The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-05-28
What Shall We Eat!

Among the grave questions that concern
the American people, outside of politics,
Of finance, Of religion, is: "What shall VIC
eat -
Our food costs us more than, in the pres
ent business condition Of the country, we
can afford to pay. Our growth is retarded,
individual wealth wastes, and the poor,
generally speaking, cannot more than main
tain their families after the average reduc-
ton Of ten per cent which has been COM
mon in all the Eastern manufacturing eS-
Establishments.
We are VIGOROUSLY meat-eating people.
The English beat us those among them
who can buy what they want, but probably
no other nation and while our meat costs
us from sixteen to thirty five cents pound
with no prospect of any decrease, but, on
the contrary, with the probabilities on the
side of a gradual rise for the next five years,
in consequence of diminishing supplies and
increasing numbers, there is little chance
for a further reduction of wages, and, con-
sequently, little hope that cotton or weolen
goods will be manufactured at profit, or
any of the great industries where the main
outlay is for help be prosecuted with any
satisfactory pecuniary return.
What we need is cheaper food-not less,
but less costly; and the readiest, the surest,
and the most prolific source will be found
III the restocking of our rivers with shad
and salmon, our brooks with trout, and our
lakes and ponds with black-bass.
In 1885, shad that would weigh six
pounds could be bought on the river-banks
for twelve and half cents, and at any dis
lance inland for New England shilling
Now, fish half as large cost from four to
six times as much, and are scarce at that
Then salmon could be had for from eight
to fourteen cents pound now they can
scarcely he had at all.
All this has come of the dams built across
nearly every New England stream, and not
a few in other sections of the country, eff
fectually preventing the wealth of the
ocean from being distributed each spring.
time to the remotest rivulet of the most
distant States 1t is estimated that $780,
600 worth of food that would find its way
into the country is annually stopped by
single dam across 4 single stream in one Of
our Eastern States.
If suitable fish-ways could be built in the
year 1870 at every dam in every stream
that fish were wont to ascend before the
natural flow was INSTRUCTED, in five years
from this date, in the opinion of those
most competent to judge, there is little
doubt but that the people in all great man
ufacturing districts could be fed better
than now, at a cost of fifteen or twenty
per cent less. One-half of this put into
the manufacturer pocket would make a
fair business where money is being lost to-
day the other half would start every fam
lily on the road to competence.
Our country demands something of this
sort. Business drags everywhere. Few
houses are being built comparatively
scarcely a new mill in all the North is pro-
jected and men everywhere in trade and
in manufacturing, are locking each other
in the face, and asking: "What shall we
do?"
The means we suggest would help in the
solution Of the question. The feasibility
has been demonstrated, and the outlay for
the accomplishment of the object would be
SO small, that it seems wilfully suicidal for
a single state to suffer longer neglect.
Hearth and Home.