The national Republican., 1867-01-25

which can only be calculated by thousands
Of millions II We look ahead a quarter Of
century. But il is not alone the mineral
the cereals and all the great staples, and in
many instances the soils in which they are
raised, will be shown TO the inquiring people
and sdrdnts Of the Old World and their sci
entyfc reports on the resources Of the Great
Republic will penetrate every corner Of
Europe. II is said that the average value Of
emigrants to this country is 81 200:
Mr.. HEWITT TO Mr.. RueoLEs.
NEw YoRK, No. Q LIE xrNeroN AynxuE,l
| December lS, 1850.
Ny DEAR Sra: l have found no time TO
make a suitable reply 10 your request that
would give you my views as TO the best mode
Of making the coming Exposition OF Indus
try, at Paris, Of real value to the people Of
the United States. Icannot, however, allow
the opportunity to pass without submitting
briefly, q few suggestions, which your own
experience will enforce in the proper quar-
| tiers.
These international exhibitions Of industry
are peculiar to the present age, and practi-
cal recognition OF the claims Of labor on the
attention Of governments, as the real founda.
tion OF national greatness. To the people of
the United States they have q special inter
est, as marking the steady progress in Eu-
rope Of the cardinal ideas which underlie our
political system.
But in addition TO this rather theoretical
view Of their significance, these exhibitions
are OF the greatest practical importance 10
us, If we avail ourselves Of all the adyan-
tages which they Offer
First, an opportunity is offered to make
known TO the intelligence and capital Of Eu-
rope the great natural advantages Of this
continent, for the cheap production Of the
great staples Of human industry. The exhi-
bition collects together, at one time and in
one place, the most intelligent and enterpris-
ing men Of all nations, who come either as
commissioners or visitors. There is unusual
freedom from restraint in personal inter
course, and more can be impaired and Sc
cured in few months than could otherwise
be possible with years Of effort
However great may have been our need
heretofore for capital and skilled labor to lie
velop our resources, the late civil war has
left one half the country in so devastated a
state that our existing means are totally in
adequate to the work Of restoration. We
want labor, skill, and capital from abroad,
in order to restore the waste places" Of the
South at the earliest possible moment.
| The resources Of the Southern States, es-
pecially in the way Of coal and iron, are al.
most unknown in Europe, and but little un-
derstood even at home There will not be
another opportunity for ten years to bring
this knowledge to the comprehension Of Eu.
rope, and to lose ten yeurs in the present
age is to throw away an empire. II is, there
fore, matter Of the highest national con-
cern that the commissioners who represent
this country shall be able to make known to
the representatives OF other nations the i'm
mense natural resources which in this coun-
try, and especially in the Southern States,
offer such rich rewards to enterprise and cap
ital.
Secondly, the commissioners should be
men Of such technical knowledge in the va.
rious departments Of industry that all i'm
provements can be detected, described, and
impaired by proper drawings and models to
our own mechanics who cannot visit the ex-
hibition. 1t is, doubtless, unreasonable to
expect TO secure such an official representa-
tion as would best accomplish this object;
but power should be given to the board OF
commissioners appointed by the General
Y Government to add to their number the
/ name Of every American Of special technical
: knowledge who either expects to visit the
exhibition or will agree to do so IL appointed.
This is not only just and popular, and in
Q accordance with the spirit Of our institutions,
s but In no other way can the results of the
exhibition be made of permanent value to
q this country. Every such commissioner
, would Of course, be detailed to examine the
special department with which he is con-
e yersant, and make a full and accurate report
/ OF the result of his observations. In this way
= it is reasonable to expect that the whole
n ground will be covered; and the reports,
Z when collected and published. will convey to
the nation larger amount Of technical
knowledge than could be procured in any
= other way.
1t is idle to expect that mere visitors, as
ie such, will either procure or make known this
y information. was visitor at the English
v exhibition Of 1862. ] was free to examine
Il the results OF labor skill and ingenuity which
were there collected together. But to un-
70 y derstand the processes by which these results
I were procured, it was necessary to visit the
:. workshops and the factories TO mere yisi.
/. tors those places were closed, but to commits,
sioners every door was open. At Sheffield,
, for example, had the greatest possible diff
> Guilty in getting access to the establishments
where the new processes for making steel
i were carried on and several times, when !
D was pleading my claims for admission, saw
I foreign commissioners admitted, with smiling
faces, on the mere production OF their letters
= OF appointment.
ALLOW me TO say that there is no branch OF
! business, however trivial which will not be
, greatly, benefited by knowledge of the
I methods employed abroad in the same depart
ment of industry. The nation that possesses
the best tools and the best processes rH be
the most po,geg'M and he most highly ciViL
, ized. This is the true explanation of the
present position of Great Britain Her
n commercial supremacy rests on her steam
= ships, and the superiority of these ships
Is due to her tools and her skill in using
them. Great Britain builds the best
engines, and hence her industry is more
thoroughly and economically administered
than that Of any other country We want
Y the knowledge, and we want it Idihused over
oil departments Of business in which our
people are employed. For want of this
knowledge we are always years in arrear of
r our foreign competitors, even in the pro.
y cesses which affect the production Of staple
raw materials, such as iron, wool, silk, and
d even cotton.
8 In Sweden, the use of sulphury ores has
= been made practicable nv a nav nrncess Of