The Republican journal., 1882-06-08
A False Alarm.

What is to become of New England? is one of
the interesting problems Of the day. AS great
manufacturing community, as the land of spin
dies, this little corner of the United States, once
so mighty in wealth and so important as the
nursery for great men, is fast losing prestige.
The South once found it necessary to send her
cotton to the east of the Hudson to be manufac-
tured. Now Boston receives manufactured cot
ton from the cities of the South. Maine was
once the ship-buidng State of this country, but
shp-building in America IS now among the lost
arts. The clocks and lanterns of Connecticut
are now duplicated in the West and the wooden
nutmegs of the little State. long ago found out,
are drug in the market. The armories of
Hartford find formidable rivals 1T Ilion.
New York. while the supplies of neither place
are needed in these piping times of peace.
AS an agricultural district New England is
now comparatively cipher There are two or
three farms up in the Northwest that harvest
more wheat every year than all the Eastern
States combined. All of the six States together
only produced in 1850 221 031 bushels of wheat.
The same year nine Virginia counties produced
1884 .243 bushels of the same kind of grain.
There are no Choates, WebsterS Summers or
Wilson's in New England. The glory of the old
home of the Pilgrim Fathers is departing. What
is to become of New England: [Cincnnati
Enquirer.
Our Ohio contemporary is unnecessarily
alarmed. That il should be frightened at the
picture it has drawn of the decadence of New
England is not surprising. New England de
veloped the West has furnished it with able.
intelligent, and industrious men and women.
and continues to furnish them. We're the capt
tai of New England, and the brains that il sup
plies to direct new enterprises and maintain old
ones, withdrawn fromth West, there would be
weeping and waing On the Ohio and elsewhere.
But there is no fear of that. New England is
not yet in the and yellow leaf. and is not
likely to be for many wears to come. The En-
quirer has been mised. It's conclusions are de-
rived from mstatcments. and are naturally cr-
roneous. Our cotton factories are prosperous.
and do not feel or dread the rivalry of Southern
mills Nor is shipbulding yet to be rtckoncd
among the lost arts In point of model and
workmanship the craft turned ont hv our build
er> have never been eXcellcd, and there is de-
cided increase in the tonnage yearly set atloat.
The West is welcome TO the manufacture OF
clocks and lanterns New England no doubt
finds greater profit in the production Of other
articles. As TO the competition with Hartford
armorieS the Enquirer itself admits that it is Of
no consequence lin these piping times Of peace"
The reference 10 New England As an auricultu-
raj region is unfair. Man shall not live by
bread alone" nor is wheat the sole test of agri-
cultural capabilities. 1t might as we'll be- said
that single county in Florida raises more or
anges than all Of New England. But even as to
wheat, the crop is growing one in this section
and the average yield prracre is not far from that
of the wheat growing regions of the West The
Enquirer has completely ignored our hay crop.
potato crop. and other products. forwhich there
is demand at rcmuneratvc prices. Again. ;s
to men. the Enquirer is illogical. 1t SAYS There
are now no Choatcs, Wcbstcrs, Sumner, or
Wilson's in New England" Nor are there any
Nashington>. ,Jclicrsons or Madi,ons in the
South. Or any Shakespcares in England But
take the men in public life to-day, and YOU will
ind the foremost are sons OF New England. This
is true not only of politics but of literature. sci
encc and art. The Enquirer may dry is tears
and cease its lamentations. New F,nelandis still
on deck.