The Portland daily press., 1864-07-11
The National Resources and the National
Oeht

suiure prospects OF the republic. They do not
quite despair Of the success of the government
In suppressing the rebellion, but they talk as il
the country must, when the war is over, be In
sucha condition as to be scarcely worth the saw
ing. Exhausted, crippled, ruined, it will never
be able to pay its debts, and will have no alter
native but Reputation and bankruptcy, and
generations must pass away before we can hope
for any thing like return of national prosper
ity.
For the benefit of this class, we propose to
look for moment at few OF the facts in the
case. The country which presents most points
of resemblance to our own is, of course, Great
Britain. We offer slight comparison of the
burdens and resources of the two countries
Their relative financial condition will perhaps
be best exhibited by the following tabular
statement. The estimate is made for the year
ending Oct /, 1868:
Population of Great Britain and Ireland, So
$4,000; Product Of the year, $3.50, 272 600 /;
fuoiic debt. 9l4,5l ,0S4; Public debt per
capita, $130,47.
Population Of the Loyal States of America,
2iO0O,OO0; Product ofthe year, SO, 719, 600 0Oo /;
Public debt, sl,222,1l3,559; Public debt per
capita, S50,92.
1t Will be seen by the above that while the
population of Great Britain is to that of the
loyal States as to 4, the product of the form
er is less by s36S, 72s, 900; and also that the
proportionate share of each individual in the
public burden is nearly three times as great
with them as with us. The appropriations
for war expenses made'since these tables were
prepared, carry the present debt OF the United
States up to nearly 81 200 900, 900, and slightly
affect the accuracy of a portion of the above,
but with these additions the debt Is still less
than half that OF the United Kingdom.) More
over, the rapid increase Of population in this
country is daily diminishing this individual
proportion, while it augments the productive
industry which is to sustain the burden. The
total free population OF the United States in
1900, was 4,4l2,ss In 1850 it was 10 9S7 ,5t,33
In 1860 it had reached q, 461 ,s13; and the SUI
perintendent Of the recent census says in his
report that, according to the best estimates, it
will at the close of the present century be about
100000! With all this enormous increase
of population. let US see what are the resour-
ces of the country which is to afford them en-
ployment and sustenance.
The three great original sources of a nations
wealth are TO be found in its agriculture, its
minerals, and its mechanic arts. Commerce,
which draws itssupport from these, must prop
erly be ranked as secondary to them. We will
look first at few facts in the department of
agriculture.
The total area of improved lands within the
territory Of the United States, as shown by the
census of 1850, was 1l3,0326l4 acres, valued
at S3,27l ,575,426. In 1860 it was 1873 POI $3.50
acres, valued at s6,e5o,s72, 507, or more than
double that OF the preceding decade. The val
ue OF exports of agricultural products for the
same years, representing merely the surplus
remaining after the immense amount required
for home consumption, was for 1850, SIlO6lS,
sea; for 1860, s255,552,351. g
For the year 1868, when the country was In
the midst Of war, which exhausts in two direc-
tions, by direct consumption and by its enor-
nous waste, while SO large part of the pro.
ductive industry is withdrawn from its ordi-
nary channels, year moreover In which the
corn crop suffered severely from drought aud
frost, the export of breadstufs alone to the
markets Of Europe was
Flour. Wheat. Corn.
s sa 81, a,sas 4. b Ba .hs s.
Consider in connection with these simple
figures, the immense area Of our vet virgin
soil. The State of Illinois alone now sends 10
the New York market an average of 1000 head
of cattle weekly. How many States as large
as Illinois, can be carved from that vast range
of territories lying west OF the Mississippi riv-
er Chicago is already one of the chief grain
ports in the world, but when the boundless re-
gon still further west is laid under cultivation,
every channel of communication with the At
lantic and the Pacific will TEEN with the pro-
duets of the soil.
The next great source of a nations wealth
is the produce OF its mines. We do not now
mainly refer to those metals which though
called precious are yet less contributive to ma
tional prosperity than some OF humber rank
We pass by the gold and silver of California
and Nevada to consider the immense deposits
of iron in the Atlantic states Iron is the first
among the material agents of civilization. 1t
is impossible to enumerate the vast variety OF
important interests and industries with which
it holds close relations. 1t feeds the fouudries.
the machine shops, the manufactures Of hard
ware and cutlery, of firearms and their mis-
siles, from Parrot gun to pocket revolver.
1t links itself with the railroad, the telegraph,
the ship-yard, with the cotton-mill, the print
impress and the farn,-with every depart
ment of life. Its manufacture in this country,
though rapidly increasing, must yet be ranked
among the sources of wealth whose deyelope-
ment is only begun. But the facilities for il.
such as water-power, coal and other fuel. are
so abundant and dffused as to give promise
that the production will at no distant day not
only equal but far exceed The home demand.
The subject of iron naturally suggests that
of coal. The supply of this valuable mineral
is so vast, that mere statement of figures In
~.
paper lately furnished to an American period
ical by Henry ID. Rogers, Professor of Natural
History in the University of Glasgow, we find
the following statement:
"The United States with 100000 square
miles OF surface has one square mile of coal
field to every Is of territory.
Great Britain has one to every 80 Of surface.
Belgium has one to every p IL of surface.
France has one to every 200 of surface.
Let the total store of coal in Belgium, COM
puted at 36,O00,000,000 of tons, be our unit Of
measure, then
Thetamount of coal in Belgium being 1
Iu France 1t is less than 3
In the British Islands it is less than 4
In all Europe it is s3-4
In Pennsylvania little less than o
In the Appalachian coal-ield about 1912
In the Great Middle American coal
field about 351-2
In the Great Western American Ba-
sin about 20 IL
In all the coal-fields of North Amer
lea about 111n