The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-08-09
Thirty Years of Expansion.

On the Fourth of July, 1870, the PEG
pie Of the United States congratulate
themselves that they were, all things
considered, IN a fortunate condition
The civil war, then five years closed
had left sore wounds, but they were
already beginning to heal. In the Elk
ecutive office the commander of the
Union armies was convincing all sec
tions that he was sincere IN the desire
for peace with which he had entered
on his service. The business of the
country. was active. The revenues
were ample to provide for the gradual
extinction of the war debt. The new
energies of the people returning to the
ordinary channels after the stress of
conflict were extending in all direc-
tiohs. The then unprecedented task
of connecting the opposite sides of the
Continent by rail was fairly on the
way to accom- 1ishment. immigration
was large and migration within the
territory of the Union was active.
The whole world recognized the vast
actual and reserved strength of the
Republic, and the most powerful ma
ton of the time was preparing to set
tie by arbitration the Alabama claims
that at first had been CONTEMPORARY
dismissed. The Americans of that
day had every reason to be satisfied as
to the present and hopeful as to the
future.
But if any orator of the celebration
thirty years ago had ventured to pre-
dict what has since become fact he
would have been regarded as dreamer
who had cut his mornings in the real
world and was drifting at the mercy of
an excited magination. Putting aside
for the moment the sudden extension
of the domain of the United States fol-
lowing on the surprising result of the
war with Spain, glance at the changes
that have taken place within what was
then the territory of the Union. Eight
states have been admitted which were
then scarcely more than unexp1ored
regions and access to which was con-
fined to the most primitive means. The
population of the country has doubled,
from SO, 100000 to 76000,000. In 1870
the railroad mileage increased 5000
mi1es-a wholly unprecedented growth
reaching a total of $4,000 miles, and
at that figure really outstripping the
actual needs of the country so far that
general credit was severely strained.
Today the railroad mileage has in
creased nearly fourfo1d, to $4,000
miles, and the roads as a whole never
were in sounder condition. In the two
sections of the country then almost ur
developed the southwest and the
northwest, there has been an increase
of railroads from less than 10000 miles
to over 66, 900 miles, or more than the
mileage of the entire country in 1870,
while on the Pacific slope $4,000 miles
have been built, or one-fourth of the
lOldI III lou hOW 4d1 tAC PlOuuClAOA
of the land has promoted and been pro-
NOTED by this growth in railway trans
portation is to De seen in the compare
tive crops Of the three principal
cereals. These have advanced as fol-
lows: Wheat, from 2S7 100000 to 675,-
600, coo; corn, from 761, co., 600 to l, 924,
900, 900, and oats, from 173,000,000 to
$50, 100000 The total advance in these
three staple crops is from 1,221, 100000
bushels to 1929, 100000 bushels.
These are a few OF the more salient
and significant comparisons of the ele-
ments of prosperity at the beginning
and close of the past thirty years. If
we turn to the records of foreign trade
we find the evidence of progress
equally convincing and in some ways
even more impressive. In 1870 the
total foreign trade of the United
States, imports and exports combined,
was only $500, 0O0,000 The balance
was Oh the side of imports, which ex-
Ceeded exports Dy some @+o,OoO,oOo'
This year, taking the returns for
eleven months and estimating the re-
naming month, the total trade will be
S2,079, 900, 900, and the exports will ex-
coed the imports by over $500,o00,000.
Taking the imports and exports in
groups of FIVE years from 1890 to 1899,
we find that there has been a very
nearly steady advance, though this
in the later years. The following table
shows these chages:
Five Years Imports, Exports, Totals,
Ending Millions. Millions. Millions
1874 S2,792 $2,3SS 5,1S(
1879 .... 23eS 3,06f $685.
1884 ..... 1926 4057 7,41S
1889 ..,...... 3,474 1915 7,2st