The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-06-04
81 vote d same time refusing the offer Of

!, by vote dc same time refusing the offer Of
TT The rapid growth Of Boston In popnla.
l zion and wealth has been necessarily and
Immensely due TO the great extension OF It's
Hints into It's neigbboring suburbs. 'inclu-
ding among It's largest md most valuable
i aca1isitions suburbs across Intervening
Il streams.
The United States census reports furnish
4 some suggestive reflections on this suo1ecf;
They prove TINT in places similarly situated
! the growth OF the suburbs Is, as rule. 10
much greater ratio than the principal city
| For example, from 1850 to 1870 the popuia-
tion of Boston increased something less
| chan so per cent, Charlestown nearly 40 per
cent and Cambridge about 160 per cent.
The same fact Is equally true as regards
| Philadelphia and its suburbs prior to am
| ueyation in 1854. The comparative growth
/ of New York and Brooklyn is still more
striking. The population OF New York in
| 1850 was 515,5 $40; in 1870. 942, 292; OF Brook
| Iyn In 1850, G6.S3S; in 1870, 6.C99-an in
crease OF less than 100 per cent. In New
York, and over 400 per cent. in Brooklyn.
| II opposition to annexation could reason
ably come from either side, these figures
would lead us to apprehend IT most naLu-
rally from the suburb to be annexed ouf
information Is quite limited as to the sentl-
ment Of the different sections where these
questions have been agitated. IL seems
nIaip that the rule has been that the extern
sion has been sought by the principal city.
An act OF the Legislature OF hassachu-
SETS annexed Charlestown to Boston IN
| 1854. The City Council OF Cbarlestown re-
sisted the act OF annexation and defeated 1t
on appeal to the Supreme Court OF Slassa-
! ch,,setts-see Warren and Others Us. Mayor
and Aldermen Of Charl Gray, S4-
and Cha,lestown was not successfully an
peyed until twenty years later Tin 1879.
Richmond in 1867 sought and obtained an
act of Assembly anneXing about 900 acres
| OF its suburbs, with population OF $4,000.
| Inhabitants OF the suburbs contested the acE
Of annexation in the courts, and carried the
case to the Court Of Appeals, where the
city preyailed.-See Thomas and others Us.
The City Of Richmond, Is Graft, 5SS. r.
Richmond, in this act OF extension, added
twice as much territory TO Its limits rs IL
previously unloading 1000 acres to pre-
existing territory OF say about 100 acres,
making its present dimensions aboat 2,250
acres. II the policy OF this act OF annexa-
tion was wise (and we think it clearly was),
is not the annexation which VIII give you
ldoubie waterfront, with closer proximity
much more valuable acquisition
In The cases of Philadelphia and Boston,
their geographical situations and bounda-
ries show how naturally a city cliugs to the
stream. Philadelphia bad two water fronts
only two miles distant-the Delaware and
Schuylkill-yet it crossed the Schuylklll,
took in West Philadelphia, and obtained,
greatly to its advantage, triple riyerfront,
! and might we'll seek to cross the Delaware
and absorb Camden il that town did not lie
in another State. Boston has crossed the
water in various directions.
Richmond, in our opinion, ought to an
ticipate rapid and expansive growth. 1t
has flattering prospects which may be great
| ly accelerated by wise legislation or retard-
ed by neglect OF its opportunities.
Our convictions constrain US to deplore
that important circumstances in our his
tory-some due to State policy. and others,
we regret 10 believe, to want of wisdom in
municipal legislation-have deprived Rich
mond OF the opportunity which nature
offered her Of occupying to-day the front
rank among the leading cities OF the United
States.
Some OF the most important of these OBJ
structions to our growth are now removed.
Conspicuously among them was slavery. Its
existence in Virginia was the means OF ra-
pidly populating northern States at our eX-
pense. In 179O, 1900, and 1910, when slavery
repealed population from all the States OF
| the Union alike, we had in Virginia, as the
census of those decades show, more popu-
| lation to the square mile than New York,
| Pennsylvania, or any other northern State;
| but the census taken at subsequent decades
will show that when slavery was removed
| 4. t,fa Sl,or ,boia 1n ~
| immigration turned against US.
Virginia, and Richmond. her chief city,
now liberated from this obstacle to their
growth, ought to anticipate, prepare tor,
and invite the growth which slavery rem
dered impossible and unattalnable.
To avoid any misconstruction weadd that
we are in entire sympathy with our own
State on this question. history will teach
that Virginia was neither the author OF the
forcible introduction or the forcibe eXpul-
sion of slavery in the United States. But
il our conception OF the statistics to which
we refer are correct, they simply show that
Richmond has been large sufferer in the
past, compared with the large cities Of
more northern States, by reuson oil the fact
that slavery did not exist there. but did eX-
ist here. And we desire to lmpart some
consolation to those who have sustained
TEMPORARY loss in this matter in maintain
ING that to us or those who succeed us rapid
reparalion ought to be anticipated for our
recent losses. And here we are induced TO
en- ,at that Richmond has new career OF
growth to expect if it will adopt wise mea-
sures to realize it.
| We men'ion in passing that the growth OF
| Richmond has ueen retarded also by want
| OF wisdom in State legislation touching rail-
road improvements; but our local growth
has, we fear, been impeded by some local
errors. We mention just here as particu-
larly pertinent curious item in our local
history.
| Many years ago, probably between 1880
and 1S40-it may have been earlier-Abbott
Lawrence. visited Richmond prospecting
for the employment OF his great wealth in
man ufacturing enterprise. He was much
pleased with the water-power at Richmond
and Manchester and the surroundings, and
|. discovered an inclination in favor Of invest
! ing bis large capital here. The object OF
| bis visit was discussed with much interest.
and it transporting that DIR. Lawrence would
employ white laborers exclusively as opera
tives 10 his mills, the leading newspaper in
Richmond actively opposed the enterprise
as hostile to slave labor, and therefore as
| injurious to our interests; and Mr. Law
| fence consequently abandoned the idea OF
| investing here, returned home, and es1ab-
! lshed the manufacturing city Of Lawrence,
the population OF which has increased as
follows: In 1850 it was S,2S3; in 1853,
| 12, 900; in 1870, about 29,000-now being