Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-05-15
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[Rrom the New York Times l.iJ1
THE STATE OF OHIO AND ITS PRO.
GRESS. al.

,F [Rrom the New York TImes.l 1.35 4
THE STATE OF OHIO AND ITS PRO-
GRESS. VEN
Report OF Oommissi Oner OF StatIs-
tics-PrOgrcss OF che state-Weaith TN
OF the State-Annual Income, i..8 d
THE BrEcHEs, Thursday, April 90, 1863
Ihave before me The annual report of Mr.,
Mansfield, Commissioner of Statistics for the
State Of Ohio. Probably no document ever
more clearly exhibited, In fact and detail, the
wealth, progress and resources Of the Ameri.
can people. say American people; for Ohio
is great Middle State, mainly agricultural but
alec largely commercial. Il ia bordered four
hundred miles by the Ohio river, and two hund.
red aud fifty miles by Like Erie. The legisIa
ton Of the State, though In some things de-
fective, has been admirably adapted to improve
and make the most Of ita resources. Nature
made nearly every acre Of land in Ohio arabic.
Hence 1t must be great agricultural State,
whtse annual income must be chiefly derived
from exports. These exports must consist
of grain, animals, and their products. Hence,
also, the great problem was To provide facih.
ties for transportation, 90 that its produo!s could
be carried to market quickest and cheapests-
Thus Ohio embarked early and largely In canals
and railroads. When sho commenced her ca
nal system wheat would not bring over thirty
| FIVE cents per bushel one hundred miles from
the lake; and corn was sold on the Scioto at
ten cents per buehel. The annual pyofts to
Ohio, in the last ten years, by the construc-
tion of her public works, arc fully equal to
tiusnty millions Of dollars on the carriage alone
| independent of the stimulus given to oil kinds
| Of industry. The prblic men of Ohio early
saw and persistently contrasted the advantages
of inland navigation, whether by canal or rail
The result is, that Ohio has more miles OF rail
roads and canals than any State in the Union,
and In proportion to the surface far the most.--
Ohio has now three thousand miles of railroad,
exceeding those Of New York or Illinois. Ohio
has route of railroad to every thirteen square
miles; New York has route to every seven.
teen equare milea, aud Illinois route to every
twenty square miles. In the New York Timer
of 1852, | sketched tho system Of Ohio rail
roads, then In progress, and the probable re-
suits. With the exception of one or two unfin.
ished lines, the whole have been completed,
and, in the aggregate, have produced all the
results expected Of them.
Icannot here note more than two or three of
the points presented by the Commissioner. It
will be interesting frat to note the condition Of
agriculture. The only State which produces
equal aggregates of grain With Ohio ia Illinois;
but when any comparison Ia made, let II bel rec.
ollectedthat Illinois has sixteen thousand square
miles more than Ohio, and that in consequence
of 80 large part being prairie, already cleared,
| the labor of one man was equal to three Ia
Ohio. Relatively, therefore, to surface and la-
Dor, Ohio ia yet the first agricultural State Of
the Union In animals perhaps the mos. i'm
portant product-Ohio is actually the fret
The Commissioner states the largest actual
crop raised in the State was that OF 1860, In
which the products OF grain were as follows:
Wheat bush. Sss!e Hays, tons ,lsG
Oats, bush. ,724 Wool, Gas, ,i6l
The aggregate grain crop is less than that OF
| Illinois, but the number of animals greater
| The Commisslpner estimates the total palue OF
agricultural products, by Cincinnati prices
| (Which, you must observe, are 30 per cent. be.
low those of New York;, at One hundred and
thiytysir millions Of dollars. OF this product
more than one-half is surplus, 60 that the values
OF agricultural exports from Ohio amount TO
eighty millions per anaum. This is asoePtained
with almost atrict accuracy by the shipping
ports, canals and railroads. This export alone
would make any State wealthy. But 10 Ohio
There are four sources of wealth: l, This
great agricultural export; g.. Quite large ex-
Il
iron and clothing; 3. The permanent improve
uients in lands aud buildings, which amount tc
many millions each year; 4. The annual In
crease of animals, which In Ohio is also large
notwithstanding the immense export OF hoga
cattle and horsee. For example, under the
favorable action OF our present tariff, the sheer
OF Ohio have increased more than million Ia
two years. ne tta 2a
| | cannot cutter Into more details, but If Won
have any readers curious about the rationale OF
political economy they will find an interesting
field OF study in the statistics of Ohio Oi
course, this great production and EXPORT must
result 10 increased wealth. The money paid
for those immense crops by other States and
other countries makes the basis of new capital
and new Improvements Accordingly, the
wea;t th Of Ohio has doubled in the last ten ueays
This would seem erroneous, il Il we're NOS as.
| ceFtained by the most correct vsluah ons which
can possibly be made. The valuation OF the
Uniied,States for 1850 was $504, 600, 900, which
Corresponds very nearly with that of the State
census was 81 ,193, $4,000 The State Com.
missioner examined this In detail, and found
the actual result to be;
Personal property. 1852 900 900
City property. "...".......,"...... 200 600 600
Farms and lands. 625 900 600
Aggregate ,is7, 600 900
The two statements substantially agree; and
prove that the wealth Of Ohio increased $780,
600 QUO 10 tep years. This agrees also with tho
data above, that Ohio exports eighty millions
per annum, Increases her animals, and adds la.
Dor and material to her permanent improve.
ments.
Twenty years since, the whole amount of
taxes raised was $l.s90,00O. Now, Il amounts
to $4,000 O0O--more than four-fold. This ia
not 30 much the increase Of taxes as the base OF