Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-10-20
Metropolis Of the West.

Ans IS the Otner name OF 81. Louis.
The census has made it the fourth
city Of the country in population,
and actual facts and figures have &C
tually put Chicago in rear rank to
her rival. St. LOUIS has thirteen
thousand more people-not very
many tho more, it is true, but still
enough to make St. Louis No. 4
aud Chicago No. 5, which is a great
deal, and sufficient for all practical
and prophetic purposes. ST. Louis
has population OF 312, ,963-Chicago,
299,1l7. The census therefore
crowns the former city as the Metrep
ohs OF the West, and Chicago is
forced 70 give up what she has for
several years been claiming. So long
as the supremacy ceuld be held by
skilltul calculation and bold assertion,
Chicago held it; but as to kicking
against the census, that is too hard
thing for ever ambitious and gritty
Chicago to attempt.
Commenting on the fact as the
census presents it, the st. Louis Dem
ocrat says: Nor can we fairly cstl-
mate the future growth OF ST. Louis
by its increase during the last decade,
tor it is likely to be much more rapid.
Since 1860, the progress of this city
has been very much retarded, first
by the war, and then by the lack of
railroad and other facilities Tor com.
mcrce, which had grown up rapidly
in rival cities. Nor had st. LOUIS
began to develop her unsurpassed
resources as great manufacturing city
until within the las; two years. But
these obstacles no longer hinder
growth. Slavery has been abolished;
the war has passed away from that
great and rich Southern region which
looks SO largely to St. Louis as its
commercial metropolis; railroads
pushing in every direction open new
avenues tor the enterprise of her mcr-
chants; and above all, the establish.
ment Of manufactures on scale com
mensurate with the unequal opportu
mites of the cities has commenced.
Ten years OF such development, with
the bridge, the railroads, the stock
yards, the elevators, the iron works,
steel works, rolling mills, glass works,
and other establishments already in
operation or in progress, will give
this city growth such as no other
dcca1e in its history has witnessed.
For this reason, we believe that Chi
cago will never again approach as
near this city in population as it has
done now. The wonderful growth
ot this city since 1860 has been
due in part to the war, to the
very causes which have retarded St.
Louis, and the inability Of this city
to fill its natural place as the metrop-
oils Of the West. The vast trade
which moves westward from New
York and Philadelphia Ii d to be
transacted by one or the other Of
thsse cities, and ST. Louis was not
in q position to do its share Of that
work. Hence the same conditions
which have caused Chicago to grow
SO rapidly will now operate both to
retard its growth and to accelerate
that of st. Louis. Another decade
will tell the story. We believe it
will show that our neighbor on the
lakes las reached its maximum in rela-
tive importance, and that St. Louis,
having entered upon new era, and
begun in earnest to improve its nat.
ural advantages, has henceforth no
rival among the interior cities Of the
continent. Estate Register.