Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-05-30

The fact that railroad trains are run.
ling light and that trade Is said TO be
auIl are regarded by many with gloomy
forcbOdings. We constrIie them diff;sr.
entity. Many Of those who used to crowd
tle cars are now at home at work. Whsrd
they should be, instead of gadding about
on borrowed money and making trade
DISK ny uyihg goods that they will
never pay Tor. IL i5 great pity that d
good many more Of our citv and village
population had not been started onf
upon the prairies and into the woods
there to hev out farms which would
very soon be adding largely TO the an
hual product, Therefore to- the wealth
and trade, Of the country-of course,
swelling the business of railroads.
There has been much sanseless COM
paint OF The decline OF ship-building-a
I complaint by no means confined to this
! country. But more ships are not built.
! SIMPLY because more ships are not need
eI' seven years ago, we grew Millions
OF bales l,GD, 900 tuns) of cleaned cot
ton; last year, we grew Two Millions OF
baies only; While our product of Sugar
and Rice has fallen off in at least equal
proportion. Consequently, we want few
er ships than we did; hence, we build
1ewer, as We ought. When we have
more To snip, we shall build the renui-
site vessels; and we ought not to do il
before.
LIN 1865, our crops were light, mainly
because we began that year with more
thah one Million men i'll arms, and at
least Two Millions employed, in one
way or another, i'll playing the destruc-
tive game of war. We mustered ont the
Rebels in April and May, and the I'm
lonists along through the Summer and
ali but few of them did much to swell
tne harvest of that year, which was
shortened at the South by the lack of
implements and draft-aninals. The an
archy existing in the relations to Labor
to Capital further contributed to stint
the harvest. IN 1866, We worked better
nut tins proved very unfruitful season.
The important Wheat crop was a very
general lailure; we think not moro than
nYe bushels were harvested TO one sovn;
whereas, there are usually ten 20 twelve.
The positive loss to tie country fron ths
failure OF this single product cannot have
been less than SlOO,OJ0, coo. Indian Corn
failed pretty generally throughout the
south, and was badly shortened by frost
III the horth-West; and, as full crou
would be about One Thousand Million
bushels, worth, where it should have
grown, at least 100000, 600 mora Cot
ton was cut short by Hoods, drouth, the
&c, about One Million
bales, worth 800 00,000,000 more; but the
higher price realized abroad partially
compensated for the deficient uusntity.
Yet it is clear thar on the whole. the
country il at least 5000, 0aO, 100 poorer 10.
day than it would have been with fair
average crops last year, 30 say nothing of
those Of 1865.
Yet, in the face of this aching void.,i
we went or buying silks and satins.
laces aiii gewgawe, as though we wers
i'll the iull tide OF general prosperity:
our inpnrtattons for 1865 having exceed
ell IN value those of any former year.
l. ii wonder that our trade is slack and
our railroad receipts light in the early
part OF 1857? How could they be other
wise, when our agricultural districts
hsye little 10 sell, and our grain-growing
regions are short Of bread?
fais sickness is not unto death.u-
2u;ie the contrary. The great body of
'ur people are fencing plowing, plant
Ig, seeding. wedding, feeding. as they
LIQUID be. Others are mining Iron, Cop
'er, Load, Gold, Silver, &c., &c. In
'ther words, We are producing wealth
instead Of swapping it about, and are
nus laying the basis of g genuine pros
,erity, beneficial commercial activity.
rue. the Spring is generally cold and
'ack ward; but it has thus far been wet,
: oar most important Grass crop re-
urcs that it should be. Wheat also'is
locking well, having been
argely sown last Fall. And, while the
ackwardness of Spring, tho wetness of
he ground, has probably restricted the
rea sown to Spring Wheat, Oats, Bar
4y, &c. there is yet ample time for Corn,
rovided the requisite labor can be OBJ
aimed to plant and till it, Grass implies
'utter, Cheese, and Beef; Corn makes
ork, and serves to increase the supply
Butter, and Beef and there is labor
nough to be had by those who have the
leans of paying for it, and immigrants
rrlving at our ports at the rate of over
ne thousand per day.
We see nothing, therefore. that should
icite dependency or justify gloomy
pprehensions. There are rotten banks
lat must explode; there are still too
ANY would-be clerks, brokers, and 9TH
.non-producers, who have yet to be
riven TO productive labor; there are far
70 many goods coming in, too few fur
aces in blast, too few spindles whirling
Id shuttles flying: but we shall try TO
ave the tariff so amended as to better
us next winter. On the whole, we
dee that next fall may witness
lbstantial improvement in business,
Id n decided recovery in the receipts Of
If railroads.