Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-28
THE NATIONS CONDITION.
A Comparison Between the Rate of Wage
and Population in the United States il
1850 and Now.

A Comparison Between the Rate of Wages
and Population in the United States i'm
1850 and Now.
What is the condition now in the United
States as compared with that of 1850?
The average rate of WAGES IN this country
from 1850 to 1880 has been increased A
per cent. The population of this country
from 1850 to 1880 increased 170 per cent,
with the workers ratio in 1850 rs per
cent. of the whole, against % per cent. in
1880. What a frightful calamity to our
| 26. 34S, 600 laboring population.
The value of our manufactures IN 1850
was s1,l10,000, employing 95S.004 opera
tives, with gross product of 81 ,405 each.
against s., 5S5, 100000 in 1880, with
2,733, 900 operatives, with d gross product
each of S2,045, supporting and educating
Is, 665, 900 of our population, or more than
one-quarter of the whole. The wages of
these operators In 1850 aggregated 1925,
100000. averaging $3.50 each. against
1880. 1890, 900, 900 wages paid to 2.733. 900
operatives. or an average of $3.50 to each,
an increase of Sl05 per capita. The do
nestle consumption of domestic manufac
tured articles in 1880 was more than S.,
600 900, 900; the wages for manufacturing
supported more than one-quarter of the
population, instead of supporting a like
number of people in foreign countries.
1t Is a condition that confronts Us. not
theory.
The states of New York and New Jersey
are large manufacturing states. the value
of manufactures in these two states being
in 1880, 81, 335, 076, 932, with 81, 24S,0 900
acres area worth as much money in 1880 as
4 Enn I I
ern States, all attributed to the fact that
nearly one-ffth of the manufactures Of the
United States are in these two Northern
States, while in 1880 in the twelve South
ern States the manufactures were very
small. This shows how the land owner is
enriched by manufactures.
The aggregate wealth of the United
States in 1850 was 81. 420. 100000, with
%, 1872, 900 population, against 1880, S45,-
1856, 900. 900 aggregate wealth-more than
Great Britain-the population numbering
80, 10000 The increase in wealth in
thirty years has been S37 ,965, 000 900.
This increase comprised SIC, $50, 600, 900 In
farms, 81, 905 ,000, 900 in railroads, 81, $780,,
100000 IN factories, and $50, $50, O00,0
In houses and sundrieS.
The population now is between So, 000,-
900 and sc, 900, 900, and is increasing about
100000 yearly. The value of the manu-
features in this country in 1890 will have
probably increased from S, 5S5, 000, 900 In
1880 to between So, 900, 100000 and S9,000,-
O00,00 The railway mileage will have
increased from $4,000 miles In 1880 to
nearly 169. 900 miles in 1890. The country
is annually producing about 5000, 100000
bushels of grain, of which about 14-15
finds market within this country, besides
most of our IS, 600, 900, 900 value of manu-
features. The accumulated wealth of the
country in 1890 will have reached, at the
81 ,265, 900, 900 annual increase, about $5S,-
035, 100000, which will be at the least S1O,-
600, 100000 more than the accumulated
wealth of Great Britain.
A Barrier to American Enterprise.
It becomes an interesting question to
what neutrals this trade would CO. in other
words, who would buy the British vessels.
This is easily answered 1t would 90 to
those states that have capital to invest,
and whose law admit foreign-built vessels
to their registry. The United States
would of course, be excluded on the latter
ground. No American citizens can obtain
an American register for a vessel built
abroad; and though he can acquire sucn
on, he cannot bring her to a home port
with a cargo. Even if he chose to buy
vessel under these conditions, and employ
her III trade between foreign ports, her
status in time of war. without register,
with no paper, indeed but an authenticated
bill for sale, would be so unsatisfactory
that few Americans would be willing to
invest money on these conditions. The
carrying trade of England would, therefore,
go to Belgium to Holland, to Denmark, to
Sweden, perhaps to Italy, most of which
would be neutral, and none of which pre-
scribes any conditions for vessels of foreign
construction except, as In Holland, small
tax upon naturalization.
Whatever may be the merits of our nav
igation laws under ordinary circumstances,
and however necessary they may be to pro-
tect the ship-builders and the iron and
steel interests in this country from foreign
competition, it must be Confessed that, in
such contingency as we are now suppos-
ing. there would be perfectly unjustif-
able barrier to American enterprise. It is
said that in snch state of things they
would be suspended Very likely: but
when? A matter of this kind is not a
thing of weeks and months; it is thing
Of days and hours. Suppose that the favor
able moment should arise when Congress
was not in session. The opportunity
would be gone long before Congress met;
by the time it had passed an enabling act
the acquisition of this trade by the Swedes,
the Dutch, the Belgians, and the Italians
would be matter of ancient history 1t
is, to say the least, an extremely short
sighted policy to leave such a restriction
in the statutes with provision for execu-
tive suspension upon such an opportunity
as we are now considering ''Ameri-
can Commerce in an Anglo-Continental
War" by Professor J. R. Solely Z. S. A.,
in November Scribner.
a sLAYE TO MORPHINE.