Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-02-07

GUS before 1870. The republicans held
power only u few years between 1860
and 1870. Then the democrats, un-
der whom the state had admittedly |
prOspered before, resumed power.
And then, as the Globe-Democrat |
says: Gas if by the wave of ma
gician's wand, the march of improve
ment was arrested. Immigration
stopped as suddenly as if the state had
been sunk beneath the ocean. Re-
pudiation reared its head, and capital
took the alarm. The great and
growing commonwealth which UNI
der the Drake constitution was 50
III rapport with its ncighbors at once
became isolated, and so 1t still re-
maims.' Strange that the democratic
preponderance and the democratic
legislation that had been SO potent
ten years before to make the state
great and prosperous, and to advance
1T to the fifth position among the
states. should have the effect, after
that time, to blight and destroy every
element of growth and prosperity
in it.
This is the anamaly, in fact and in
reason, that we are asked to believe.
on no better testimony than the reit-
Grated statements of these bitterly
partisan papers. But let us examine
some of the evidences of the internal
condition of the state-tO which, by
the way. these papers are careful
never to allude-and see if it is ret
regarding, as they say. 1t is true. we
cannot establish by positive proof the
exact increase in the population of
the state during the past ten years,
but we can approximate it, AS i'll
algebra certain known quantities be-
| ing given certain other unknown
quantities may be determined. A
state census WAS taken early in 1876.
Censuses taken by the states are usu-
ally bungiing affairs, but they fall
below rather than exceed the truth.
According to the census of 1876 the
state had increased in population
from 1,721.295 to 2,OS5, ,537-an H.
crease OF 1854, 4,242-and this in the face
of the merciless republican policy OF
contraction, which literally for the
time paralyz zed and destroyed the
growth, prosperity and industry OF
the whole country. These figures
certainly do not indicate that Sim.
migration stopped as suddenly as il
the state had been sunk beneath the
ocean,"
| 1t does not need any argument te
prove that cities and towns canno
outgrow the country by which they
are surrounded and retain their pros
perity. Cities and towns are bur tn,
trade centers in which and through
which the country does its business
If the country langulshes, the cite
and towns languish too. If the coun
| try is prosperous, so arc the cite
and towns. And by parity Of rea
sening, if the cities and towns ar
prosperous, the evidence is conclu
sive that the source from which the,
receive their support, the country, i
J also prosperous. They are NATURAL.
dependent upon each other the pros
perity of one indicates the prospect
ty of the other, and the growth O
, one the growth of the other. Now
: are our cities and towns prosperou
: and growing. or are they laugulshin
: and retrograding? Whitbih the pas
ten years st. Louis has increased i
: population from $4,000 to no deub
3 $50, ,O00-Kansas City from $1,000 /
e 20, ,OOO-St. Joseph from $4,000 t
80, ,OO0-Sedalia from 4 500 to 10000
4 Moberly from 800 to S,O00-Sprins
8 field from $500 10 ,O00-Hanuib; b;
e from $4,000 to 5.OOO-Joplin all
Carthage from such insignificanc
= that they were not mentioned in til
: census reports to 10000 each-Cau
= eron from 1,4O0 to 3,500-Alban
: from 600 to 2,OOO-rrenton from1 ], ,OC
l to 3,O0O-Marysvil.e from 1,6G0 I
d 4,OOO-aud so with the cities All
q towns all over the state. Indeed, til
It only towns that have not grown in
!, prOpOrtlOnate Measure are the rive
l. towns, which have been left cOInpa
e atively stranded by the decay (
II river commerce brought about by tt
marvellous Increase of railroads bui
e by foreign capital which we are toi
e "took alarm" aud fled the state te
% years ago-and the worst that cali
n said of them is that they have NJ
le kept pace with their neighbors, bl
e. have stood still while eyerythiI
l. else has been moving forward.
d Taking these facts into consider
e tlon-the positive evidence furnisht
of by the state census ana the circui
N stantial evidences furnished by II
commerce, and every branch
lie domestic industry of the cities a,
Is towns i'll every part OF the state
" is impossible to come to any 9th
H. rational conclusion than that 4
e. state is not retrograding, that INN
le grafton has not stopped, that capit
at has not fled, and that business al
SIS enterprise a:e not stagnant. But,
the contrary, that the state is !
lr creasing III population rapidly al
healthfully, that surrounded as it
s. by rapidly growing states, it "
I, hold its own in the next census, a
=. that our renterprising contemporari'
Il. the Globe-Democrat and the Journ
III stand convicted by the facts of be
-. ing false testimony, and vii
out cause or provocatlon sla
It. dering the people who feed them a
to give them all the position in t
world they have.