Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-01-16
The Cost of :. Developments"

The Cost of DeveIopement."
Looking over the sc Annual Statistical Supplement |
tc Dinsmores American Railroad and Steam Naviga-
tiOn Guide and Companion" we find many very in
teresting tables.
On page 16 we find table which gives the miles
of Railroad in actual operation in the States and Ter
Titories on The first January, 1857, 24476. The
number of miles in operation on the first January,
1856, were 81 $685. showing an increase during the
yea just closed, of 3407 miles Since 1853 12,s45
miles of Railroad have beer built IN the United
States, being more than half of all the miles of Rail-
road in the country.
Thus, within the past year, at least one hundred
nil ions of dollars have been withdrawn from the
walks of active production, and invested in perma
nenr works Some OF this may have gone abroad to
create debt, but the greater part has been an I'M
me late and heavy draft upon the active labor anu
capital of the United States.
The productive industry of any country, must De
great indeed when it sustain 80 heavy and con-
slant drain for purposes OF investment and however
great it may be, no industry and no resources can
sustain such drain long, without serious embarrass
mpnt. Our country has not done so, as the history
of the last few years will show. For, although gen.
orally, throughout the United States, the seVereS'
point of the financial pressure had been passed before
tn last year of great Railroad extension commenced
s ii must be borne in mind that the greatest amount
of labor and sacrifice the lines opened last year
had been made sometime before and that Inc making
of these sacrifices created the pressure
The price of living is higher throughout the coun
trv than il ever was before. 1t may be SAID that
since the discovery of the gold deposits of California
and Australia, everything is higher. But this does
not alter The fact that living is proportionaby higher
than ever before in the United States. 1t appears TO
as that it Can hardly be otherwise when 50 large an
an cunt of labor and capital is annually distracted
from the agriculture Of the country 10 be invested IN
Railroads, which carry very well, lat produce no.
thing that man eat and wear.
It is, no doubt glorious and necessary thing to
develop the resources" of the country but while 1t
is pushed ahead such rate pressures must oe tue
result 1t is the price we must pay for It, inst as a
man who keeps adding TO the buildings and ma
chinery connected with his business at an expendi-
ture Of capital equal and more than equal to all his
profits, must feel the necessity of /" shining" now
and then-cerainly be kept bare of ready change
These things pay in the end, but this pioneer
generation of Americans derive little happiness
fIom their works. beyond the pride and pleasure OF
making them The national mind and the national
resources are kept upon constant strain, and the
national hair grows grey, and the national corpora
ton lacks rotundy, and the national gils roslness'
10 degree surprising to the inhabitants OF less Ia
vored and less energetic lands.
According to the best available information the
whole world possessed at the close Of the last veal
5l,266 miles of railroad, of which there were IN
America north and south, and the West Indies
26,5Sl, in Europe 242O3 Africa 1872, Asia 3l1
Australia &c.
Of the European railroads, there were in England
and Wales 6,426 miles Scotland, 1,138; Ireland
lob The smaller German States come next, haV
ing 4,234 miles; France, 8. 712; Prussia, $780, anc
Belgium l119 The smaller German States ano
Belgium have the largest number of miles IN proper
ton to territory of any of the Continental States
ireland is about on par with Georgia in the matter
of railroads.
The total estimated wealth of the United States
is eleven thousand FIVE hundred millions. The cos
of the Railroads alone in the United States, the great
er portion of which have been completed within the
last eight years, amounts 10 onetwelfh of the
whole. Who can wonder that everything is kept or
strain. The country is working hard in its young
days.