Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-12
The First industrial Power.

!
/ The Boston Daily Advertiser claims thai this
republic is now the first or nearly the first manu-
featuring country in the world. This claim is
large one, and will startle most persons who
have been in the habit of rating England,
France, Germany and Austria ahead nf ms
But the strangest part of the business is that it
is literally true, and thar most of our country
men have remained ignorant OF the fact Our
population IS now as large as that of Austria
Germany or France, and larger than that of the
British Isles. Two things, we think. must be
generally admitted with regard to il: This popu-
lation has greater productive power than that
of any Of the countries named and also a
greater consuming capacity. The latter propo-
sition is proven by the fact that this republic is
the great leading market of all Europe Our
people live better on the average than do the
average people of any other nation. Hence they
require and consume more Of everything. They
earn more money, and they spend more As
regards the first proposition, it follows that our
productive power must re greater for various rea-
sons. First, of land suitable for cultiya-
ton is measurably greater and cheaper, besides
beirng better drained by navigable waters and
covered by good railways. Therefore the crops
must be far greater, and must be more valuable
for the purposes Of commerce, as in fact we find
that they are. The crops are the raw materials
of industry Eand their cbeapness stimulates
manufactures and mining upon a great scale.
Second, our mineral wealth is vastly beyond all
European or other rivalry, ond covers almost all
known metals or minerals used in the arts. or
these our products have become immense and
although in special lines we are surpassed by
other countries, as In tin by Wales, in iron by
England, etc., yet IN the aggregate our products
are ahead of rivalry. Third, the home market
being almost boundless, there is a ready demand
everywhere for anything that can be produced
so that the inducements to engage i'll the pro-
ductive arts are universal Fourth, the average
American, being better paid, better clothed,
better educated, better fed, and in every way
better provided and cared for than any rival in
Europe, can do more work and show more
actual results. This is seen everywhere in the
condition of the country, our progress being
wholly the work of our own hands and against
the most formidable competition and opposition
1t is truly observed by one of the leading En-
glish writers on political economy, that very
much of what passes under the head of agTcul-
tural production really belongs to manufactures.
This is the case with flour, which is grain
ground in mill; with cotton prepared for mar
ket, which has been subjected TO the operation
of the cotton-gin; with sugar, which has been
produced from the cane by sugar MILL and
with many other articles which have to be sub
jected TO various processes before they can be-
come staples of commerce The canning of
fruit the preparation of grapes for distant mar
kets, the packing of tobacco, the manufacture of
butter, cheese, smoked provisions and hum
dred other things are as clearly Industrial
processes as the making of iron, cordage linen
or muslin. Bearing this in mind let any one
look over the United States. examine its pro-
digiouS crops, the quantities sent to market
and it will be seen that the claim above made
for our country is not an idle one. The saw
mills alone, if taken in mass, would make an
aggregate more than equal to some of the larg
est lines of British industry. Nor must we
overlook the rude industries connected with the
production oil such articles as naval Stores
rosin, tar, pitch, and turpentne, the prepara-
ton OF sumac, the grinding OF sorghum for mo-
laSSes, ETC. The provision trade is one of the
leading items of both our foreign and domestic
commerce. Yet ordinarily it does not rank as
Il manufacture, although the processes are
clearly induStrial and involves millions of capt.
tai.
But our industrial production does not attract
so much attention as it should do for the reason
that its markets are chiefly at home. The con
sumption Of the country Is enormous In car
pets, hardware agricultural implements, rail
road engines, iron and general machinery, we
consume immensely, but we make the greater
part Of what we use. Now if to this class we
add the primary products that we export, and
that have passed through some stages of manip-
ulation, it will be seen that this republic is
really the first, or nearly the first industrial
country in the world, So much is this recog-
nized IN Europe, that manufacturers sometimes
migrate hther, with all their capital, hands and
organization, Their customers being here, they
getaS near to them as possible These are some of
the glorious fruits of the great national policy
OF protection, against which the emlSsaIies 6f
free trade are seeking to raise the hue and cry
of monopoly. If we shall adhere to this policy
the real greatness OF our industry will soon he
come known to all the world