Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-06-17
Letter from st. Louis.

Again in st. Louis, and at work. HAY
ing leisure, and a kindly recollection
of Warren, and the many good things
done me by the c~itizess of the section
of Ohio, of which she is center, ! feel
disposed still to continue the scquain-
lance with them, by articles in your
paper.
Since my return, the weather has
been intensely warm for a northerner,
the Thermometer averaging last week
at IS and 90 degrees in the shade
As to temperature, growth of crops. &C.,
we are now where Trumbull County
will be July 4th. Business generally
in the city is dull, and for obviousrea
ons, to an Ohio msn, but by St. Louis
ers the most absurd reasons are assign
ed. Articles in the commercial col
umns of the city news papers, (soms
of which l send you) charge this dull
ness in trade to the fact, that Chicago
ms have got up, in St. Louis, rings to
prevent the fraudulent manufacture of
whiskey here, while in Chicago such
manufacture should be prosecuted
thus drawing trade to Chicago, which
would otherwise come here. Areason,
the absurdity Of which, ought to make
the dulIest laugh.
Dizziness in general business here,
is attributable TO the want of enter
prise on the part Of St. Louis business
men, in any Of the industrial agencies
of life-men, particularly, in public
enterprises and Improvements. Bust
ness runs in the same channels to day
as it did forty years ago. Traffic, trade
upon the river. and its incidents, are
all. 1t is impossible. it seems, to wake
these Rip Van Wrinkles, from their
dreams of greatness, 10 be born of river
trade. They will learn no wisdom from
Chicago, Detroit. Toledo, Cleveland,
experience and trade.
If the Mississippi would dry up, its
waters part so that a maiden in kid
slippers could walk across il, dry shod,
for the ten years to come, it would be
the better for St. Louis, in the end
In these days of steam and telegraphs,
when time is money. water tra1spor
tation for interstate commerce. is q
failure; stark, absolute folly. Lake Erie
is valuable for fishing, and the cooling
OF its otherwise blistering August air
but, as a means of traffic, comparative
ly speaking, of all kinds, except heavy
freights, it might as well be an arid
desert. This river Of ours is no better
Again, the true philosophy of trade
is to bring the market FOR products a:
near as possible to the door of the pro
ducer, and this is done mainly in two
ways, either to annihilate time ano
therefore distance, by Railroads or tc
bring consumption to the farm of the
producer, to the workshop Of the manu-
fscturer. The great staples of expor
tation here, are grain, pork, &C., &c
the essential elements of support tC
many people-indeed these are the
heavy commodities Of trade. The con,
stantly shifting prices of these commo-
dities in the eastern markets, will not
allow the twenty days for transporting
it,which water transportation demands
st. Louis heretofore found its most re,
liable market in the south, but all thi:
is a failure now, for reasons growing
out of the war, and hereafter will con.
tinue TO be a failure, by reason of the
fact that the south will produce heI
own supplies.
What shall be done? Transport
the products of Missouri to eastern
markets, by rail, so far as a distant
market is sought. But mainly, make a
market of st. Louis, for all these com,
modities by a large and comprehen.
sige system of manufactures; open up
furnaces, rolling mills, boundaries, ma,
chine shops, agricultural implement
manufactures, cotton and wooden fac,
tories, glass and nail factories. aud
every thing in which skillful, intelli-
gent, remunerative labor can be EN-.
ployed; thus consume at home, on ouI
own soil, the agricultural productions Of
this immensely valuable farming EN-.
pire. This will make profitable the
immense mineral resources of the State.
Make a home market for our iron, lead,
zinc, tin and all other minerals, oil
which this State is possessed in inexhas-
haustible quantities thus save treights
away from home, on the raw material,
freights on our produce to the point Of
manufacture, and freight on the manu-,
featured articles back to our city,
which will not only keep our money
st home, bat will enable dealers to sell
the manufactured articles at fair profit
and still enable us to defy competi.
| ton.
But / am asked, where dispose of all
these products of such immense manu-
facture? The answer is easy. Nilsson.
ri of herself is an empire, extending
from about the thirIy-sixth degree Of
north latitude, to the fortieth degree
of its same latitude, and from the
ninetieth to the ninety-ffth degree OF
westloneitude. containing 81, $50 miles,
and 43, I23, 200 acres of land, richer
than any other in the union in mineral
resources, fertility of soil, and healthy
and salubrious climate. In all this
vast empire, there are in operation but
fUe Railroads. Ye citizens of Ohio,
think Of that great sections Of the
best lands in the natbn, waiting for
ownership and occupation. Whole
counties unorganized one-ninth Of the
whole population of the State. lives
within the segment of a circle, the
radius of which is not ten miles meas
urage, from the Office where I write,
and known as the city Of st. Louis
The whole population being not 1000,
900 probably. Populate this State nc
more densely than Ohio, and then Mis-.
souri, will number her 5000. 900 oil
souls. What is the lesson? Interlace
the whole State with Railroads, multi
ply her FIVE roads by twenty and more,
some running north and south. through
our federal domain, Iowa, Arkansas,
Texas, interesting the great arteries oil
travel and trade, now constructed and
being constructed across this State, the
termini of which are the Oceans, thus
making all parts easily accessible &c
the intelligence, thrift, ambition and
ardent endeavor of the surplus popu'
lation in the east, and how soon viii
these waste places blossom es the
rose !" Ritezel, did you never think
of itin your moods Of meditation, what
a civilizer a Railroad IS? On its train:
how whole States seem to be shipped a;
freight. Look at the device: Showing
westward progress, a train of cars, IN
the simmer of the head light is seen
the receding Indian, wild horse and
buffalo; on the coaches innRmerable
passengers, strong, muscular, broad
browed men, loving. hoping women; in
the car, following the smoke OF the en-
CINE, as anciently the Israelites follow
ed the pillar Of cloud by day, come
school houses, news paper presses, col
leges, churches, manufactures, towns,
counties, states, or rather the materi-
Il at e rhInh al thnaa ara mada