New-York tribune., 1869-04-15

several years the yield of the mines was re-
strained to the demands of the manufactures
of the neighborhood, but recently network
of railroads carries it, and carries it cheaply,
into the heart of Germany. Within the busi-
ness lifetime of Mr.. Krupp this change has
been effected. 1t Is not easy to comprehend,
and would be cxhausting to describe, all the
incidents of such development of the prime
spring of all the industries of civilization.
Westphalla has coal, iron, invention, and enter
prise. These are the things that in less propi-
tious times made England what she is 1t con-
Germs England greatly to see what Westphalia
will be twenty years hence.
Elberfeld is in this region, very near the
Rhine. Fifteen years ago it was a town of
about 10000 inhabitants, and was then de-
scribed as Sinking into the slough of pauper-
'ism.n Now it has 100000 inhabitants. This
city has grown by the production of textile
fabrics. In another quarter, the City Of Duis-
burg has trebled its product of iron in the last
ten years, and bids fairly to attain celebrity
for iron equal to that of Essen for steel Some
idea of these great steel works may be had
from q few brief statistics. The steel works
proper give employment to 5000 men, and the
dependencies, two years ago embraced
population of $1,000, maintained by TINS
single establishment. Two years ago the
works included 4l2 melting furnaces,
1875 steam engines, some or them Oh
1000 horse power, with the due and necessary
proportion of smiths forges and other machin-
cry and supplementary works. These works are
connected by railway IS miles long. Mr..
Krupp broke ground at Essen with two WORK
men only. lie now administers the material
interests of 10000 people, and has never had a
strike nor dispute with one OF his laborers.
The secret of this harmony must be found in a
system, one of whose provisions is that work
man of twenty years star.ding may retire upon
pension equal to hall the wages earned in his
last year, and afteg thirty five years, upon full
pay. The peasantry, formerly as hopeless and
es boorish as the worst in Germany, have risen
proportionally in welfare and it's attendant
influences upon personal character Re-
lieved, or nearly relieved, of the bur-
der of war. and liable to only three
years. service in the militia, landed property
secured to them, labor supplied for the super
numeraries of unmixed agriculture, and
! brought under the spirit of improvement
reigning around them, their progress to better
things, and better still, in constant develop
ment, is provided for and assured. These
things are working their wonders upon them.
| If we could do justice to the picture, we need
not. The outlines are sufficient. 1t is the
causes that we are moro concerned to trace.
Can any one give thought to such history
as this and need our help to understand itf
Is not the problem solved in a word-diyer-
sifed industry, created and sustained by the
wisdom of q craftsmanship that for half a
century has been earnestly guarding the ma
tional labor against displacement and destruc-
ton from without. How poor the platitudes
of Free-Trade, which has no history, look in
the light of such history as thisI .l