The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-08-18
A Few Important Facts.

AASAo haS sCefCCiJ 1oSh hioAo faiudDlo
contribution made to the Republican cam
paign than the letter of General Nimmo, chief
Of the bureau of statistics in reply to letter Of
Mr.. Edward MCPHERSON, secretary of the Re-
publican National Committee Mr.. McPher,
son has been rejecting, as many other thought
full citizens have been, upon the menace to the
welfare and prosperity Of the country involved
In the alarming strength Of the Democratic
party OF the South, and its desperate effort to-
gain full control of the National Government.
He thought it desirable that the people Of the
country should see the great preponderance OF
the North in the commercial and productive
industries of the country. believing that the
bare statement of facts would be Of itself a
convincing argument against the surrender of
the government to the solid South. He there
fore propounded series of questions for the
chief OF the bureau of statistics concerning the
relative share of the North and South in agr-
culture, manufacture, banking. rallroading
and the general trade Of the country. The re-
ply Of General Nimmo contains the desired
information in scompact shape and will he
found very useful for general circulation. Very
few, even of intelligent people, realize the vast
disproportion (which exists between the con-
tributions of the Northern and the Southern
States to the general prosperity of the country.
In the expression Southern States" are in
cluded Virginia, West Virginia, North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkan-
sas, Tennessee and Kentucky. We condense
the following facts:
1. The internal commerce of the country
vastly exceeds in magnitude its foreign
commerce. The commerce on railroads alone,
which is about 80 per cent of the whole, is
twenty times as great as our foreign commerce.
manual for 1879, the South has only IA per
cent. of the 423,013 freight cars employed In
the country; only 3t,248 belong to Southern
roads. On the water lines of transportation
there were employed during the year ended
June Both, 1879, vessels with a tonnage of
ISIS ,067 tons, of which amount 243 ,54S tons or
per cant, were owned in the Southern states
named.
2. The exports of the country for the last
fiscal year were of the value Of $685. G33, ,56. of
from ports south of the Potomac river. OF this
amount S15S, ,184 ,256 were for exports of cotton,
and it appears that all but very small portion
of the crop was moved by northern or foreign
capital.
$. OF the vast imports of the country, less
than two and a half per cent. were imported at
ports south of the Potomac river. The total
customs revenues of the government for the
year ended June LIST, 1879, was S13S,2s1 04S Of
which 81, JOG, ,39S or :1.6 per cent? was from
ports south of the Potomac.
4. The internal revenues of the last fiscal
year were SIG, ,84S ,221, of which $40. .332 ,364
(or II per cent? was from the Southern States,
all but five per cent of this being for spirits
and tobacco. ~ NJ
.. The statistics of the post Office depart
ment show that of the total weight Of mails
carried on railroads the past year only 17.12
per cent. were on Southern roads,
8. By the last census returns the nanufac-
lures of the country for 1870 were of the value
of 81 ,232 25 ,442, Of which g. per cent was from
the Southern States. E9h e'F 7'f
Z. The last report of the controller of the
currency shows the total bank discounts Of the
country on tie I'd Of October, 1879, were $685.
were by Southern States. OF the total bank
circulation on the same date only 7.47 per cent.
was issued by Southern banks.
8. The total cost of the railroads of the coun-
try is 49, 166, 331 ,921, of which $556 979 (or
13 35 per cent? was Tor southern roads, and
much of this was built by northern capital and
is owned in the north.
8. OF the total income for public schools in
all the States and Territories less than ten per
cent was for schools in the southern States.
10. Over each of the great trunk lines ex-
tending west from Boston, New York, Phila-
delphia, and Baltimore there flows a much
more valuable commerce than ever foated on
the Mississippi river. The tonnage of mer-
chandise shipped east across the Mississippi
river over railroad bridges north of st. Louis is
twelve times as great as the tonnage shipped
down the river 10 that city. At St. Louis the
eastward movement of commerce now largely
exceeds the southern movement. Twenty-Five
years ago the commerce of st. Louis was car
ried on entirely by river, but the records Of the
st. Louis Merchants exchange show that of
the total tonnage of freight received and
shipped during the year 1879, there were 6,94s,
794 tons moved by rail, and only 1,366, ,115 tons
by river. r,1.l,t.. Ill Is-Is.g.a
A few years ago a railroad bridge was con-
structed across the Mississippi river at St.
Louis, and today that bridge is a far more i'm
portant avenue of commerce than is the river
which flows beneath it, With its double track
it has capacity for traffic ten times as great
as ever foated upon the Mississippi river.
During the year 1875 the tonnage to and
from the east at st. Louis by rail amounted to
2,930, ,S55 tons, while the tonnage to and from
the south by river amounted to only 692 $50
tons. During the same year the southern
movement by rail amounted to 1867, ,O9S tons.
These are facts to be thoughtfully consid-
cred. They naturally suggest the question,
Is it wise where such great interests are at
stake to trust tho control Of the national ad-
ministrat;on to the party which has 50 small a
part in them, party moreover which Is op-
posed to the financial system and the revenue
system under which they have been developed
and made prosperous, and which, If successful
| is certain to advocate measures which would
| disturb all the industries of the country.