Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-01-15

mr. The departments in which this is most con
EPicuous are the mining of coal and iron, AN
:. the manufactures Of salt, iron, wood, an
a. distilled liquors. A comparison Of the dc
10 cennial censuses of the United States an
~ the State statistics of the last four years pre-
& sents very gratifying results.
I; A comparison of the production of iron
:, coal and salt, in 1910 and 1860, shows tina
s the production ofpig iro has increased in tn
N last twenty years four fold, that of coal ft
a. teen fold, and that of salt six fold. This is
. far greater ratio of growth than that of pop
ulation or agricultural production, and show
, that the greatest relative increase of indust
, ~, at the present TIM, is in the department
! of mining and manufactures.
Last year the report of the Commissione
!; of Statistics contained a summary of the en-
tire industry of the State, compiled from tn,
returns of the United States census. The
aggregate value of industry mot agricultural
was Sl22, SCI, 200, showing an increase from
? lo40 to 1850 of one hundred per cent, and
: : from 1850 to 1860 of ninety eight per cent
: the whole increase in twenty years, being
!, Just four fold Several particular branches
of industry and the arts, such as as the pro-
ducts of coal as salt, and the manufacture Ol
clothing and of distilled liquors, have in
creased in much greater ratio.
/
ductive industry, exhibiting the active and
remunerated employment of labor, which
confers at once Independence upon the man
and wealth upon the State. we should recog-
nlze the great importance of machinery, ana
the new and multiplied facilities of com
merce, furnished by the modern arts of loco
motion. OF both these, Ohio has largely
avaIled Itself. The machines for facilitating
agriculture have not only been used. but
made in great numbers within the State
The new arts Of distillation. of expressing
oils, and of sewing by machinery, with 9th
ers of MINOR Importance. have all been en-
Pioyed with great success. The art, hOwsv
er, which has aide Ohio more than any
other, Is the improvement in locomotion.-
! This applies more especially to commerce.
Th'- first want of State. 80 largely ensag-
e In agricuiture. as sufficient markets for il
products; and the next is cheap ana iacile
modes Of Transporting those products. Mark
cts We have in the Increasing want Of cities
and manufacturing towns on the Atlantic.
aud tne increasing aud now c a>eI-ss Ge
mand Il Europe for food. In The early pe
riods OF the State. these ma kets were 1imoS;
inaccessible, and agriculture was discouraged
/ by the heavy bnrtben imposed by the cost
OF transportation. But in no department has
the State shown greater energy and intelii
gence, than Is supplying the improved means
of iocOmotion. and thus, giving a greatly
enhanced value 10 its products. Wise leg
isia1ion invited capital to our public works,
and the people promptly and patriUtically
met the taxes required, and nave been IA
paid for all their sacrifices No State of the
same age can produce such AN extent of pub
iic improvements, constructed for the pur-
poses OF commerce, and the Development of
n h.,,r h..
the State, some BY corporal ons. and some by
private associations. but all contributing to
the public wealth, and being commercial ia
cliities within the reach of nearly every IN
habitant
The aggregate of roads, railroads and ca
nals, Is seventy four thousand five hundred
miles of transit lines, independent of the ,
coast lines of Lake Erie and the Ohio river,
all of which are accessible to vessels in navl-
gable waters
The land surface of the State is 40. 900
square miles, so that there is one mile of
railroad to every thirteen square miles, and
a mile and a half of common road to each
square mile of surface. The farmers are
within easy reach of a road, while the great
commercial arteries, canals and railroads, ,
pass through or near the commercial. towns. ,
Situated between the lakes on the north. ,
down TO the Ohio, this State had admirable
advantages Tor internal trade The great !
streams of trade and migration which pass
between the east and the west, must 20 i
through her territory or along her borders. {
The consequence is, that the surface of our s
State Is covered with network of railroads {
and canals, which are of the greatest service, I
not only 10 commerce, but to agriculture, and 9
IN time of war, to military movements
When the internal trade with the South was
cat of, the immediate effect was to turn :
much of the produce which had before de- :
seended the Mississippi, to the railroads of /
the northwest in its transit to the cities of \
the Atlantic. Add the freights derived from d
abundant harvests, and the great value of /
these roads TO all the interests of the country,
will be appreciated Nor were they of less O
value 70 the Government While war ragged 9
On the Southern border, and immense armies i
were gathered, troops of all descriptions were e
moved through Ohio to any point required. n
with the utmost ease and rapidity Contrast I
ng this almost marvellous facility of move V
nent, with the obstructions, the delay, and O
me cost of such movements, in the early per- e
oas OF our history, we cannot but be astonish- S
I'd that such results could have been accom- n
plished within thirty years. in a State so C
young. a
Nor has the extension of commerce been 81
sohnhed to the land. Oar tonnage on the il
axes and rivers has increased three fold in
wenty years, and our trade with Canada, 5,
RhiSh Is now very important, four fold 81
For many years Ohio has built more vessels O
han the majority of the States, and is now u
he fifth in ship building. Thus the com "
neree derived from cur extensive lake and /,
liver boundary contrasts as strongly with t.
nle h.
branches Of industry and enterprise ii
From this statement IF the increased pop- f,
IlatiOn, production. industry and commerce OF
# Ohio, 1t follows that its wealth. which Is o.
'ut the creation of these elements, must have IL
increased IN equal proportion. At the time
We were about forming our Constitution, six o
y years since, it is doubtful whether the en- a
ire State. considered as property, could be Of
airly estimated at molS than forty millions al
f dollars. In 1910, the assessed value of m
roperty was but Sl2S, ,353. .657, or three field S
hat of 1902. In 1860, under a new princi- D;
ie of assessment, the valuation was $780, al
Sc, $40, or three fold that of 1910. In 1860, al
ne aggregate value of property was S898, ,302,- s.
Dl, or double that of1S50. The annual in rc
-ement of wealth from 1902 to 1910, suppos- ql
lg the assessment to be fair standard of al
,mparison, was but two millions; but from Ia
$40 to 1850, it was thirty millions; and from pl
$50 to 1860, it was forty four millions. If TO
he next ten years should be attended by no bi
lore adverse circumstances than those which &C
re past, the wealth of Ohio will be increased al
least four hundred millions at the end of su
nat period, making due allowance for di
llnIshed migration and extent of new lands in
} be cultivated. ri,
Inc present value of property in Ohio, if to
re take into view the large amount which tr
:eapes assessment, and the small value plac- it
q upon animals and other species of person
property, espnot be estimated at less than tic
thousand millions of dollars, or twenty-five fn
I'D that of l702- That this is very nearly IA
orreet, we bave another proof in the fact, F,
lat the value of exported products made b.
-om the materials and labor of Ohio, amounts til
sixty millions per aRnum. If we consider pe
nat the people have not only exported that in