Mexico weekly ledger., 1892-12-08
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
An Exhibit of the Work OF the
Executive Departments.
FULL OF INTERESTING STATISTICS.
All the Questions which Have Occupied
Public Attention for the Past
Year Briefly But Pointed
iy Reviewed.

rIvEs-In submitting my annual message to
congress | have great satisfaction In being able
To ray that the general conditions affecting the
cor tnarrial and industrial interests OF the
United States ara In the highest degree taVor-
Rbis. A comparison OF the existing conditions
with those OF the most favored period III the
history Of the country will. l believe, show that
SO high q degree of prosperity and SO general a
din usion OF the comforts of iiIo we're never be-
foro enjoyed by our phople.
THE CouNFRy's WEALTH.
The total wealth of the country in 1850 was
klt. iHa. DID, OBS In 1890 IL amounted to ~Sd2,olO,'
Qp,bn an increase of 2S9 per cent.
RAILWAY MILEAGE.
T,s total mileage of railways in the United
STATES in 1854 was 80, 6a6; in 1870 II WAS lb7, I'll,
an increase of t4s per cent, and 1t is esttmsted
that there will be about 1850 miles of track
added by the close Of the year lSS2
INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS.
The official returns of the eleventh census
aud those OF the tenth ansus Tor seventy. rSe
leading cities furnish the basis for the follow
ing comparisons:
IL 1850 the capital invested in manufacturing
was 81. ~. s6a, h-n,
In IS9N the capital invested in manufacturing
WAS Ss,9Rh, i3S .SSi
In 1851 the number of employees was 1901 SsS.
In 1897 the number of employees was 2,2Sl, 1874.
In 1880 the wages earned were S5nl ,9d6. rs.
III 1897 the wages earned were Sl,22l.l 10, asa.
In 1880 the value of the product was Ss,7ii,-
kig,sa@.
IN 1890 the value of the product was 81, $780,
es6, $50
lem informed by the superintendent OF the
ScnsuS iliSt tLle VI
In lssu which were included IN 1890 q counts in
part for the remarkable increase thus shown.
but after e na m 7 AND ts sssa sl,9wan sbs r ,Sr ala for
all Industries not included In the census Of 1880,
thsfe remain in the reports from those seven,
s syms,oyes i'' Of silsssi i !ss, s4: in in tine the ea yslus
S %as,. the sarR PsGa1 Of sss.. o.s, So. and and lo "a th as
The wage earnings not only show an increased
aggregate but an increased per capita from
$3.50 in 1850 to S4: in 1890, or Il Il per cent.
Tie new industrial plants established since
Octobsr 6, 1890, and up to October -, 1899, as
partially reported In the American Economist.
number $40, and the extension OF existing
si0,ei9,05p. and the number of additional en-
pioy ss to 81 .2sS,
OUR FOREIGN TRADE.
Tie total value of our foreign trade exports
and manufactures during the last fiscal year
WAS 1857 $50, $40, an increase of Sl2S,20S 6O4
over the previous fiscal year. The average au-
nual value of our imports and exports of mer
chaudise for the ten fiscal years prior to 1891
was 81, 457, S2.0l9, 1t will be observed that our
foreign trade for 1892 exceeded this annual av.
erage value by $500, So. 1891, an increase of ga
per cent. The significance and value OF this in
crease are shown by the fact that the excess in
the trade of 1892 over 1891 was wholly in the
value OF exports or si7'siS'et The value s of
reached the highest figure In the
history of tie government, amounting to
81, OH. 27s, lis exec ding by Sl+5, 49,. S3s the ex-
port, of 1891. and exceeding the value of the
Imports by Sa2, 5,6S6. A comparison of the
value of cur exports for 1892 with the annual
aver age for the ton years prior to 1891 shows
an excess of S265. 1851, or of 34.65 per cent.
The value of our imports of merchandise for
Is92. which was SS29. 403 1852 also exceeded the
annual average value of tn. ten years prior to
1891 by Sl55, 2I5. $40 During the fiscal
duty amounted to s457, aae, SIS. the largest
aggregate in the history of our commerce.
-ar,,4 frao of dutv in ISf1 waS ~ * nor PaUf Of
the Total value OF the imports, as compared
with 81. IS per cent. in 1891 and 80, Cd per cent, in
1890.
coAsrwIsR TRADE AND INTERNAL COMMERCE.
