The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-02
THE DRIFT cITYwARD.

An article in the Forum for April
calls attention to the fact that while
the four States of Ohio, Indiana, Illi-
nois and Iowa. representing the richest
and best-watered region of the United
States, and surprising. area Tor area.
any other part of the Union in general
productiveness, scarcely held their own
in rural and village population during
the decade which ended with 1890. Of
the 1894 townships in Indiana 1876 gained
population between 1880 and 1890. 4S2
lost and sixteen held their own, and yet
the increase of population in the whole
State was 214,000. or 1913 per cent. In
Illinois 500 townships lost and 579 gained
inhabitants. In Ohio the preponderance
of the townships losing population is
about the same as in Illinois In Iowa
S93 townships gained and 691 lost popu-
lation during the decade. In Indiana
the townships losing population are scat
tered through the northern. southeast
ern and central portions of the State.
To several causes can this loss of
population be attributed. A decrease in
the value of farm lands is not one Of
them in the States named, because, dur
ing the decade, the value of such prop
erty increased $119,000, 900 in this State,
1858 900 in Illinois, $3.50, 900, 600 in Iowa
and $1,940, 000, 900 in the North Central
States. The main cause Of the falling
off of farm population is found in the
introduction Of labor-saving machinery.
Improvements reducing the demand for
human efforts on the farms have ex-
ceeded the inventions in all other de-
partments Of production. There is
scarcely any part of farm work which
has not been facilitated by inventions
the past ten or fifteen years. The pop
ulation thus displaced must go to the
cities.
Even more striking is the loss of pop
ulation in what are called the villages.
While producing millions worth of
goods in 1890 in excess of 1880, there
was decided falling off in the number of
plants. The same fact appears in compar-
ing the statistics of 1870 with 1890. Thou
sands more men and women were en-
ployed in the industries of Indiana in
1890 than in 1880, but the increase has
been in the larger cities. This is be-
cause what is known as the factory
SYSTEM HAS COIilG Will It's ldISe pidHlS,
its costly machinery, its division of Ia
Dor and it's vastly increased capacity to
turn out goods. The carriage manufac-
turer who employed twenty hands in
scores Of villages is no more. The ma
chinery, the organized production and
the cheaper goods of the large city es-
tablishment have driven these worthy
people out of the business. The plant
turning out a thousand carriages year
can thrive on one-tenth of the profit Of
those turning out but hundred year.
The same is true of grist mills and fur
niture making. The extensive plants
have forced the smaller ones with linn
tied machinery to the wall. The larger
places, having superior facilities, have
been benefited, but the beautiful smaller
towns, of which there are hundreds in
Indiana, have lost population and bus
mess by the factory system which COM
petition has built up. No man can
build a carriage now, but a hundred
men, with machinery, each doing part,
can turn out much better and much
cheaper one.