The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1893-03-17
MUNICIPAL PROGRESS.
Will New York or Chicago Be
the Greater in 1903?
SOME PERTINENT PREDICTIONS.

John McGovcrn and Andrew II. Gree
Write of Great Cities-Rev. Thoma
Dixon, Jr., and Moncure ID. Conway Dis
cuss Theology and Other Interesting
Ouestions--A Woman's View.
copyright, 1893, by American Press Associa
ton.
What will be the size and status of Chi
cago in century? Well, let us suppose We
have no war, pestilence or earthquake, and
that the Mississippi valley has counted 10(
more harvests, has garnered fifty billion
bushels of wheat, one hundred and fifty
billion bushels of corn, and SO on, and this
quantity of fuel has been turned into hui
man energy, and men have all worked like
slaves, as they now work, with almost
magical power of product by use of ma
chinery, and Chicago is in the center of it,
the largest city of the valley-is it not a
stupendous Thought?
1t will depopulate London, and as men
| have always migrated when necessary,
either by war or friendly reception, such a
history might find Chicago with 10000, 600
people, extending from Wisconsin to Indi-
ana. Six hundred thousand people came
here to stay between Jan. 1, 1889, and Jan.
l, 1892. If you knew every one three years
ago, there are today six that you do not
recognize to eight that you do. With
blocks of 16-story buildings rising in every
direction, with $4,000 persons riding in the
elevators of one structure in one day, what
shall the prophet do but spread the pinions
of his imagination and soar to empyreal
heights2
This think know of Chicago-that it
is the cheapest place to live if one will
work. But perhaps the reason for the in
expensiveness of life here is the low state Of
municipal cleanliness Purity is never
bargain. Filthy streets, black buildings,
unswept cutters and walks, careless raj
ment-these matters unquestionably make
life easier, just as soiled child in an alley
has much happier life than little Lord
Fauntleroy-andl lives longer With level
site and Lake Michigan to drink from,
with all railroad trains and all lake craft
due here at any time within week always,
should think Chicago would support
3, 100000 souls at least within 100 years.
Yet if the wage system shall remain to be
The only one that human nature will toll
crate, it appears probable that the town will
be Birmingham and not a Florence The
black pail of smoke that lowers upon Chi |
ago annually after the sun crosses Madison
street going south must increase, for each |
lew tall building of which we hear empties
is additional tons upon tons into the Skies
We ought to like the age of progress, and
We do. Nearly everybody in America has
at in velvet chair if only in railroad
ar. There are getting to be SO many fine
Kings the kings cannot use them ALL A
Jhicagoan of modest means was awakened
he other night at II o'clock by telegraph
10Y, who delivered an electric message for
he hired girl from another hired girl con-
erning an engagement to meet the next
thursday out. He was forced to awaken
he girl and convey the tidings orally, as
he could not herself read the plainest
rint. This episode bespeaks the democ-
acy of tho times far louder than a con-
rcssman's grafton.
JOHN MGOvERN.