New-York tribune., 1869-01-05
THE REVENUE.
rrpopr OF THE HON. DAVID A. WELLS
MI V''' SPECIAL, COMMISSIONER.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

,.o ~ +h;s Nv third annual re-
-, Which have the honor herewith to Its ~ a
,hroygh you the attention Of Congress to the res
oTba. extended investigation, instituted win W.
~, =, estabhshing or confirming any particular ,neoy'
~, ,aher Of determining, through the eoheetion u
,vs data what policy in legislation Is hKeH ~ to,t
,s,o,fter most advantageous to the revenue anu
certain to establish the credit and industry % '"'
conntry upon sound and suOstant Das e ,nust Deces
All reasoning IN respect TO the future tne past or
sary be predicated upon the sxPe@tep @ or lr ng point
,rcsent II is obvious that the nrst s,ep ion Of the
" %js in9uiry is involved in the deserniI-
question as 10 what Is ,,r AND INDUS
fx PRESENT CONDITION or TIE eI CeI
TRY OF TIE CooS IN this question
,,oh oorst,.ute an answer 70 ord nd ndrsdoxi.
are to consdOrale degree nm5nc6 that indicates that
s conntr rapaly recoyerSs career Of progress and
war aud Tesurlng ihel iy Characterized ts history
development e1dS embraced in te noSsr class Of facts
800 On other hand the existence of agencies
which as m srrest or obstruet naon tsysSance ~
aud which foster s moderate and slow gains, haste to
living dso99iIen I nsort of trading as distinguished from
ne spirit Of prGdnt the first instance to briefly state the
" support Of the FIRST proposition ana nr oroo91
TINS v1e@~ssioner in his two previous reports, yet
oy an OF the leading elements OF naHohai wsa,
eea ID rest the elements OF nauona ele1t, es1 never
on as untmey so long as disrust OF the re-
opces the nation for any purpose % anu en- az
particularly by persons Dolung omclal OF
eg pubht positions THIS evidence may be grouped as
fo1M commissioner states that from lst July, 1865 to
al December 1868, about 100000 immigrants arrived
ruging an average in specie, OF Its equivalent OF SeV
IS Speaking generally the CommissSner asserts that all
SONS viz That within the last FIVE years more cotton
spndes have been put IN operation more IRON tI
erected iron Smelted more bars relied more steei
made more coal and copper mined, more lumber sawed
aud heWn more houses and shops constructed t more
jenm collected, refined, and exported than duIng any
equal period in the history Of the country and that s
quantity aud greater than the legitimate increase 70 De
expected from the normal increase OF wea'n anu PPu
In prOofof this stated that the number Of eoS5 o
spipdles have increased from 6SZ ~ SSS 20 OF Ohio
Michigan Indiana. illinois, Wisconsin. Iowa and Minhe
rom AZ in 1880 to 557 in 1865 and s6674O capital
ss0Oo in ses The product tr ., app ps O from IN,
IVA TO is6s OF 81 per cent or from g4 O4 tuhs 70 oo
IN SIsss in sss and 1857 compared with 1850
and copper we have increased ron oDed Inv 'u I
efrolsun have increased from l0.sS1 1U gallons 10
f9 TO in 1865 In COAL from 1862, 7Ss95SO Iuns
Ss TO us in 1861 In consumption Of imported sugars
ron lbs in 1865 t9 s2l496O lbs per month In
IS OF coffee rom 5ss9 tnns per month III 1865 10 eZA
I sSsen have increased in Ohio from in '65 to
ss 20 in 6s and have doubled in less than eight years
iogs Ohio have increased from 14o0O0 in 65 To 2OO
~ shells 6S hogs from 955 in 6s OS4 in 6s
pr corn crop this is estimated at $0O0000OO Cot
son o for isS5-66 is estimated at bales IsG667
l9G76s at 24SsS95; 1sCS69 at 100000 bales.
