THE

MERCHANTS' MAGAZINE

AND

COMMERCIAL REVIEW.

APRIL, 1863.

THE PAST AND FUTURE OF THE WEST.

THE EFFECT OF THIS WAR ON THE MISSISSIPPI-THE WEST AS THE CENTER OF MANUFACTURES.

THE Census returns for 1860, compared with those of 1850 and 1840, furnish most interesting evidence respecting the actual and relative growth of the different sections of our country. In contemplating, however, this progress for the last ten years, the observer is especially struck with the fact that the West, wonderfully gifted by nature, has been receiving contributions to her wealth from all sections of the Union, and even from the whole world, until now she is returning the gift a thousand-fold. A flood of emigrants from the Eastern States, and from Europe, accompanied by a stream of capital for the construction of railroads and other internal improvements, have been poured on to its rich lands, making almost all portions accessible, and furnishing cheap transportion to market. Thus the vast material wealth of the whole region, mining and agricultural, has been, as it were, tapped by a hundred avenues, and flowed eastward in multiplying streams to feed the nation's commerce and add to the nation's wealth. The present seems to have confirmed what the sagacious had before discovered that the West contained within its teeming bosom all the elements of future opulence and power, far in excess of that of any other known country. Food, climate, minerals, metals, water carriage—all are within reach, and we may therefore confidently expect that another census will tell the story of one more progressive step taken, and the West will have become not only the granary of the world, but the seat of manufactures for this continent at least.

Let us look a moment at the past. The growth of California has always been considered by many as unprecedented, and yet with all her

VOL. XLVIII.-NO. IV.

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gold and silver her attractions have not proved more seductive to enterprising settlers than the wealth of the West. Thus, in 1850, the fame of the latter State had attracted to it 92,597 persons, and Wisconsin then numbered 305,000. In 1860 California had gained 292,173, and Wisconsin 463,485. By the following table will be seen at a glance the relative increase in the free population of the different sections of the United States since 1790:*

Immigration in 10 years.

150,000

5,407,170

1,454,127

128,502

6,616,761

2,738,317

538,381

8,476,709

4,854,517

1,427,337

10,580,840

8,567,249

2,444,624

These figures show the curious fact that the population of the West has nearly doubled every ten years, and in the last ten years the white population of the South increased more than that of the North; doubtless owing to the fact that the West derived a large portion of its 3,700,000 of increase from the Northern and Eastern States. The census of 1860 has not given the nativities of the population. That of 1850 gave the Western population as follows:

Persons in the Western States born there....

There were also 57,296 born West living at the South, and 19,696 born West living at the East. Of the population of the Northeastern States at the same time, 1,292,241 persons were born abroad, and 1,090,814 natives of the Eastern States migrated to the West, and 337,765 to the South; making 1,428,579 emigrants South and West, whose places in the East were supplied by 1,292,241 of the "pauper labor" of Europe. In the ten years which have elapsed since that census the West has gained 3,700,000 persons. The immigration into the Union during the same period was 2,444,624, which, with its natural increase deducted from the whole number, leaves 24,928,271 as the population of the United States by natural inorease alone from 1850, being at the rate of 25 The Northern popula per cent in ten years, or 2 per cent per annum. tion in the same time increased 25 per cent, the Southern 38 per cent,

* The Southern section includes fourteen States, Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida. The North embraces the New England States, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. The West, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Utah, Nebraska, California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Minnesota, Colorado, Dakota, Nevada.

and the Western 77 per cent. Thus, the Northern population held its own, while that of the South increased 13 per cent by immigration, and the West 52 per cent by immigration. In other words, the West gained in the last ten years, besides her natural increase, 2,500,000 persons, who moved upon her soil with their wealth. If the wealth thus obtained were estimated at $1,000 per family of five, the amount would be $500,000,000 of capital which has been carried thither by individuals to employ in developing the immense natural resources of that portion of our country. In the same period there have been built at the West 3,656 miles of railroad, at a cost of $254,720,364, mostly by Eastern or imported capital. The Illinois Central Railroad alone sent into Illinois $30,000,000, and employed for some years 10,000 hands in building a road which enabled the Federal Government to sell $11,000,000 worth of land, and the company to sell $20,000,000 more to actual settlers, making over $61,000,000 concentrated in that State by the operations of one company. Other undertakings produced like results, but the chief effect has been, by combining the newly acquired labor with the prolific soil, to produce the wonderful supply of wealth which the following figures indicate. If we compare two States, Illinois and Wisconsin, the results are as follows:

