The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-10-24
IN THE YEAR A. .. 1900

slaves. There were slaves in sixteen !
of the twenty states of the Union.
The expenses of the United States !,
Igovernnient for the fiscal year end |
ing June 80, 1900, were $s11 ,9S9,739 !
the cost of one nova days battleship !
or a big postoffice The national
debt was $S2,976,291; exports $751; |
252,7S6: imports, $7O,970,7S0 Our ex.
ports during the year ending June
80, 1919 amounted to ten billion dol
lars, or more than 100 times as great
Rs in 1900.
81 When Washington was president
i all the chief towns were on the sea
coast or tide water rivers. For fifty
years following the beginning of the
revolution, the site Of Chicago was a
flat, unbroken prairie without a white
inhabitant. When the revolution had
closed Cincinnati was a log fort with
a few huts; Detroit was little
French settlement surrounded with al
high stockade: Charleston was one OF
the important ports OF the country
and Savannah was it's chief South
Atlantic rival; New Orleans was a /
place of note and St Louis a small
trading post and both belonged tc F,
Spain.
FLORIDA in 1900 was Spanish terri |
tory and St. Augustine aud Pensacola !
We're the chief towns The old gate !
way posts as part of the wall around /
the Ancient city, are now pointed out
as objects of interest," to visitors I
Jacksonville was yet TO be.
In 1900 the weekly mail between
Boston and New York was carried in !
a pair Of saddlebags, and when the
quantity increased so that two pain .
were needed the carriers complained /
SO bitterly that one newspaper took
their part. and said that many OF the
letters were @idle composition and I
not worth sending" There were 10
regular mails between other points, i
and a carrier vas never Sent out un- I
til he had enough matter to pay the |
expenses of the trip. The letter and
the envelope were a single sheet OF
paper, so folded as to bring a blank
page on the outside. Postage wes
paid in money and the amount was !
! indorsed on the outside Of the letter /
by the postmaster. The postage on {
a single letter to or from any place. +
by land, not exceeding thirty miles, /
6 cents; 80 to 60 miles, 9 cents: go
to 100 miles, 10 cents; 100 to 800
miles, II cents: 200 to $50 miles, II
cents; $50 to $50 miles, 20 cents;
$50 to $50 miles. % cents; newspa- +
pers, l cent leo miles or less 11.2i
cents for greater distances. Ere
quent complaints were made that let
ters were opened in transit by the
carriers and other persons eager to
learn what newa was being transmit
ted.
The death of Washington was not
known for weeks and months to the
people living in the remote parts Of
the different states It took five days
for the news TO reach congress, then
in session in Philadelphia, 14o miles
from Mt. Vernon. He died in De.
cember, 1899.
1t is hard to make it seem true
that Washington, Jefferson, Franklin
and other fathers of the republic nev.
er saw railroad#or telegraph line,
or sewing machines or photograph. Or
typewriter. or rubber band. or shoe.
or piano, or a stem winding watch.
or an encyclopaedia. or a dictionary, ,
or chrome, or a steel engraving. OF
a friction match or. heating stove
Or furnace, or a gas or electric light
or fire engine, or a power printing
press, or thousand other things
common to everyone today.
In 1900 at least so per cent Of the
States was agricultural; but when We
say agricultural, it must be under /
stood that each farmer knew how 10
do little at almost any trade. and
do it tolerably well. When a house
was to be built the neighbors assem-
bled, and with a few simple tools
soon put together very substantial
frame and indicted the owner. No
charge was made for any such as
sistance, for everyone expected that
his own turn would come for reQur-
ing aid. Much farm work was done
by cooperative labor. both indoors
and out. This cooperation went I'M
der-the name of bees There wers