, 1863-01-06
MESSAGE. :,
iemen Of the General Assembly. .

UECnl1C9 uA " UN mU4Cbk VI VMA 51uC14tH
mud abilities. But when compelled to witness
the ugonies Of our country, writing in the
very throcs Of dissolution, ndiyidua1s become
dwarfed in stature and the soul Of the proud
est and braycst pauses awe~struck ut the
march Of eTents. -
then, as those which now surround us, does
it doubly become us to look less to our own
proud hearts for strength, and more to tbs
Sustaining power Of that God, who ever dis
poses Of Ill that man proposes.
> PROGRESS or STATE.
Still, amid ali the frjghtfu1 calamities at
tcndant upon war, and doublJ go upon one |
waged by two sections Of a common country,
there are some sources Of consolation, not
stood by the Constitution and the Union. She !
has not Alteted fora moment in her devotion. |
She has sent her sons in thousands to defend |
the flag andYavenge the insults heaped upon |
it hy tie tt9r hordss who 9ayf da1Go she 10
has poured out her blood, willing sacrifice.
Ani she still stands ready to do or die IN the |
glorious cause. She has also sent out the
angel of mercy, side by side with him who
carries the flaming sword Of war. On the
CORY battlefield, amid the dying and the dead,
in the hospital, among the sick and wounded
soldiers Of our State, may be seen her sons
and daughters min1stering, consolation. and
shedding the presence Of benign charity,
which Knows no fear; which breads not the
pcstilcnce that walketh By night Or the bullet
In all these things Illinois has made herself
the admiration, and excited the generous envy
Of her sister States, who have remained true
to the Union. And in them we find consol-
ton amid SO much national at1liction. III
j. ", AGR1ouLTGaE..' ,:a::,1 ,s.::.? -:
In the three departments: of industrial pro
gress-ag1icnltnre, manufactures and com
merce-there has been most remarkable de.
yelopmeut, and this tWithstandluG the war
has diverted so large proportion Of the most
effective and most skilled labor of the coun-
try from its ordinary fields Of usefulness. ::.t
Early In the history Of. .our national disturb
ances, 1t became matter Of serious solicftude
tural resources Of the loyal States could meet
! the draft which tmust, Of necessity, be, made
| upon them by the organization :and long con-
| tihued maintenance Of large army. ~
[ Intelligent agrfculturists, representing that
system Of labor; which Under al: circum-
self thoroughly loyal to good governments, at
once compreheuded the full measure Of their
/ responsibility and The yital Importance Of
| their trust. 80 far Us this State is concerned,
the results are Of the most gratifying char
| acter, New life, industry and Intelligence
production Inventive skill, by Its many I'M
| proyements In machinery for farm culture,
| has almost; entirely compensated for the
Withdrawal of one-third Of the manual labor
hitherto employed. The production Of the
old staples, corn, wheat, beef and PORK, mas
tobacco and molasses have assumed an i'm
| portance among our annual crops heretofore
| unknown. OF the last named, an abundance
has been produced the past yearto supply the
demand for home consumption, and, from
experiments already made, have reason to
=, Su~,, A4|> S41Hc
Of the world for sugar, will, in few years,
entirely cease. In anticipation Of q dimln-
ished supply Of other lbres for manufacture,
the growing Of wool, to which our broad
prairics arc SO admirably adapted, has received
q strong impetus. Many thousands OF sheep
abroad, md it is confidently believed our next
annual clip will fall little, if any, below TINT
! Of either Of the older States.
It is stated, on good authority, and be-
1ieyed to be true, that Illinois, for the past
biz 10 of as People, @ and that liz surplus
} now on hind is equal to the amount sent of
, in any ono shipping season. This immense
proauetiun, With the evidence it affords Of
J the extent Of our resources, even in their
present candstion Of limited development, Is
J largely reS.rable to the influence exerted anu
intelligence diffused through the medium Of
our State 3nd county agricultural and horti.
) cultural organizations, The great mass Of
1
+ or necessity, tillcrs Of the soil. Upon the
, prosperity Of the producing classes must de.
