Progress Of The Middle States

Theré is mach material tliat makes for contentment in tlic article on the progresa of the Middle States which A.!r. Michael G. Mulhall contribütes to "The Nortli American Review." The hard tjmes of the last four years have left a feeling of depression whicb ought to he dispelled by the cóntemplation of the progresa and condition of this región f s éomoared with other sections and countrieü. Grpwth in population does not of itself indícate prosperity, but a steady ncrease of remarkable proportions argües eonditions of life favorable beyoud the posstbility of ruin by business troubles. The growth of the West, where cheap and fertile lands and rich mines tempted the iubabitants of other States, has beeu the marvel of the century. Yi t since 1S50 the increase of population in the Middle States bas almost kept pace with that of the whole Union, and has been almost doublé that of New-England. York, Jersey, Peünsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Colombia contaíhed 14,141.000 ■ in 1890, as against 6,629,000 in 1850, and the population is aow estimated at 16,020,000, and 17,000,000 will probably be the numberin 1900. While agriculture is stil] au oecupation in which we rival nianv States more strictly agricultural, vet it is apparent that this división of the Union is to find its vocation in manufacturing, and, like England and other great manufacturing countries, is to trust largely for its food supply to others. The average consuinption of grain in the United States is 2,400 pounds per person, and of meat 140 pounds. But the Middle States in 1895 produced only 900 pounds of grain and 46 pounds of meat per inhabitant though there still remain 37,000,000 acres, mnch of which is arable, not nnder cultivation. The ratio of production to population bas decreased since 1850, when the average y Leid of grain was 1,430 and of meat 106 pounds. This is due in a measure to the great increase in the number of workers in other lines, for the actual production of grain has increased from 4,270,000 to 6,200,000 pounds, though the change inthecharacter of farm ing in the East is shown by the ïiict that the production of meat decreased from 325,000 to 306.000 pounds. In York the acreage cultivated in 1850 was 12,410,000 and in 1890 16,390,000, showing a decrease of acreage perinhabitant from 4.0 to 2.7. While agriculture has suífered through the competition of richer and cheaper lands, the growth of commercial, manufacturing and mining interests bas more than made up for this deficiency. In 1850 the manufacturad output of the Middle States was $470,000,000, and f 101 ,000,000 was paid in wages, while forty years later the product was worth $3,648,000,000 and the wages amounted to .$937,000.000. The product grew eigbtfold and the wages ninefold. It is common tu look back half a century and say that then was the golden age of the American workingman, before immigration bad deluged the labor market and the plutocrat had made himself master of industries. But these figures show that all such rhetoric has no basis in fact. Not only bas the cost of labor increased out of proportion to the product of labor, but the compensation of the original laborer has grown much faster than the value of his labor. In 1850 eacb operative produced $1,120, while in 1890 his work was worth $2,017, an increase of 80 per cent. But while be, with the aid of machinery, was giving this much more value to his ernployer, his own returns increased 115 per cent. The cry that machinery is robbing workers of bread appears to have no U urdMtioii, i i lu.s thut other i'i-y that II. e iiili ore v"-ing richt) while the p orare grcúiiie p ort-r. ïlio manufactures of Ihe Middle States, according to Mr. Mulhall, are me re valuabie than thoi-e of (iiher Gejmaiiy or France, and fall cnly o per rent !.■- low those of (reat Britain. The average per iuhabitant is $253, whiletheav rage in Great Britain is .f.10 and in F.rnre $75. Ju the forty years under cousideration New York 'm manufactures liave inereased from $240,000,000, to $1,712,000,000, so that -liile in lLf0 (Le ulue per inhabitaut was $77. it v sin 1890 $285. Thus New York will he seen to excel the Europeaii States in tlie industrial capacity of its people. The Middle States also oxee] in the accumui ation of vrealth. "The accumulatiou in the Middle States per nhabitant lias been $10.20 per annum higher than in New England, and exactly doublé the average accumulation yearly in Great Britain in the interval of 1S60-9Ö." Kew York's wealth in 1850 was $1,OSO,000,000, and in 1S00 ifS, 577,000,000. The average wealth per persou grevv from $348 to $1,428, and the animal inciense was $41.60. In great Britain in 1790 there was $1,526 to each nhabitant and in France $1,210, but, whereaa in the Middle States G5 jier cent of 'the wealtli was in real property, in Great Britain the percentage was only 34 and in France 49. The superiority of these two countries is due to the centering in them of vast holdings of personal property. The securities of the world are dealt in there, but in spite of that fact, as Mr. Muihall states, the average citizen has been aecumnlating twice as nmch each year as his British contemporary.- X. Y. Tribune. Thiere Is sO'metihii'ng t.o cornmeiiid in tlie act.i'O'n of Mlaa Berfcins, tb $17,000,000 hejaeaa -af Boston, who was nun-nied last week. Sike did not go to Bunope for a tutte, lut was conYbem,t■e'd to uniDííe her fartumes wíibhi a bi-iigiib Amerdoan boy, Larz Anderson, soa of tlhie late G-en. Kbbolaa Aadterson, of "Washington, D. C, and: a Harvard gradúate. Tine groam was associalted witfe Hom. Robert T. Limcioln, ia tihie ü. S. ombay: at Ixmdon: somie yesars ago, and later, was the fairst Seowtary of LegatLan, at Borne, Italy, uQder Way,n McVeagh. Our national nag was calle-d' Old G-tói-y for the firat time ta. February, 1862, at Naétrvütte, Tenm., by Capt. St6plie7i Diiver, an ald, sea captain, w.'hio h,ad recei'viecl a beautdíul, America n fias wihjUe abronjd;. On. hd return, he taak up his residience In N'nshvUle. Oppoiseü to secession, he was ooimpedlea to secnete the flag. He sewe'd tt up ia a quilt and, 8lept eTOry aig'ht benmbh it, to prevent its beiag Joiund by the Oomfedemtes. When the F-edienal troops eatared, Xasbriile in Fdbrmary, 18(32, he tcxld' iheinv tlie Ktary of Old' Gloi-y, brougtt it out and ftung it Èo tli3 b:-ee.ze fpomi the top of Tüi3 Stata Hoase. This is salid to have baen the orijin of this na mie.