The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-02

responds to the growth of the free and unhampered development of our rail- ways. The growth of our railways de- pended upon the volume of money ob- tainable for such enterprises"
 Up to 1848 we had gotten money from abroad to finance our railways. Then gold was found in California. Up to and including 1S47 we had mnied and coined in the United States trine over S24,5O0,000 in gold and silver. The growth of railways was phenomenal during the last three years of the decade from 1S40 to 1850, and during the same years our output of gold alone was s100, 000;000, or more than four times the amount we had dug from the discovery of America to that time.
 Notice the growth of railroads from 1850 to 1860, and recall the fact that during that period we had produced in gold alone more than $550 0O00 000
 Then, too. capitalists were not ham pered so badly in the late years, the tedious method of securing charters by an act of the legislature direct from each charter had been a serious draw back, and general laws applicable to all railroad companies were being enacted by the legislatures at the urgent de- mand of the people-this aided the devel- opment of our country, also
 It Is of easy demonstration that the towns and cities along the lines of railroad where no competing railroad could be built have not increased in population or business as have those where the municipalities were not un- der the domination of monopolistic rail- ways
 The railroad mileage for each decade will show the history of that decade in development of our country and will show the production of our gold mines at the same time.
 In 1890 there was only 23 miles of railroad in the United States. In 1S4O the railroad mileage was 2S1S; in 1850 the mileage had increased to 9021; in 1860 the railway mileage was 90,626, and this corresponds to the mine develop ment: in 1870 the aggregate mileage was 52,922; in 1880 the mileage had in creased to 93,296; in 1890 the mileage was 166,691 in 1900 our railways had increased to total mileage of 191.511; In 1910 our railways had 239,991 miles of main line track, and 9S79 miles of second and siding track.
 Since 1850 farm growth has kept pace with the development of our railroads, and our mines of the precious metals. Never before in the history of the world has such material development taken place. Taking 100 acres as the size of our model farms, there has been an in- crease of 250 farms per day every day In the year since 1850 up to the taking of our last census
 Today, and for years, our railways have transported two and one-half times as much freight. per year, as Is carried by all other railways, in all other countries on earth. Last year the railroads carried about 1000, ,000, 900 pas sengers and more than 1.SSo.O00, 900 tons of freight.
 The census of 1910 shows that there was more than 6,25O,O00 of farms, and the acreage was over SIS, ,000,0 900 acres.
 The total product of the farms was more than ss.5000 0O0, 900, or more than three times the total value of all the annual revenues of France, Japan, the German empire, and the United King dom of Great Britain. And not only so, but our farm area is moro than Il times the entire area of England Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
 At the beginning of the nineteenth century there was only six cities In the United States with 5000 inhabitants and upwards. l have cited these important facts, so as to give a clear idea of the remarkable development of this country and to also show how our develop ment has went hand in hand with the development of our railways.