The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-10-29
The Origin, Position, and pur'
poses of the Great Agrl-
cultural Order.
Address of Gov. Newto'
Booth Before the Ste
CD - q Them
Why Farmers Should Ieltics.
selves Personal nm
THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AVN NEW &C., &C., &c.
(Concluded.)
rnE EYm on MIppLENIEN.

serve, of the oranges, is TO simplify the v;
achincry Of exchange, 20 dispense with il
iddlemen as far as practicable, and bring Il
roducers and consumers more nearly TO C,
ether. In the degree in which they shall il
rooeed in this they shall check one of the d
.ndencies toward the concentration OF il
apital and population This increase oil il
I'M population and the aggregation of cap 5
mi Is not confined 10 the United States,
mt il common 10 the civilized world. Lon I
Ion Is growing more rapidly than ever be- {
ore. and the growth of Berlin in the past 5
few years is as great a marvel as that OF |
chicago The causes must be sought IN I
principles Of universal operation At one
period of the worlds history men gathered
In cities. and walled towns for mutual pro
lection. At another, cities were great po-
Titieal CAPITALS, law givers, in fact making
vast provinces and distant countries tribu-
taries 10 their wealth and power by con
ouest. Now cities attain their Importance |
AS the centres and capitals Of money man |
ufactures and commerce. Think for one
moment how vastly their Importance as
mere money centres has been increased by
the introduction Of national funded debts.
The funded debt of the United States is
sl.T8S. 245, 500 that of the various states
s}2l 7l7. $50 Of counties and towns,
Sl2g OT5, 54S the last figures are from
unofficial statistical tables and are probably
largely under The floating debts OF the
general government, and those OF the states,
counties and cities would add more than
$500 600. 900 ~ this sum Of our public in
debtedness. The funded debt Of the rail
roads Of the United States Is 3 300, 64j,
COL The total debts Of the nations Of the
world, compiled on the basis of llubner' :
statistical tables, and probably embracing
only such rs are quotable at the London
exchange, is $lS,7OO.599. TjS-more than
quadruple the gold and silver coin in the
world Add to that already inconceivable
sum the debts Of states, counties, and mu.
inequalities, and we become lost in a be
wildering maze OF figures. The interest
upon this vast sum is an annual tribute
paid By the worlds industry to the world :
moneyed centres and capitals. What a
happy holiday the world would enjoy what
year Of jubilee If il could get out ofdebt.
Nearly all the vast sums | have recapitul-
ated are the price OF wars, and must be
paid from the accommodations of peace.
There is no escape. No nation can afford
20 incur the disgrace of reputation. Cap
ital, when invested in machinery and ma.
terial improvements, adds to productive
capacity and to the sum Of human happi
ness, but no national debt is nationa
blessing, and their aggregate is a silent,
constant drain on the worlds productive
industry. Ii Is that much of the world
stock in trade" held by a dead hand
INVENTIONS AND THEIR EFFECTS.
About a hundred years ago Watt invent
ed the condensing steam engine, which has
revolutionized the arts of peace in as great
a degree as the invention of gunpowdel
did the art Of war So much has it added
to the productive capacity that it has peer
estimated that with it, and the inventions
To which it gave rise, the creative power o
Great Britain in arts of civilized life woulC
be as great as that Of the world without
One immediate effect of this and almos
every other great invention is to strength
en- the strong TO make capital a more pow
erful element in production Hargrave'
spinning Jenny, Arkwrights spinning
frame Cartwright's power loom, and tn
methods Of pudding and rolling iron
which were nearly contemporary with thu
steam engine, with the introduction Of cot
ton as a cheap textile land the application
Of steam to transportation by land and wa
ter have completely modified the method
of industry and exchange and the current
Of population. Before that, personal ski
was the mechanics best capital now per
sonal mechanical skill is worth compare
lively little without the use Of large capi
tai. Il cannot compete with machinery
Before that, mechanical trades were car
ried on as independent pursuits, by me
who learned them as apprentices. TO praC
ticc them as masters, with such means a
they could severally accumulate. In tac
mechanical labor strictly has been largel
suppanted by,manuiacturing labor, Nhe
Adam Smith wrote Of the division of labo
as a cause Of increased production, he littl
dreamed Of the minute subdivisions
which the principle would be carried. BE-
fore the invention Of pins any OF our aGce'
tors could gather thorns, or make skew
or now piD, | believe, passes through
dozen hanis before it is ready for IN
cushion, but it is cheaper to buy 1t than
~ to the woods for thorn, or even for
Yankee 10 white a skewer Outside {
agriculture every one who produces is no
working to supply the wants Of others, an
drawing upon the labor Of hundreds {
others to supply his own. Now, too, It
very seldom that any man produces froi
raw material an article that any one want
He only contributes N II in some minut
degree-and the whole is the joint produ,
ton of many hands This makes exchang
more necessary and frequent. All articl,
being for sale seek common centres
places where buyers can purchase ever
thing they want The volume Of commerC
is thus wonderfully increased, its machir
cry exceedingly complex and delicat
These are great centripetal forces whic
constantly draw population and capital
those vast human lives, modern cite
They are social forces far more powertl
than any legislative enactment
OLD Farm LIFE.
If any Of you grew up, as | did, nei
the frontier, you will have observed Il
operation of these forces in your own e
perience Thirty-6ve years ago, in VIII
was then the Far West almost ever
thing consumed on a farm was raised {
IL There was some barter. Butter al
eggs were exchanged for sugar and c0tte
Tea was a luxury kept for eases OF sic
ness, few such state occasions as the VII
of the ministers OF Of that most august OF
cial-in those days--the circuit judg
Wool came from the sleeps back into q
house, and never left ii until it went out
the backs Of the boys and girls. 1t "
carded, woven, and spun by hand II
fax went from the field TO the bieakt
from breaker 10 hackle and loom. AT d
farm best remember the trough was St
in the farul- yard, and the remains Of {
vat we're tobe seen, where, not many yea
before, deer skins aud COW hides had be
tanned, and the lapstone was still keI
which had been in family use for MAXI
shoes from home tanned leather T