Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-03-04
The Cause Of Our Blanufaeturing P-os-
peFiCV,

HAAuIL1GL1LA4A
peFiGy.
If we enter an industrial establishment
we dnd the proprietOrs overwhelmed with
orders; and this applies not only to the
great manufactures Of iron and wool, but
all other pursuits, with the exception Of
the cotton manufacture. Mr.. Golden tells
US that sll Of this apparent prosperity is
delusion; but, ss Mr.. Golden IS sound
political economist, we think that if he
was more intimately acquainted with the
facts in the case, heHould change his Opin-
ion.
In looking for the real cause OF this
prosperity, the first consideration is the
great and rapidly increasing power Of the
country to produce wealth. When the only
inhabitants Of the land were indians, there
were no modes Of producing wealth, but
hunting, fishing, and the rude cultivation
Of few very small patches of tobacco,
potatoes and Indian corn. On the settle
ment Of the continent by the Englishmen,
al the arts Of Europe as they then exist
ed were introduced; and the power Of
producing wealth was multiplied many
thousand fold. But since that time these
arts have been so revOlutioniZed that 1t
may be question, whether our power Of
producing wealth does not bear as large q
proportion to that Of the first settlers as
theirs bore to that Of the Indians. In
spinning the material Of our clothes, the
spindles are turned by steam or water;
one man attending 1000 each Of which
spins more yarn than spindle turned by
hand. In preparing the material for our
houses, the boards are smoothed by re-
volving plane; one man finishing more
flooring in one day than several hundred
men could "jack down" in the olden
times. In the great labor Of trsnsparta-
ton by means of canals, steamboats, and
railroads, one days labor sccomplishes
more than thousands Of days work could
effect without these sids. In short in
every department Of industry, the great
force of nature, operating through means
Of mechanism, have multiplied from 10 to
10000 fold the power Of producing wealth.
A very large portion Of this increased
production is consumed as soon as it is
produced. Only small fraction of the
community will save anything whatever
their income But q considerable portion
is saved; causing rapid accumulation of
wealth. In 1840 the Inhabitants Of Con-
nectlcut were worm an average OF Sf0U
apiece; in 1860 the whele property of the
State, if equally distributed, would have
given $500 to every man, woman and
child. In no other country in the world
was so large a portion Of the sccumula-
tions invested in lsbOr-saving machinery,
manufactures and other means Of aug
menting the annual product. A large por-
ton was devoted to increasing tbs size Of
our cities; this mode Of investment has
been generally suspended, and the reve-
Dues have been directed to the purchase of
| Government bonds.
Our manufactures and workshops are
not turning out froth. Their products are
as solid, substantial values IS were ever
produced. There is no delusion about 1t.
The simple cause of our prosperity is the
vast aggregate power OF the nation to pro-
duoe wealth; ind that has resulted from
the ingenuity of inventors and the enter
prising spirit of our people, which has put
those inventions in Operation.-Seient!fe
/ american.