The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-03-19
New York In 1880.


part took place IN the five great cities OF the
state, New York, Brooklyn, Albany and Roch.
ester. They added 520,769 to their popula-
ton. This state now contains about as many
people as Belgium and a million more than
Portugal 1t also has n larger population than
all New England by about a million. These
comparisons help us to gam proper concep
ton of the magnitude of the state which
ranks first among the states of the Union ia
population and IN resources. Other interest
ing statistics regarding New York we obtain
from the message Of Gov. Cornell.
The total funded debt of the state is $0,ll4-
054S7. Except for the canals, we should have
substantially no debt, tor the general fund
state debt is all paid, only that something over
one hundred and twenty thousand dollars re-
mains rs the amount necessary to yield an
income sufficient to pay the Indian annuitles
The revenues brought III last year to pay all
current liabilities, and besides contributed
5000, 600 to the sinking fund. That is re-
markably good showing
1t ought to mean decreased taxes for the
present year; but our monstrous new Capitol
will eat up 81 600 900, and the tax levy must
be increased from less than three and a half
mills to meet the appropriations for that dis
astrous building.
The net revenue from the canals was greater
than in 1879 by over $l4l 900, though the in
crease in expresses was over $4,000. The
sudden and early closing Of the canals by Ice
in November stopped more than thousand
boats, carrying six million bushels of grain.
The state spent the great sum of Sl029G,9I7
on public instruction last year, about three
quarters of it gong for teachers wages. We
have II 500 school houses, 30, 13O teachers and
735, Gj3 volumes in the school district libra
ries The number OF children attending the
IA 10 rol,p
of the whole population of the state. The
number of children Of school age in private
schools is set down as only los, 5G1, or Il tenth
part Of those who are en- Joy ing the benefits OF
the free institutions. How thoroughly educa,
ton is dtfused is shown by the circumstance
that of the population ofthe state between the
ages of five and twenty-ono years those not
included among the school attendants number
less than five hundred thousand.
| 1t Is gratifying to find that our prison pop
ulation is decreasing with the improvement et
the times. The average number in the Gin
ton, Auburn, and Sing Sing prisons last year
was only 1870, against 1879 two years be-
| fore.
INSANITY however, is increasing at q rema:s;
able and even alarming rate, if we take the
census of our public insane asylums during
| the last four years as a criterion. They con-
tanned last October, 9,j43 patients, against
1915 in 1879, S,1i1 in 1875 and 1921 in 1871
But 1t is not safe to conclude that the increase
IN insanity has been as great as these figures
would indicate. Some OF the patients may IN
| former years have been in the poorhouSes or
almshouses, and manifestations which once
were not esteemed as evidences Of lunacy are
now counted as such, and the tendency to OBJ
tain the restraints of an asylum tor the insane
increases. There is, however, unquestionably
a growth in the frequency OF this form Of dis
ease. And how to check il is one of the most
serious questions with which medical science
has to dead But building enormously eXpen-
sive insane asylums like that at Buffalo, for
instance, which cost more than four thousand
dollars for every inmate, is not the way to
solve the difficulty. The management of our
public asylums for Inmates Is most prodi gal,
while IN its scientific aspect it is behind the
best European examples.
The greater prosperity Of the country is for
chilly shown in the increase Of deposits N the
III savings banks doing business in the state.
1t was $50, 169 230 last year. The number Of
dcpostors was 9l3,363, an increase during the
year of S5,011 The total amount due deposit
ors was $685., 461 $40. Their average deposits
were therefore over $3G1. And of the total
population OF the state, almost fifth are In
cluded among the savings bank depostOrs.
| Take 1t all in all New York enters upon the
new year IN condition of prosperity which
has few examples IN the world. TO maintain
and increase that prosperity will be the bust
ness of every individual citizen and of those
who make laws for us at Albany; and to that
end The Sun will keep vigilant watch over
lceislation.-N. y. SIM.