Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-09-16

duotive than that OF any OF our sister
nations; yet We do not, there In reason
TO believe, get moro than Ave years
"ahead Of the world m people, with
oil our industry and production. 10
has taken us two hundred and fifty years,
Mr.. Wells remarks, 10 accumulate for
oni selves IN q nation subsistence, or
tho means of II, In advance, TO the
amount of about ak hundred dollars per
head Of our people. That IL to say,
even the richest nation IN tho world
would staive II IL should absolutely
cease to labor for Ave or ut most six
years, and live upon the surplus il had
accumulated In previous centuries and
the great armies, tho costly armaments,
and the destructive wars Of the period
since 1860, II In ca TO zee, have made
tho world actually poorer, have mar
rowed the resources OF the principal
Christian nations, and brought the wolf
nearer the national doors.
Now, In modern times what seriously
affects ono nation affects all In various
degrees. II Germany Is poor, II France
practices a more rigid economy, IL Eng
land IL embarrassed or Austria crippled,
we, far of M we are, must feel the
|
buy less OF what We produce or they pay
less for what they buy. Now, II has been
ascertained that In Massachusetts,, one
of the richest States of the Union, the
possible annual average saving of the
factory population in common times is
only triae over twenty dollars per
head. There is no great margin here
for loss OF any kind. But, besides wars
and standing armies and costly navies,
there are losses by fire, as those at Bos-
ton and Chicago; there are losses of in
come and realized surplus by worthless
Investments, as in railroads which pay
no interest on their bonds. and which
thus deprive multitude of bondholders
OF their receipts and lessen their expen-
ditures. All these causes contribute to
make us and the world in general poorer
and cause hard times.
Mr.. Wells reports that in 1875 the ag-
gregate State debts had run up to three
hundred and twenty-eight millions, on
half of which no interest was paid that
tho aggregate indebtedness of cities had
run up to eight hundred millions, and
yet our cities are as rule uncomforta-
BILE, unsafe and dear places of residence
He remarks that this waste seems to 20
on, as the New York city debt, which
stood in 1871 at eightv-two millions, had
risen in July, 1876, to one hundred and
sixteen millions.
He says that if We apply the rates of
increase to our chief agricultural pro-
ducts between 1850 and 1860, and then
compare the result with the actual pro-
duct by census, we shall find that we
produce actually less corn by twenty
six per cent, less tobacco by twenty
seven per cent, less pork by thirty-two
per cent, less butter by twenty nine
per cent, less cotton by seventy four
per cent, according to Mr.. Wells, than
we should have produced had we gone
on at the previous rate of increase.
During 1s501s6O improved land in
creased forty-four per cent; in 1860
1870 only sixteen per cent, and we had
in 1870 actually nine hundred thousand
fewer neat cattle, eight millions fewer
swine and niue hundred thousand fewer
working oxen than in 1860, with fall
ing Off also in the number of horses and
mules. That is to say, q large part of
our agricultural population had been
drawn off by the force and tendency of
ldWS W otHei eAP'oynon'o, w hiauu-
features largely.
The result is shown in the increase of
manufactured products-fifty two per
cent. of the period of 1860 1870-with
IN increase of population of only twenty
three per cent Not only did more peo-
pie go to manufacturing, but their Ca
pacity to produce in this direction was
largely increased by new and ingenious
labor saving machinery. Thus in 1860
nine thousand persons in Cincinnati en-
gagged in manufacturing produced an
average value of one Thousand five hun
bred dollars per head but double the
number in 1870, with the help of better
machinery, produced value of two
thousand three hundred dollars per
head. Three man can now produce as
many stoves as six in 1860. In dressing
yarn one man and boy now do the
work which eight men did i'll 1860.
Similar results have been obtained in a
great many bIa-ches of manufacture.
Unskillful legislation, the result of care
lessness in our rulers, has first impelled
more men to manufacturing Industries;
our native inventive skill has ut the
same time greatly increased the produc
tive power of these hands, and then our
laws have disabled us from selling the
largely increased surplus product
abroad, where, alone, of course, sur
plus can be sold.