In our coastwise trade a most encouraging
development is in progress, there having been
in thu last four years an increase of l6 per cent.
In internal commerce the statistics show that
existed. The freight carried in the coastwise
trade of the great lakes in 1880 aggregated 2s,-
on the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers
and tributaries, in the same year the traffic ag-
gregated 90, 4G4. 1876 tons, and the total vessel
Tonnage passing through the Detroit river dur
ing that year was 2l,02t,WO tons. The vessel
tonnage entered and cleared In the foreign
trade of London during 1890 amounted to 49,
40,7 e7 tons, and of Liverpool l0,94l. 200 tons, a
total for these two great shipping points of "a
AZ, 81 tons, only slightly in excess of the vessel
tonDlge passing through the Detroit river, And
isshnuld be said that the season for the Detroit
London and Liverpool the season was for the
entire year. The vessel tonnage passing
through the st. Mary's canal for the fiscal year
1892 amounted to $685. 74 tons, and the freight
tonnage of the Detroit river is estimated for
that year at 25,0OO,000 tons, against 23,2Oo,6I0
tons in 1891. The aggregate traffic on our rail-
roads for the year 1891 amounted to 40, s95 ,6v9
tons of freight, compared with sol ,34i, 437 tons
IN 1886. IN increase OF 1901, ~ tons.
ANOTHER INDICATION OF PROSPERITY.
Another indication of the general prosperity
of the country is found in the fact that the
number of depositois in savings banks in
creased from $3.50 in 1880 to 4,25s, 1913 in 1890,
an increase of 5l5 per cent, and the amount of
| 506 in 1880. an increase of 92l per cent. An 1891
Was sl;saa o7s, .a9. 1t is animated tSasa d.a that
its represent the savings of wage
earners. The bank of clearances for nine
months ending September 30, 1891, amounted
to S4l ,049, $50, sos. For the same months in 1899
they amounted to s45, les, 6nl ,947, an excess
for tie nine months of Si.l3s,2ll. lS9.
WORK AND WAGES.
There never has been a time in our history
when work was so abundant or when wages
were as high. whether measured by the cur
rency Ia which they are paid or by their power
to supply the neeesssrles ana comforts or me.
ami wheat have been low. 1t is one of the
unfavorabie incidents of agriculture that the
farmer can not produce upon orders, He must
SOW aud reap in ignorance of the aggregate
production of the year. and IL peculiarly sub
iect 20 the depreciation which follows over
production. But while the fact l have stated
Ii Ia to fr ~ 49,
general average of prices has been such as
to give to agriculture a fair participation
in the general prosperity. The value OF our
total farm products has Increased from 81 ,363,-
646. 500, 900 in 1880 to 81, $685. 900 in 1891 as estimate
by stitisticiins. an increase O. go per cent.
TIE number of hogs January |. 1891. was 81, Go,
Jos, and their value S2l0, le3, 90 on January !,
1892. the number was ~. 49,. ol9, and the value
S24I, S5l AIS. On January |, 1891, the numb. n OF
cattle was Sc, S75, 64S, and the value S544. l2T sos
on January ]. 1892. the number was 81. 65l, 239,
and the value 500, 149. l55.
II sny are discontsnted with their state here
If any believe that the wages or prices, the re.
turns for honest toll are inadequate, theJ
should not fail to remember that there is nc
other country in the world whrre the condi-
tons that seem to them hari would not be ac-
ceptei as highly prosperous. The English
agricaiturist would be glad to exchange the re
turns of his labor for those of the American
farmer. and the Manchester workmen thsil
wages for those of their elbows at Fall River
THE PROTECTIVE SYSTEM.
believe hat the protective system. which
now Tor something like thirty years has pre-
Wallet in our legislation, has been a mighty in
struulent for the development Of our natioua
wealth. and a most powerful agency in protect
ing tie homes Of our workingnen from the in
vasion OF want. l have felt a most s~olic.touI
interest to preserve to our working psopl
rates of wages that would not only give dail,
bread, but supply a comfortable margin 70
forts and eatoyments without which lif
is neither hopeful nor sweet. They are Amer
icpn ritizens--s part. of the great people 70
whom our constitution and governments wcr
framed and iustituted-aRa II can not be a per
version of that constitution to SO 1egislate az t,