7 pend, In either peace or war, the well being o
every otlT material interest of the country.
t They mainly fill, from their own numbers
!, the rankao o9r armies and then maintair
+ Congras, at the last session, extended tt
this great interest a national recognition, bJ
9 the creation Of d new department, especially
9 designed to promote and foster it: Is i
necessary too add that all legislation, State o.
c national (which has for Its object to afford ali
d and dignity labor, is, in government consti
IS tuted lil& ours, eminentlT wise and prOper2
" For futher Information on this subject,
n will retfr you to the report Of the agricul
n tnral sodety, now awaiting your, order TO
publication: If the reports Of this societ,
Il could bopnblfshcd annually, the Information
}, to our fsmers would be worth far more thai
J. the cost 10 the State.
y PROPERTY OF CITIES IN TIE STATE.
IL -Anot1ir Of the most striking evidences o
n our proSer1ty, is the great increase in popu
HI :latfon a9 business Of our principal cities AM
e towns Thus, during the past two years, on
metropolitan capital has added nearly 81, 90
20 to her Hpulation, rising from 1o9, 900 to owe
1t $50, coo. Nearly all the other cities in til
Al State hdc also largely increased In popnlo
# tion.
The $tal value Of the real and persona
ir propertl of the State cannot fall short o
g 81 cog. @, ooo; The census Of 1860 places
Or at $67H6O,2s2. This exceeds that Of State
G. much dter than ours. Thus, Missouri Is Sc
ut down ifthc last census returns at only $780,
IN coo, ,000hnd Kentucky at about 2G60, ,000, ,00(
An elimination Of the census Of 1850, jus
or publishd, shows with what rapid stride
.. agTicnl,ra1 preducts.. Ten years ago behln
e. many them, she is now contestiug tn
e. palm Il The first in almost every one Of tn
e staplc3 She now produces twice as muc
~ corn. ! any other State-almost twice a
at much Fhcat; in neat cattle, the first; /
eT vafue live stock Of al kinds, sho is a1read
ts, the se&nl State in the Union. And here
'er is prder TO add, that the valuation Of pre
q, perty our county assessors Is by no mean
ed prom criterion, as It is we'll known to bt
4 in mar cascs, very variable, and in all al
ng snrdlYow. The question arises whether
ny souldnot be better, for the interest Of th
'ee State Aroad, to have the assessments highe
d. and te taxes lower. And also, Whetl
BY er SOM measures may not be devised for t
sh, equaliltioR Of assessments throughout Il
en- State. =
ng' POPULATION. .'5 p:
ess In p},ulation the State has also increase
in 4 T4 rapid ratio, rising from thu seVen1
,r- State Fl the Union, in 1850, to Il
Or Or fourth in 1850, leaving behind :. :!
man} T|;nos of h, her older slsteI s
f. H. 5,163{nd Missouri 60,5l7, and in 1860 Il
- populfon Of Illinois rose to I'LL, ,951, viii
rn- that ofM1ssouri only reached ], ,1&, ,61a I
I'LL examining the last census returns, We shs
be gee thaano State has made such rapid strid
lin In pop41tion and wealth Us our own. In t.
nd years, our present rate Of increase, we "
IT. be the bird State In the Union, In twen
to years II will be the second, if not indeed Il
nd first infopu1ation, and the third in wealt
be Snch ppgress, unprecedented In the grow
in OF statf or empires, opens up future to Il
he vision II the political economist, =preg1ta
ce, With lfw ideas as regards the progress
ID centu1r3 Illinois has sprung ont Of the wilde
,ns ness no full grown civilization, teelnil
nj. with al tho blessings Of q most hnppy al
ok- prospectus condition of society, as Miner
et, Is represented In heathen- mythology, #
CO. robed wisdom and beauty, leaping from t
ely brow otJoye. ::
III In rahoads Illinois is really the first, thong
en nominAS, tho second State In the Union. =
sectinglhe State in all directions, north 81
south, pst and west. Ten years since, !
possessd in all hut ninety-tive miles with
* the enttc limits Of the State. The cost
aer constitution Of all the railroad property
via tho stat, at that period, was but $1,4io, s
laf n lSt4 It was $104, 81, SOL Probably t
ace historyM the world does not present such
he 1nstanctof progress. We're It not for the
les roads, tie War, which closed up the Miss
Is stssippiR1ver to our commerce, would In
oy- 1eaaul1J crippled our resources. By the
of roads n hare been enabled to send forwa
1mmenA quantities Of agricultural prOdue
: to 1nar1at. Thus the roads and canal cent?
: ing IN Chicago delivered, in 1861, nearly &
her 600 Coo bushels Of grain, 675, 600 hogs, a
lis; nearly COCO head of cattle. In 1867, lea