The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-14

closed settled area Of two hundred and
forty thousand square miles. Had SINH
lar line been drawn In 1872. 1t would have
been only twenty mine hundred miles long.
yet It would have enclosed settled area OF
four hundred thousand square miles. In other
words the frontier followed 10 1912 the Indian
boundary across central Ohio and east Indi-
ana went down the valley Of tho Ohio to the
Mississippi. up that river to the Missouri. and
back to the Tennessee. which IL accompanied
to Its source in tho mountains. crossed the
mountains TO their eastern slopes. and skirted
the Akamaha to the sea. Separated from tho
frontier by great tracts OF wildernesswere out
lying settlements at Detroit. Miohilimacknac.
and Green Bay. at the mouth Of the Arkansas
River. in the Territory OF Mississippi and In
the new State OF Louisiana. 1t 10 Mr.. MacMas-
ter's computation that in 1912 four-flfths OF
| the whole area Of the United States had not .
| white settler upon II.
The region whence the Western settlers
came was the Atlantic seaboard. for tho
| foreigners who landed on our shores we're as
| yet very few In number. II Is not to be sup
posed. however. that tho western movement
Of people from the Atlantic States had been
| uniform The returns OF the third census
show that from Rhode Island. New Jersey
Delaware aud Maryland migration had almost
| ceased. From Massachusetts, and Connecticut
on the other hand the exodus had been steady.
and the same thing may be said OF Virginia
| North Carolina. and South Carolina. The flood
| OF emigration had poured chiefly into the
States Of New York. Ohio. Kentucky. and Ten
| nessee. The emiRrants had for the most part
marched forward in three great streams. The
most northern OF these. made up largely Of
people from New England. Pean sylvanin. and
| Maryland. had pushed out into western New
York. and had dotted the whole region from
| T'ttna IN puHulp wi and ytllaOas
| In 100. New York westward Of meridian
| drawn through Seneca Lake WAS one hugo
| county. and the whole State contained but six
| teen counties In 1872 there were forty five
| counties. 452 towns. and more than 300 vii
lagos OF at leas, thirty families EACH Buffalo
| had come into existence. 40 had Lewiston and
Batavia. and also Maysvie at the head
| Of Chautauaua Lake. The town OF Erie had
been founded in Pennsylvania and Cleveland
| In Ohio. The second stream had during tho
last ten years been pouring down the Ohio
| Valley. had peoped all southern Ohio. had
raised Indiana TO u Territory OF the second
| grade had overrun Kentucky and Tennessee
to the Indian boundary. aud reaching the
banks OF the Tennessee River had begun to
push southwark into what ia now Allah anna.
| The third stream OF emigration had gone as
far as the Aitamaha River. where tho Indian
| country stopped it
1t is pointed out that economic conae-
| quences OF r most serious nature resulted
| from this rush Of people into a new country.
| The rapidity OF the movement and the vastness
OF the area covered made it impossible for the
new States and Territories to do many things
| essential to the welfare OF their citizens The
heaviest taxes. for instance. that could have
| been laid would not have sufficed to cut half
the roads. or build half the bridges. or clear
half the streams necessary for easy intercom
munication and the successful prosecution
| OF trade. Even In the we'll populated parts
! OF the country on the seaboard the at
! tempt made after the adoption OF the
| Constitution to increase the facilities for
| land communication had been checked by the
| outbreak OF general European war and the
| consequent diversion of American capital to
| shipping and foreign commerce. 1t is true
| that by 1872 q sum almost equal to the do
! nestle debt at the close Of the Revolution had
been invested by the people in turnpike cor
porntions. Ofthese. there were in New Eng
land upward OF $50. and In New York 1877.
| Pennsylvania had chartered thirty-three and
| Maryland a good many. Nevertheless. the cost
| OF transportation was enormous. To move IL
| barrel Of iour down the SusQuehanna from the
| 0eneses country to Columbia cost % cents:
| to send it thence by land to Philadelphia. q
distance OF seventy-four miles. cost Il dollar.
| Shippers Of merchandise from the Chesapeake
| to Philadelphia paid for TRANSPORTATION across
| the peninsula from Frenchtown to Newcastle
rates that now seem extortionate; for example.
| So hogshead for tobacco. and for freight in
| general So atom What little freight went from
| New York to Lewiston. almost entirely water
route. paid $40 ton with tolls extra. To haul
| ton from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. an all
| land route. cost 1925. SO far as the long car
| ria9e Of many products were concerned. such
tariffs were prohibitory. Flour. grain. and
produce in general were forced to find mar
| ket somewhere within radius OF one hundred
and Atty miles. The consequences were that
| as the States bordering on Canada be-
| came peopled. they turned to Quebec
and Montreal for customers. and by
| 1872 tho trade Of northern New Hanp-
| shire. Vermont and northern New York were
| in the hands Of England. barrel OF flour
could be carried to Montreal from Buffalo for
a dollar and half. and from Ogdensburg for
eishty-eisht cents The whole northern Sec
ton OF our country was commercially asso-
ciated with Canada. and this fact is to be borne
In mind when one tries TO understand the
apathy with which tho war OF 1872 was con-
Quoted on the Canadian frontier. Another fact
to 10 remember Is that. lust before 1872. q
ton OF merchandise had frequently boon
brought from Europe for about nine dollars
whereas the sum would have moved the same
ton only twenty miles on land.
The rtss OF domestic industries Is also MI
nutely depicted In u chapter on the economic
state OF the people. For what the author has
to tell us on this subject, however. as well as
gu the condition OF white workingmen In the
North and slave laborers in the South. and for
some data bearing on the growth and refine
ment Of luxury in the cities. We must refer the
reader to the pages OF Mr.. MacMaster's book.
Out OF scores which We might have selected
we have given three examples OF topics ade-
quately and Interestingly treated In his nara
tive. but which for reasons that we have men.
toned were touched upon by Mr.. Adams only |
cursorily or not at all
Esslaad's New Empire on This Continent. |
1t is a somewhat misleading tito" Tho !
New Empire'-under which Mr.. y. A. Rowland |