This grain at an average price of 66 cents per bushel, the average value for 1860 at Chicago, would be worth $126,000,000, thus exceeding by $31,000,000 the cost of the railroads, through the agency of which the grain was made available. The entire value of the imports into Chicago for 1860 was $97,067,616. In 1861 the quantity of grain increased to 47,696,409 bushels, the Southern route being closed, and in 1862 the amount was 60,150,390 bushels. These figures but indicate the extent of that prosperity which has developed so rapidly during the last ten years in the northern sections of the West. So, too, the lines of railroad that tend South have poured streams of produce into the bosoms of the river cities, such as St. Louis and Cincinnati, and made them what they now

are.

But the great natural outlets of the West are its magnificent rivers, which spread their broad arms East and West traversing hundreds of miles, and carrying their accumulated burdens to the Mississippi to find an outlet in the Gulf of Mexico. These are the great arteries of trade which confer wealth upon the Western producer, by cheapening the cost of transportation, and thus enabling his products to compete with others in the markets of the world. Ever since the purchase of Louisiana, and

the opening of the Mississippi River to Western produce, a constantly widening sphere has been given to the industrial enterprise which has sought the Western States. After the creation of the Western territories from the lands ceded to the Federal Government by the State of Virginia the population west of the mountains did not increase rapidly. In 1800 the number had reached but 49,470 persons. The only outlet for produce at that time was to follow the downward course of the streams to New Orleans. But both banks of the Mississippi as high as the Yazoo River being held by Spain, Americans were prohibited the use of this outlet. In 1795, however, Spain, by treaty, granted the free navigation of the Mississippi, with right of deposit at New Orleans for three years, reserving to herself the right at the end of the three years to continue this privilege, or name some other place of deposit on the banks of the river. In 1800, by the treaty of St. Ildefonso, Spain retroceded to France her old colony of Louisiana. That colony had been settled by France, and remained in her possession until 1762, when it was transferred to Spain, but in 1800, as stated above, was restored to France. Spain, however, continued in possession, and in October, 1802, withdrew from the United States the right of deposit at New Orleans without assigning any other depot. The mode of travel then among the settlers, who were all located on the banks of the great streams, was to construct immense flat boats designed only to go down stream, there to be broken up and sold for lumber. These boats freighted with produce required a place of deposit, without which the voyage was of no avail. When, therefore, the lower Mississippi was closed, thus destroying the whole trade of the West, an intense excitement followed. Expeditions were formed to open the river by force, and war was imminent. In this state of affairs the purchase of the country became imperative, and in January, 1803, Congress voted $2,000,000 to set on foot a negotiation; at that moment, General VICTOR, by order of the 1st Consul, with a large French force was about to sail from Holland to take possession. But he was blockaded by the British, and BONAPARTE seeing the impossibility of the expedition, received favorably Messrs. MUNROE and LIVINGSTON on their arrival, and April 30th sold them the province of Louisiana for $15,000,000. The difficulties that grew out of the cession, in relation to boundaries with Spain, were protracted many years, and it was not until 1812 that the people of the territory were admitted into the Union in accordance with the terms of the treaty of cession. This transaction gave rise to the greatest excitement, as all are aware-Massachusetts even threatening to secede if the annexation was carried out, and Mr. JEFFERSON being decidedly of the opinion that the State could not be admitted without an amendment to the Constitution. The vote on the admission however was 79 to 23, the opposition being entirely on constitutional grounds.

Soon after Louisiana was thus obtained, the. great want of the West made its appearance in the shape of steam. The flat boats were indeed improved upon by keel boats, for the purpose of ascending the streams. The boatman was compelled to stand on the gunwale, at the extreme bow, and thrusting a long pole into the mud, placed his shoulder against the top, walked aft, thus impelling the boat forward. It required four months. to travel, in this manner, 1,500 miles from New Orleans to St. Louis. In 1811 FULTON built a steamboat at Pittsburg. The era of improvement was thus opened. In 1815, St. Louis was reached from New Orleans in wenty-five days, and the subsequent progress was as follows: