New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-07
THE NATIONAL HIGHWAYS.

.ech AZ the Eon. Hiram Walbridge beiore 'n0 ''''O
paars Of Trade in to-day's session: ,u,
cr,rIrN,9y In the remarks have tue IotV ,rays
40 s-orose TO discuss the influence t"V nor
p.sft In TO creation OF wealth, ana apr ,Sorks which,
red states are 10 connect ocean with |S 90 ih
md open settenent ana d yo,jcl must remain
snoh nee Of Which is the peculiar feature anu '
STe use o these agentsttf Jorccs o C Tho Grrt use
tyihs NM motive mower is within the memory OF c
DddIraced Previous 20 $50 Muso" or land both of
oIe grclt employed IN the uC'tihC, eocefv had ne.
eoic - I'd t,rolsrty. In this reipct soCiJ,S n -,
manned stationary from earnest lived pTecscly ITO
~ means I'm their wonderful marches, ios u '''''
pora,ion Of men and inpotcnce OF muscular
,con was 30 excessive as TO IesCs ,ut account m
sosl ECONOMY food FOR eXample-Wlthh very Sad ~
Wmlfs Hence ths eNr'NagaAt lnpo.' ~ liver
~ eSry period half dozen Of articles m9do up ls
stapie almost of tie commerce OF me VII ~ yi"Is
TSiter e cN 1ercncC Of our own pcome cONts Wy -
Sr"1nd our markets all within narrow DeH yius
Immediately anon tne ffsb9G ey could be reached
e 9ny ,ys Of tho state Of Ncw-tmk IN 1871 and
ybcb lea 10 the construction OF tfe Ere Canal ea"
the cost d Transporting tun Of fesh at s tet ' s
tT@e, tce the value Of wheat at Buffalo, and four
tines Tia. Of cornl Tie time required wa =, days
ruch Is ava illustration Of the condition OF Ihe lnielIb
comerce Of our country forty years ago The nature Oh
tho soil n most Of thc states rendered VIZ cons 5
Of ordinary highways yoYy difficult Neithef I'"llU,v'
nor canal; existed. Commerce was restricted, cyn.e-
,CateTcOuTNcs LdViTlbl6 ~ hlCdAi'lt''N'
blrgcs and even 10 batteaps Oyer mug 'T s ji C
Inhabited euitory The produce OF s sC T e. n mar
ty tte5cd The sum 1t would sell for The labor OF
fSe fiy,ner consequently, instead Of being directed 10
ssy cmpoyedi ia Inc production OF nearly every article
gong inio domestic c0usumpton The fanny Mas
.tf.nut upon constant change Of the objects Of
labor was great that little more was pTouuCea CHn
VIC necessary 10 meet the daily uecrulhg
Sants Tfs accumulation OF wealth was
ps cHeSea Sw oR % 9 Ro e esgcreh H' q
nearly every O. that hears me. Each one OF YOU OF
The Word cl'd in home.sp,u, You could not buy the
pioducto Of others because yo1 could not sell your
The laborupon the farm in which almost he Whole nao1
es employed wus owing So the want Oi those mechanical
,'ds nov SO universal comparanvfy 4 5e
Th,rc Uas 10 stimulus TO- Improvements iot to - m
rent % toll because with the e@lsng s'e Ct III -
slen is 6cf picture Of tho past-of the old regime.
ard years and tin within the memory OF all the forces
OF Naturs came TO ts aid me power gj,od ~ Nv
faces is almost incalcplable Tie locomotive upon
the railway cxorts tho power OF Two Thousand
horses upon an ordinary hichway-that IS, ~
vii move an day as many tgus one nlie rs Two ou-
ssnd horses Put The Of providing the two thou
1,iic,se exceeds tenfod that Of the locomotive and
ehs OF the capacity Of two thousand tuAs Wlth these
bret data the nc ~ silnlc MS U KIN,
Ai'' f,'S W. marx tie magnitude Of the revolution
which the physical sciences have wrought IA IAVos o.
w. have said enough to show that in this country its
Int! II commerce Is creation Of the new agencies
which i've last Lalioentuy has set 81 work or com
ncgce, wealth. ana o0r lha,tOn even, ttS s,i1 '-o
results 20 Gre new methods. they have advanced pre-
cis,y iu ratio IN" value and efficiency OF the fgeCes
have employed. These agencies WReiesel H mr.
duccd, have given market 10 labor al It's door. ne
those of Europe moro than one thousand meS
inland Tins corn Toa.d not bear IensPWS i't
moro than 80 miles. Over the railroad 1t Is borne
yielding an ample profit 70 The producer Wheat viii
bear Transportation $50 niles over an ordinary road
1900 miles distant But tor railroads The area from which
tie Eastern .E,s could draw Their supplies OF cereals
radius Of l-)and $50 miles, respectively Niththese
works owing to tie economies that are being daily made
In transportation. every Of arabic land on the cont
nent matter now far distant from the great seats Of
PIe, Sr ,9 te He Acgbeies range in both dltc,
t,,"l 5,i from The Lakes 10 New York did not exceed
1900 turs 1s tunBage consisted almost wholly finer
cGaud>e go. Wcst-the cost of TRANSPORTATION being
complete bar the movement East. of Western produce
The only outlet Of the interior the Mississippi river
tedious ana hazardous ana expensive to leave tte
profit either 90 ttc torwarder or producer The open.
lug Oh tLe Le Caha WIS an epoch IN He commerce on
Che country but DC cXCrted for Tie first ten years but lit
Gle influence beyond tic route immediately tTaversod
60 tate 1850 the total amount OF tnnage rom the west
states coming through tins ohanuel to udeWdteI
avail themselves on they had TO connect their territories
with IT, With the Lakes by canals, or by the best earth
cru prJ1ucc reaching tidc-watcr 10y canal 1900
tuns lr7s5l, tile date Of the opening OF tho Ere Rail
taton OF freight on the New-Ycrk Central Railroad,
(which first opened IN the Fan OF 1922 the tunEage Of
Western produce the Canal had reached S65953
erce teB sfng between the Eastern and the western
Staies III Is5I tie united MrOPgh tuuuage OF the i've |
great lines between tie two scc.ious-lho Eric Canal tho
&cw-Yo.k Central, Line, Pennsylvania and Baltimore
ana ONO Railroadcqualed G0o0000 tuns, having value
Al lie de Of tie opening OF the Eria Railway, and
the Acknowledgement Of the Central Raroad there were
1000 miles of railway n operation n the United states
Tic total tnnnase OF The merchandise Transported over
tlrn could rot exceeded 5000 100 tus Of tie value
OF $50 per or Of the aggregate value Of tjOG00OoQ
On AG ~ day OF JaAHad5 Isis tAG Iage Oh our lal
roads had gone up 10 $1,000 miles Inc tugnage OF mer
eh1Di-- transported over Them eqlaed 1yNoVOO tuns
having = the abe We estimate, Nt19e tqu1i 10 S'sJJ
COO Ia period OF Il years the mileage Of our Rail-
way Afd lcrta. ca nearly wv pcr cent lAcf uhbSo
rAc population OF Tie country, iu the mean time had i-
creased from 4L0OO TO S6OO00 or at the rate Of 20 per
cent Ia 1'ttr NcS tc increase % Inc commerce o. Inc
country borne upu railroads has been 1900 fold greater
upon a nc railroads elu5ca az pounds per head Oh
population rs value cqualcd say So per head. ~ 1868
S f 3e sPa aSd ep aeres f ss aa 3aes q
railroads ior the period named has been wholly creation
OF these works as there has, 81 The same time been
very large increase of merchandise moved upon tue
wg,ere.p.:fs OF tfe country
In 1851 the cost Of the 1000 miles Of railway then
In operation in the United states oqualed f+bQDEN
In 1853 the cost Of the 5000 miles equalei $lG00
100000 The Investment since 1851 Of Sl,40OgOOOOO !
consequently las Deen the means OF an annual creation
OF commerce having value hycfOld greater, or s759
p0OoO! Every dollar invested in railroads Is the d.
rect means Of creatng, annually, five times the amount
clQusy potent are the new agencies t. scsyivc
within the memory OF us oil, has Brought to the aid OF
In tAcruse we have at last hit upon the method OF
naturcOf PrOvilcnce-and enjoy IN some degree his III
hue attributes, in welding for use, the laws
that uphold and control the material world.
The results achieved IN single state VIII be found, on
examination 10 be quite as striking is the aggregate
for the whole nation There in the State Of Illinois
IN 1881 pc miles OF railway the cost Of which about
could not have exceeded 100000 tuns having value say
OF S5OO0OOO At the close Of there were $3.50 miles
traffic Of at least 100000 tuns possessing value Of at
,east $3.50 10000 The cost OF the roads equaed $l3OOO
!n yea: equaed very nearly six times their cost In
1881 the number o. lonnds OF merena5aSe 9nspotea ny