rapidity but the wave seems to strike
barrier of rocks when it reaches the boundaries OF
Missouri And this fact is to be more apparent here
after from the unenvable notoriety she has at
tanned by the ruffanism on her Western borders.
Whatever may be the fate of Kansas, We regard one
thing as sure, that the share which Missourans have
taken in outraging the most obvious principles of the
Constitution and of natural justice in the high handed
game now carried on in that Territory, will cost Mis-
souri, loss of emigration and capital which she cannot
afford to lose.
We alude TO these things as eounteracting the
natural advantages of st. Louis. The slopes OF her
bluffs and hills are Just what are needed to make 4
clearly beautiful city and to her territory there is no
limit We are not sure but she might extend herself
ten miles north south and west, aud find the best of
surface for her squares Her scope of country truly
immense, and would make her one of the first, If not
the first city at the West, if so large portion OF 1t
were not cursed with the evil OF Slavery, which
paralyzes ito producing energies to such fearful ex'
tent. Take, for instance, Mr. IIogan's somewhat
grand statement Of domestic produce &C., from The
"pOr Of St. Louis in the year ending June 30, lsjl."
There were shipped that year. 6s, 500 barrels OF Hour
2l56 sacks of -FOUR and 1900 sacks of wheat. The
census of 1850 shows that all the wheat raised in
Missouri only amounted to 1881 ,652 bushels, and
little calculation would show that this would only be
about as much as Mr.. Hogan says was exported IN q
year from ST. Louis. Clearly Missouri did not furnish
the principal part Of this export, else her Shareholders
are better economists than they are commonly sup
posed to be- The State Of Illinois contributed very
considerable portion Of that export out of the 100000
bushels Of wheat she raised. Five years ago the far
mers of Southern and Western Illinois were compelled
to make St. Louis the center Of their trade but now
different state of things has come TO pass. Railroads
are in active operation all the Prairie State, and
these roads center in Chicago several hundred miles
nearer the great sea coast market, toward which pro-
duce naturally tends. The Rock Island road, the
Chicago and Burlington road the Chicago and Missis-
sippi road and the Illinois Central &C., sweep over
an immense portion of country, TILED by free labor
large part Of which could not reach Chicago a few
years since, but now the way s easy. In traversng
these roads last Summer were impressed with the
tendency Of all produce in the State to its lake metro
polls.
But we were speaking of the effect OF negro Slavery
on the producing energies of Missouri which naturally
makes st. Louis ts center. Illinois, with 900
more population than Missouri raised near three times
ss much wheat; she raised near SO 600 900 bushels OF
corn to the 80 900 900 Of Missouri, 10000 900 bushels
of oats TO the 5000 900 of Missouri and s2i, O0oOO
live stock to the $40 900 Of Missouri, and yet Mis-
souri had 1850, es2 900 people to the 75 900 OF ILL.,
NOS. All this goes to prove what we nave asserted
that the growth Of st. Louis has not been pnncipaIy
BY the product Of .aveabor but very largely by the
products Of free-soi and further that very large
share Of this is likely 10 find its center at Chicago
The first settlement Of st. Louis was made in 1904
by the French, but in 1900 it had population OF
1000; in 1870 600; in ls2o, 45o5; in 1880, $685. in
Is4O l6 4S9 in 1850, 1890; and at the present time
probably 100000.
II we turn now to Chicago the young metropolis Of
the Northwest, We shall find some facts Of interest
The site of this city cannot be compared with that of
st. Louis 1t il too low and too level for convenient
drainage il has not an ant-h within miles on which