Es chop has risen to 10000 tierces-enough for home
SSaeco has risen from sSoCs pounds in 1850 to S25
sOOOp ia 1866 and 25o00OOO in 1868 From 1885 to 1867
nlss er year for 1863 il was 227 miles and 1868
(eslnstedj $500 miles, doubling the previous rate.
and 5o9 miles France. The ratio of gross earnings OF
saroads in 1861 to their cost was Il per cent South and
% peg cent North The gross tunnage OF the 38 miles
of railroad in 1861 s6S0oO, of which about 4SssoOo
tnns were mere9andise making at sSO per @ tnn; a S'a
$2T3.e00o0. This is eight times the tunnage and value
Of the railroad traffic Of 1900
IN New-YoTk the railway and canal tunnage increased
frO TS97 tuns in 1885, to l632O06 In 1865 or l24 per
cent; while Its value increased 254 per cent The in
crease OF railway tunnage has been 6 times greater than
that OF population:
1 for the deS'c Of haze & es been % re-, rsgsea
bf New Hampshire FOR the 1853 60 per
NeImOnt 162 cent against ~ per cent IN 1867 OF
Aeutucky, q per cent; Ohio as per cent; Michigan O.
per cent; and Indiana, g per cent During the years
,er cent; while NewYork. which has comparatively the
agest State Indebtedness reduced her debt during the
Stn OF 70 per cent for the year 1se Wes d
Minnesota, have at the present time practically NO IN
d6tedneSs.
teyxcIEs CONCERNED IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
6e subject al tins point Of our inquiry Is wen worthy
ofaeition. 1t is this: TO what agencies are our seem
iagf fabulous national Development 10 be attributed
sDdO what extent especially is 1t to be referred 20 posi-
In answer TO this it is to be said that all Investigation
clearly shows that these agencies have been mainly two,
viz nst great natural resources in respect 20 abundant
RunleaCn. abpndant and cheap raw material, and di-
ysrSity without nsalubty Of climate; aud secondly
FORM ana spirit Of government which hoietoole has et
man and capital over area almost continental Tree
end unFsstIained 10 Work out their own development
powerful adjunes viz. continued influx Of population
and capital from the Old World continued Invention
ana application OF labor-sayng machinery ana most
RAPID extension Of the railway systen-whlcn last by
s market to al he pEoSnc&S & iii oSi 81 nS ND
enterprise With these, also should uoonrieny DC IN
euded the purchase Of California ana tne discovery Oh
gold the Pacific -,
respects relation of LEGISLATION by the National
Government TO the results under II ex
fept the abortion OF liberal policy III he uisporluOh O
Ge public anas It ~ i Snd Iso ss to affirm much that
a. poeye unless, Ia conformity with the inalm Ihst
Seslsistien be regarded in the light Of p9siIye,
Eoed n important results Followed tue ae9u'Sio -,
nor anticipated; while regards commercial iegsation
ssfS% t. ~ a ers ie WSeS have resulted from Instability
have far than eounteroaanced any %
that may have proceeded from the experience OF nue.
Mr Res presents statistics Of steady increase In pro
duoon prove that from 1880 70 1850 whelhei
An the Interests OF protection or free trade had but niue
influence 60 check stimulate production ana concuoe'
In short there docs not be any reliable evidence
which can be a9duSed @ 70 sOs soamoca poy OF t
country in 1876 had permanent OF maTRed eject what
ns,tring ~ from 1910 lSGO and
irO 1858 TO the present time unnisakaby teaches TN,
we may term the strength Of its elements of vitality s
independent OF legislation and even OF the mpoyerlsh
mighty ryers its movement is beyond control Success
slye years like successive aihuents only ada to ana IN
its volume while legislative enactnes and con-
fctng commercial policies like the construction Of piers
ard the deposit OF sunkcn wrecks simply defect the
constitute temporary distractions In fact II the
nation has yet been lifted 10 the full comprehension
Of ITS work. t builds determinatey as II were by in
stInCt.
EFTEcT or THE WAR IN CHECKING NATIONAL DEVELOP
What would have been the condition Of progress during
the decade from 1860 to 1870 had not the nervened
Is question that cannot oe definitely answered. put that