National Republican., 1873-01-29
THE NORTHWEST AND ITS NEEDS

BNE AMI NhEb-s
We Of the East, who have never Travelled
to the Rocky mountains, who personally
know ns little Of the far Western States as
we did when the region out Of which they
have been carved was marked on the map as
the Great American Desert, " have, perhaps,
very little idea Of what an empire lies be-
tween Lake Michigan and the great noun
tain chain that forms what lie termed the
backbone Of the continent. Governor Bross,
In recent speech before the Iowa Industrial
Convention at Dcs Moines, gave some inter
esting facts and statistics in regard to these
States, as well as in regard to their wants
and necessities. Drawing line west from
Alton, we find that the territory north Of
that and between Lake Michigan and the
Rocky mountains embraces about 10000
square mies-a space for fourteen States
as large as Ohio" In the decade between
ls6O-70 the population of this territory in
creased from $40, 459 to 5,Ti3, 45l--a ratio
Of "a per cent. Governor BrOss estimates
that the same ratio continued to the year
1900 would give the six States Of Illinois,
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and
Wisconsin population Of thirty millions of
people. An increase In half that ratio would
give Iowa twenty-seven years hence q popu-
lation as large as Pennsylvania present
population. II Chicago should increase until
1900 as she has increased during the last ten
years her population will then be over
500, 600.
The railway growth OF these States in the
same period shows an equally marvellous ex-
hibit. In 1890 the States named had only
1850 miles Of railroad. In 1870 these figures
had increased to 10, i22; an increase In ten
years Of 6,072, Of which 3, 4l0 were built in
lST2. An idea Of the vast production of this
region In the way Of cereals may be gathered
| from the commercial statistics OF Chicago.
The hrst shipment Of wheat was made In
1888. In 1874 the shipments were less than
one million Of bushels. In 1871 the grain re.
ceipts were SO, SIS 2O2 bushels, and the ship.
ments, ~ 800, T69. Last year the shipment.
arc estimated at $4,000, 600 bushels. And
yet, notwithstanding all this vast production
only one railway has been Nddcd To the chan.
nels Of transit to tho soabOard since 1856
| To this lack Of communication is of course,
to be attributed the present ENORMOUS price
Of freigbts under which 1t costs seven bushels
Of wheat 10 deliver one bushel In Liver
pool from Chicago. Governor Bross, to
meet this difficulty, which must be solved
in some way, is to enlarge the Wclland
| canal, so that II can accommodate
vessels Of one thousand tons burden, which
would enable the Western farmer to deliver
| corn In Montreal from Chicago at fourteen
cents per bushel and in New York at eighteen
cents, II the Coughnewaga and Champlalu
canals are similarly enlarged. Various Other
routes to the sea are proposed, such as the
Huron and Ontario ship canals, but that by
the Wclland canal seems the easiest and most
feasible. During the present season Iowa
farmers have burned their grain for fuel, Il
being cheaper than coal or wood. II Is evl
dent that this condition Of affairs cannot b
permitted to last, and that a speedy solution
must be found In some way. Gen. Grant, IN
his last message to Congress, showed proper
appreciation of these great questions Of in
ternal improvement, and the sooner the gen.
tlemen at the other end of the Avenue give tC
them the consideration they ought to give
the better will 1t be for the country.