Smyrna times., 1885-05-06
LETTER FROM CHICAGO.

I
60 without being re-impressed with
the Importance and power of the city :;
Its continued phenomenal growth. its
large resources, its aggressive spirit
and Its dominating energy, has al
ready carried it to an attainment far
beyond what we thought it ever posi-
bic for 1t to reach, Judging from stand
point OF twenty-five years ago.
1t took me many years to rise above
Il Graded prejudice to all Western en-
terprises and to refrain from discount
ing the claims of Western cities and
western States, for such marvellous in
crease of resources of wealth. mower
and population, while the little Dia-
Tond State scarcely held its own in a
great fruit belt, and approximately
near the great cities on the Atlantic
shore.
we have seen that our former stand
ards did not cope with the Western
IDEAS, when we used to take SMYRNA
lor our standard and sized up every
| town as so much less or so much great
/ er, as when we first saw Kansas city.
before any railroad had reached if it
| did not nor could not impress us that if
would ever be as large and contain as
many brick houses as our own native
| town.
In communication from there
lew weeks ago | told your readers that
| they claim a population of one hun
dred and ten thousand inhabitants.
ana nave tax valuation of propertv
reaching nearly thirty-four million of
dollars all in little over a quarter of
a century and Chicago little'older
now vieing with Philadelphia forSup,e.
macy OF population and power. all done
while our dear old town is holding her
! own.
The point | wish to make is that the
west Is underrated they are a great
people almost like a new crea-
ton in the development of engines of
modern power and usefulness. as racv
as their fertile soil.
They have come to the front and
shown a new and more tasteful stvle
OF architecture than prevails in the
Eastern cities having much more spa
clous surroundings both for busines and
dwelling houses and for furniture and
interior decorations. no cities EXCEL
Chicago and San Francisco.
The West has grown opulent and
more costly grade Of goods finds sale
III every department. and in this they
are inclined to boast. For the ,vr,r,.
traveller the Pullman car was first to
meet the long felt need Of more rest
tul privileges in more palatial sur
roundings and for the comfort of har
Vestlng, elevating or transporting grain
or live stock, the dwelers. in the rural
districts have long since adopted Wes
tern devices as the best. Some towns
five years old have built a brick public
schoOl-house, costing $4,000 heated
with steam and lit their streets with
electric lights.
There Is something contagious about
their comprehensive common sense
that moves on space without being
held by the prejudices Of the past or
confined by the deep-wom ruts of the
ages OF custom, to some sections AS
binding as grooves of steel.
Material prosperity is the end for
which they handle all human interests
and they seek the best methods of do
ing it. Mr.. Lincoln was man of that
comprehensive type. No man or dele
gatlon of men ever sloped over in his
presence that he did not tell them oft
Men of that cast are running this
city. They glanced at the map and
said the foot of Lake Michigan is the
most commanding point for the great
city that all business minds said would
some day be built for the metropolis of
the Empire of the West
Bishop Waugh held Il conference
here about 1887 and said Chicago could
never make much of lace because it !
was mud-hOle, as so many others said |
who looked the ground over. but it
grew on dozen years longer. during
which time it became Incorporated as a
city, and the wisdom of that council |
said if Chicago ever aspires to prOmi- |
nence we must raise the grade ten feet
in our streets, and limit reasonable /
time for all buildings to be made to cor
respond to it. 1t was daShing stroke ,
of policy in a council, but individual /
interest could not chOck the progress |
i've chariot wheels the scheme was in /
augurated and completed. and from
that time the city's grOWtl has been un- /
rlValed. Happily for the city's inter /
est, at that time Congress entertained /
and passed Mr.. POmroy's bill of grant /.
ing land railroads, majority of which /
found their centre in this young CITY. /.
and OF course worked in her interests. |
Both have prOspered. The roads |
have extended their wealthy lines |
thousands of miles permeating the |
West and Northwest in every direction .
from Michigan to Colorado and .
Nevada.
To-day her aspirations are for .OOO,-
hob ! II.
Philadelphia to excel her much the
next Censes.
BurlipgtOn and Quincy one hundred
and fifty miles west, much older and
quite as aspiring in 1910; had the great
Mississippi River 5000 miles of nayiga-
ton as a highway of their commerce.
have gone down to suburban relations
and the river along with them, under
the superior influence of Chicago and
her railroads.
st. Louis has been handicapped, her
trade cut by Chicago railroads, and the
old Southern city is said to move so
slow that a train loaded with cattle
bawl with hunger, while in Chicago
they are sold before arrival.
The new Board of Trade building
mentioned in my last letter is to have
the internal finishing touches put on
in few days and to be opened with a
great deal of ceremony and pride.
Numerous new buildings of the eight to
ten story order, have been planted
around it, and South and West of the
Grand Pacific Hotel
The tall stories are getting so numer-
Gus that in a few years anything less
than an eight-story business block will
look odd.
Fifteen million pounds of canned
beef is said to have been ordered by the
British Government and the CONNER
cial pulse beats high here in anticpa-
tion of revival alofbusinessandan of an active
foreign demand for breadstnffs and pro
visions as well as horses for military
services.
The grain market for that reason is
interest and it is safe to
say that no where are foreign devices
watched with more interest than Chi
cagO.
A harder winter was possibly never
experienced and the unemployed
classes were reduced to the greatestex-
tremities. Possibly to this source may
be attributed some election defeats be-
cause at present it is confessed that the
rascal classes put into Office whoever
they unita uDOD