The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-08-21
Arbitration.


LEWIS HowEs, Appeals.
II. q. WHEELER,
". CARLILE,
On motion, the President and Secretary
were appointed to make temporary arrange
mcnts for the services of Superintendent;
and Geo. Foster and II. O. Babcock commit
tee to collect statistics of the trade and man
ufactures of the city, with the assistance of
the President to arrange them for publication.
NJ. w. FOSTER, PRIEST.
H.O. BABcocK, Sec'y.
To the officers Of the Board Of Trade
Of EtdnsriUs:
GENTLEMEN Our first object in the dis
charge of our duty will be to collect and di
fuse correct statistical information, relative
to the trade and manufactures of Evansville
and its surroundings and to call the atten-
ton Of our citizens and others to objects wor
thy o notice as promotive of orr interest as a
commercial and manufacturing city. Other
objects will receive your attention calculated
to promote fair and honorable dealing. To
establish uniform and just principles for set
Ting disputes, and generally 20 attend to the
mercantile and manufacturing interest OF our
city.
The position of Evansville as the CONNER
cial Capital of Indiana, will be generally ad-
mitted by intelligent men, who will take the
trouble to examine its geographical and geo
logical location. Situated i'm the centre of
the Illinois coa!-felds commanding the
| IL q IL, II -. al
leys on the one side, and Green river on tie
other. with the beautiful aud ever magnif-
cent Ohio in front-surrounded by timber OF
the finest q atty, underlaid with superior
coal in inexbaustib.e quantities, with an
abundance of iron in close proxinity-all
will, nay must, admit that nature has done
her part towards making Evansville the com
mercial capital OF Indiana.
Let us examine what has been done by us
let us point out what can be done by us and
lot us invite Others to cooperate with us in
carrying ont our destiny, and enjoying with
Us its beneficial effects.
1t is matter of much encouragement to
look back upon the past ten years and note
our progress as city. 1t is true we have no;
experienced the hot-bed growth of some OF
our lake cities, which have risen US if by
magic, from the .'waste wilderness" to cite.
of tens of thousands of inhabitants, in tho
short space of few years. Ours has been q
steady substantial, gradual progress, based
upon, but not fully up to, our natural trade
and position. a growth that has paid wei
for what has been done, and leaves room anC
scope for others to occupy and prosper.
Ten years ago, we emerged from town Il
a city charter. We then had bit 400 polls
and ss45,oOo real and personal property
Much of the real property belonged TO non
residents, and was no part Of the capital Q
our people. At that time we had some trade
We occupied the same natural position W,
now occupy the same beautiful river fowe,
past us. But our capital was very small
Our facilities for reaching the interior was b.
mud roads, which in winter were nearly i'm
passible. We had no manufactures for ar
ticles of prime necessity; we had to purchas
wherever we could get them. We had hu
few good store houses, and fewer good dwell
lings. We had no landing but such as IA
ture had made for us.
But perhaps the greatest impairment t
! our progress at that time, was the fact that
large part of the property Of our city, the ''fe
simplen of our ain and Out Lots" was he'll
, and owned by non-residents. The re-actiO
to the prosperous times of 1850 and '31
] found the then business men of Evansviil
1 IL
goods purchased had been sold 1T good pro
, fits, but the chance to speculate in lands an
town lots were tempting large profits wer
anticipated, like those now offered in til
= cities Mat are to be in the far West. But til
day of disappointment came. The lots an
the lands that were to be lots, passed into til
= hands of Eastern creditors. and there remain
> ed until industry ard economy had revive
= business ; and better times with steady pro
g gross, which ten or twelve years ago set il
0 gradually advanced property. Nonresident
q began to sell, and residents began to buy an
to build. The low, one story frame has Civ
ell place to the three and four story brici
until few landmarks OF ''ten years ago" Gu
be found within our borders.
| will mention another featUrc-if lot
drawn back to our rapid progress That W
j have had but few. if any. capitalists to settl
It with us. Very few men have brought tie
% thousand dollars to the city to begin will
"a could mention men who have made iol
tunes here by honest industry-by prosper
Gus business and more by gradual advanC
&c in property. And l could mention ie
= men that had, and now have, an interest
IS Evansville, who have made enough to span
from their regular business-to withdra'
more carital than all that has been brougi
- here in the last ten years.
10 With these draw backs, what have we done
~ We have graded our river bank, and con
J. structed one of the finest and most extensiN
wharfs On the Ohio river-equal to our pre-:
ent and prospective commerce;
We have connected ourselves by TELEGRAPH
s. with all parts of the country;
re We have speedy and certain Railroad CON
10 munication North, East and West:
{, We have completed the longest Canal i
the world, from Evansville, on the OHIO,
- Toledo, On Lake Erie-460 miles;
$. We have lighted the city with gas of IL