The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-15
Township

Washington ..Zzoo loeo
wayne .'foZ9 s|Ioo
What is the reason of all this? Let
us seek the answer first as to the agri-
cultural townships. During that per-
iod of fifty years the area of cleared
land has not been much increased,
while it's productivity has been in
degree diminished. But the chief rea-
son is found in labor saving imple-
ments. One man now cultivates and
harvests double, and more, the acre
age he could then. The consequence
is many young men to find employ
ment, came to Richmond, or went else
where. The same thing has taken
place, (perhaps, in less degree) IN
many other counties. In short, the
products and population OF the farm
are hardly increasing at all The re-
port in the last u. S. census shows
the rural population of Indiana in
1890 was 1,390,617, and in 1900 was
STA less. Our increase has been in
the towns and cities. The same sta
tistics show the persons working on
the IdTIU III IooU were oDls fCoJ anu III
1900, 342,733 While those engaged in
manufacturing, transportation and
trade in 1880 were 166,S5s, and in
1900, 345,156 That is to say, the in
dustrial army in the fields while
steadily at work is not increasing,
while the army engaged in manufac-
ture and distribution doubled in num-
bers in twenty years.
Natural Resources Cause.
What has produced this increase?
in a great measure 1t is attributed to
our coal, stone and gas fields. Cheap
fuel is a prime factor in every manu-
factory And railway transportation
is so general in this state that coal
is to be had in every town at low
cost Added to this is the fact that
Indiana is in the center of the nations
population, and the cost Of distribu:
ton of manufactured articles is less
than from many other states. Our
state statistician gives me a compare
tive list Of the values of farm and
manufactured products in Indiana,
showing:
Farm products in 1870. $192,914. 1902;
in 1900, ,45O,196. Manufactured
products in 1870. s10s,617,27s; in 1900,
1878. 120,140.
These figures tell the story. And
our manufactures have increased
TIER output enormously since 1900. So
that we have become great manufac-
turing people.
Indiana's Future.
Holding the foregoing facts in mind.
we can in a measure foretell the in
dustrial future of Indiana. In the first
place. it is apparent that an advance
is about to be made in land produc-
ton. Corn Is our first product. The
demand. is increasing rapidly and the
price is always upward. The area of
corn production is limited to stretch
Of country between Pittsburg and To-
peka and north of the Ohio and south
Of the lakes. Our cornfields are mex
haustible gold mines, the dividends
depending on the output. The science
of agriculture will son be taught in
our common schools. Young men will
learn how to double the corn crop.
School boys in some counties are now
growing 100 bushels to the acre. In
tensive farming, rather than extern
sive, Is coming about
"A little farm well titled,
"A little wife well willed.'
working together can double the pro-
ducts of our lands.
In the second place our mechanical
products will multiply rapidly in the
future. Our inexhaustible coal fields
assure this. Our increase in railways
insures general and cheaper transpor-
tation. So that if coal continues to
be brought from our mines to make
steam power for our factories, our ad-
vance is secure. But a new form Of
power is coming into use, which we
call electricity. And this force may
be accumulated by the dynamos al
most anywhere, and transmitted in
stantly almost anywhere. The power
that moves the street cars in Lafay-
cite, Is made in a power house in FIT.
Wayne In few years the power will
be drawn from the coal, at the mouth
OF the mine and sent on a wire as
needed anywhere in the state. This
will help to put the small manufac-
turer on an equality again with his
great competitors. and give additional
opportunity for individual enterprises,
and cheaper the cost and so increase
the consumption of many articles, and
add new recruits to the industrial
army, and advance rapidly mechanical
industry. And still another mode Of
accommodating and using this wonder
full force is being proven commercial
" successful. Electricity may be ac-
cumulated very cheaply at any water
fall, natural or artificial. This state
was once full of mills along our
streams The country mills eventually
went down because of the expense of
the haul to and from the railway sta
ton. But the water power Is still
there. 1t is easy. by means Of dam
and dynamo, to accumulate this lat
ent power and send 1T over q wire to
do almost any kind of work. These
plants are being built now on White
river and the Tippecanoe, Electro