Middletown transcript., 1876-06-10
AMERICAN PROGRESS
l776 TO 1920.
NUMBER ONE.

There are few darker pages in his
tory than those which recount the con-
dition of the thirteen colonies of North
America during the months just pre-
vious to the adoption Of the Declara-
tion Of Independence. A year had
elapsed since arms had been taken up
against the mother country and al
though the colonist had resisted sue
cessfully, the very fact carried fresh
terror to the doubling, for it augured
invasion, not by few battalions sent
to quel rebelious mob, but by the
grand armies Of England, victors in a
century of wars # not extirpation,
then reduction beneath tyranny, more
grinding than that against which they
had revolted. now menaced the rebels
Congress sat doubling. distrustful,
divided in thought. seeing no glimmer
Of light in the prevailing darkness,
thinking as John Adams moved on the
10th Of May, 1776, that the colonies
should themselves establish separate
governments, adequate to the exigen-
cies." But the stirring eloquenee of
Thomas Paine was ringing through the
land, replete with the suggestion of
hope which none had dared to cherish.
The war against England's blind and
headlong oppression was fast becoming,
through popular sentiment alone, war
against England herself; and it needed
but the formal declaration Of Congress
to elevation the conflict from a mere
rebellion to that grandest of wars,
which finds its parallel in all inanimate
nature, the struggle for national exist
ence.
Tc turn from the political to the in
dustrial condition of the colonies is but
to bring to view fresh evidences to show
the fragility Of the foundation on which
the fabric of our country was reared.
Iron and steel works there we're none,
nor wooden or fax manufactures all
were suppressed by England. Iron
foundries had been started, and in New
land hats had been made; but Parlia-
ment declared American factories "a
nuisance, and crushed them ruthlessly.
1t allowed the production of pig iron ;
bat the colonist was forced to have the
material manufactured in England, and
pay an enormous profit to the English
founder. Agriculture. hunting. fishing
and cutting lumber, England could not
check hence these furnished occupa-
tions to those who we're not engaged in
such few trades as we're carried on.
Probably the most extensive factory in
the country was Baron Stiegeps glass
house. in Mannheim, near Lancaster,
Pa. Operations were conducted in
curious manner, for the owners ideas
were of the feudal ages He built
castles and mounted cannon wherewith
to salute himself on arriving and de-
parting; and when guest was re-
ceived. the workmen were summoned
from furnace and foundry to attend the
new conner with music and rejoicing
The war cut off the Baron's funds from
Europe, and the works were soon after
discontinued.
Shipbdilding existed in New Eng
land. and brick making 10 nearly all
the colonies There were but two steam
engines in the territory; one built in
1772. for use in a distillery in Phila-
delphia; the other had been imported
in 1876. for the Schuyler copper mines
at Passaic. New Jersey. Both we're on
the Newcomer type. No agricultural
machines were known. except. perhaps.
the grain drill. no cotton mills existed.
and the green seed or staple cotton
alone cultivated. Not printing press
existed west Of the Alleghanies and
there were only forty. all hand machines
ofthe crudest type. in the colonies Thir-
ty=seven newspapers ssaieed to spread
intelligence From Boston to New
York was weeks journey by coach,