The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-03-08
THE RAILROAD AS A FACTOR IN CIV
ILILATION.

1aCCS are from late puDLICSt1Ou W
Mr. Edward Atkinson, Of Boston:
Modern civilization rests upon
division Of labor and the exchange
Of product for product. The wider
the exchange the greater the album
dance OF things. and the greater the
prosperity. The more complete and
perfect the application of modern
tools and machinery to agriculture
or manufactures, thu. larger the pre-
duct. the higher both the wages and
the profits, provided the excess above
the need of the producer car be ex-
changed. and the lower the cost Oi
production. Hence, it ensues that
the particular State or nation in
which machinery l." applied under
the best conditions to great natural
resources gains most from the ex-
change Of products-pays the high.
est wages-and secures the largest
product, while furnishing the world
with the grea:est quantity Of the pro.
ducts of Its agriculture or it's manu-.
features at the lowest cost. Under
the best application Of machinery to
the arts, high wages and low cost OF
production ar synonymous terms.
1.-The principal factor in prosperity,
therefore, consists in .he removal OF
all OostructiOns 20 commerce, and
among the material instrumentali:ies
applied to this purpose the railway
is the most effective. Where railways
and steamships are free from legisla.
tive obstruction the greatest wealth
will he concentrated In the cities, and
the highest prosperity will be EMO JED
by those VINO conduct manufacturing
operations in the area in and sur
rounding such cities, In which places
.he operatives will have been brouy 1t
by the construction Ofrallways, next
door to the western farm, although
they may be a thousand or fifteen
hundred miles distant from them.
The Importance OF the railway may
he III some measure compreheaded
by considering the ratio which raul.
way property now bears to other
Property III tue United States The
largest estimate which any econo-
mist has yet dared to place upon the
whole property OF the people OF the
UAlted otates-incluuing the value
OF lands fifty thousand million
dollars. vi this propert y more than
one half consist in the value which
has peen impaired t. land by the use
to which 1t Is applied, and by the
buildings and wOrks which have been
placed upon it. Land itself possesses
no value. These buildings, works,
railways, and the like-these pro-
ducts OF laoor placed upon the land
CONSTITUTE the capital Of the coun.
try their value cannot exceed TWEEN.
ty-nve Thousand million dollars (sum.
mary: Land, $4,000, 100000; CAPT
tai, $2o,OJO,OOU,OO0). Even tnfs
would give nearly $5UO capital, aside
from lana, to each man, woman and
cniiu of:rne population. 1t is an ex
cessive estimate but Of this proper
ty twenty per cent. (one-tifth part
can be prov ed to consist OF railway,
and their appurtenances. The pressn
value of All the railways Of tile Uni
tel States. including what 10 calles
'watered STOCK and reducing every
part to fair cost, is over i've thou
SAM ,n,lllon dollars Is, OOO, OOO. OOU)
"Wnat, docs the railway do aslu
from moving passengers Nine
tenths Of ats service, ut the very leas
estimate, is enjoyed in fairly common
and equal proportion By the Won KIM
people 81 the United States, who con
sLiture nine out Of ten Of the inhaDi
tants of the country--using the tern
working people to distinguish thos
who depend upon their daily wor
for their daily pre.d. aud who are t
be considered rather as consumer
than as producers in the larger sense
and as a class separate from thos
who possess considerable capital.
tine statement Of the true func
tons ofth~ railroads j. easily proyee
The grain crops of the United State
weigh 75,0l0,0o0 tons the hay cru