The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-19

been voluntarily invested; the rage Tor
such investments was like that manifested
today in the formation Of irrigation COM
panies in the arid districts of the West
In the year ISL 1877 turnpikes had been
chartered in New York state alone. with a
combined capital of over $4,000, and
with total length of 4 500 miles. of which
fully one-third was built. Out of Albany
went eight of these roads in all directions.
while five proceeded from Newburg. Cats
kill and Kingston to points on the Dele
ware and Susquehanna rivers.
These great turnpikes diverted portion
of the trade that had gone down these
rivers from Baltimore and Philadelphia to
the Hudson river. Grain was cheap in
those days. but transportation, whether
by land or water, was costly.
To transport barrel of -four from the
Genessee country down the Susquehanna
to Columbia, and thence by the Lancaster
pike across to Philadelphia. cost 81. OF
this sum three-fourths was for the land
part Of the distance. To ship merchandise
across the peninsula from the Chesapeake
TO Philadelphia cost sums that now seem
extraordinary. For wheat the charge was
6cents bushel; for flour, . cents bar
rel; for tobacco. 81 hogshead, and freight
In general was 81 ton. Out of this situ-
alton grew the early movement for the
Delaware and Chesapeake canal. To trans
port q ton of freight from New
York to Lewiston, mostly a water
route, cost $40. to which tolls
on the turnpike were added. By the all
land route from Philadelphia to Pittsburg
to haul ton cost s125. Taking the whole
country into the reckoning, the cost per
100 miles was about $40 per ton. Owing
to the state of the roads four horses were
needed to draw two tons. and for such q
conveyance tolls averaged 121z cents for
each two miles. Under such rates it was
found that grain and -four could not bear
transportation beyond 150 miles. Markets
had to be found within that distance
The story of the frightful commercial
and agricultural depression that followed
President Jefferson's embargo is told at
length. The farmers could not get for
their crops. after our ports were closed,
the cost of sowing. reaping and grinding.
The federal revenue fell from SIC, 900 900 to
a few thousands, and more than $4,000
seamen were practically thrown out of
employment, to which should be added
5000 foreigners whom high wages had
attracted to service in American ships.
These sailors, during the fifteen months
that the embargo was in force, lost in
wages 81, 900; the ships probably lost
in profits S12, 900 more, and shore
labor of various kinds $50, 600 600. 1t was
computed that in New England $1,000
families were on an average each 500
poorer in consequence.
Thousands of men were ruined. News
papers were filled with notices of failures,
advertisements of sheriff's sales were
posted all over the country and in some
places the jails could not hold the debtors.
In less than one year 1900 men were i'm.
prisoned in New York '.for no other crime
than being ruined by the embargo" The
town looked to traveller ''like town raw
aged by pestilence." Counting houses
were closed, streets were deserted and grass
began to grow on the wharves. year
later /, $50 men were in jail for debts under
$25, and the Humane Society supplied them
with clothes.
Concerning the purchase of Louisiana
Jefferson admitted that in signing the
treaty he had dome an act beyond the
constitution" But in congress by vote it
was decided that the president and Senate
could buy foreign soil, and that, by treaty
power, this soil could be incorporated into
the Union.
The men of New England declared that
this purchase had disturbed the balance of
power between North and South, a cry
arose for separation, and some of the New
England and New York federal leaders
began to plot disunion. Until after the
war of 1872 belief in a permanent Union
never became matter of general accept
ance. The arguments for separa-
ton urged by Cabot, Quincy, Pickering.
and Gouverneur Morris were based
on differences of climate, food, faith and
occupation. These Northern disunionists
charged Jefferson with having purchased
Louisiana in order to keep the Virginias in
control of the government. The poet,
Bryant, who afterwards became a con-
spicuous champion of the Democracy, was
in his youth in full sympathy with these
New England disunionists. In 1872 the
call for troops was refused by three New
England states, and two years later came
the Hartford convention, which was COM
posed Of New England "copperheads.
Notification, as sovereign right under
the constitution, was even affirmed by
Ohio, and was adopted by Massachusetts,
in 1880 and by Maine in 1854 McMaster
says:
William, king OF the Netherlands had rem
dered his decision on the disputed northeast
boundary, and had traced out line which, had
1t been accepted, would have deprived Maine
and Massachusetts OF large tracts OF land. But
Massachusetts notified the general governments
that it would be well not TO accept the decision.
as any act purporting to carry it would be
wholly null and void, and in no way obllga-
tory on their government or people Maine
declared she would never consent to give up an
acre of her territory on the recommendation OF
any foreign power.
Concerning the growth of the extension
of the franchise. McMaster points out that
in 1893 not manhood, but religious opin-
ions, land ownership and money posses
sions determined mans right to vote. In
New York this meant that one must possess
land worth go or pay house rent of 40s.
per year. that his name must be on the
tax list and he must have a recent that
his taxes had been paid. From the new