Jasper County Democrat, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1902 — INDIANA TRULY GREAT AS AN AGRICULTURAL AND A MANUFACTURING STATE [ARTICLE]

INDIANA TRULY GREAT AS AN AGRICULTURAL AND A MANUFACTURING STATE

Sltory of Commonwealth and Marvelous Story of Development and Progress. Early-Day Thrift and Lat-ter-Day Enterprise Result in Unbounded Success.

Everything relating to Indiana from a historical point of view is modern, the history of the mound builders and the Indian tribes being subjects for antiquarians. The territory of Indiana was established by act of congress May 7, 1800. The territory was divided Into two separate governments, and that of Michigan was created by act of congress Jan. 11. ISOS. Tt.o territory was again divided Into two separate governments and that of Illinois was created by act of congress Feb- 3. ISOO. The people of Indiana territory applied through their territorial legislature to form a constitution and Join the union Dec. 25. 1815. The act to enable the people of the territory to form a constitution was passed April *9. 1816, and the net of congress admitting the state Into the union was passed and approved Dec. 11. 1816. And the laws of the United States were extended to Indiana by act of Congress March 3. 1817. Such history is modern. There are men still living in Indiana whose lives take in all the years since the establishment of the Indiana territory. A. D., 1802. Steady Growth. There have been no sudden and extraordinary leaps and bounds in the development of Indiana as a territory or as a state, except, perhaps, until within the last two decades. Nobody ever boomed Indiana. It grew in population and wealth as the oak grows, closely, steadily and strong. It was pre-eminent-ly a forest state. • Like St. Peter In performing a great miracle, it could say to thoso seeking homes within Its boundaries: "Sliver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee.” Indiana could say. "There is plenty of land, a fertile soil, boundless forests, rivers and streams, come and build your homes and be prosperous." Population. Those who study the advancement of Indiana, as Governor Porter would have said, "from Its dawn" to Its present position In the great sisterhood of states, win naturally consult statistics relating to growth in population. In the census of 1790 the Indiana territory had no place. It was a wilderness and the home of various Indiana tribes, if there were any white men In the territory they were not counted. The red men roamed at will throughout the vast domain, subsisting by hunting and fishing—monarchs of the forest. The first appearance of Indiana in the census report was in 1800. when its population w.is

-: _ i £ ; _ « w -eg L eg •< iS* “R is s- '§ ;!* g Tear. « ?*• J £ f" £fe £ft ■ * ' <? i.I <1 <1 S 5 s p § I s 5 iss) ' ..... IJ. 635 9.64 S I 4»7<*4 I 42,076 “T 22,6H~1 287~l 74 ISTO 1,565 7.270 13.50 e I §5.821 J 62.614 | 29,63? I 1,004 I 76 lsm 200 4.663 8.019 ft,403 64.030 I 72,103 1,820 275 IS3I I ■ t I 65.193 I 73.811 [ 1,395 | 241

6,641. The growth In population by decades has been as follows: I I hi i!i| . | , Year. - jUfe g | £ §■ S- o I g Fswj .j &r«i] -1 1 298, .^. JSI» 1 24.5-20) 18.8791 3341 630, 332 JS2O 147.178j122.65' SiOl 1.42? 790 jvH C56.886'342.835| 99i 7.165( 3.54*, JSSO i 958.416j902.550 41; 11.36;’ 4.191 K 3 1,35,1.428 362,012 M11.12S 65 ' 470 1.580 637 330.210 24 j £j,560!]3.132 veev ;i 978.301! *97 6641 17; 39.228114,665 ~v, +O4 hl4 lOS I 10 45,215! 6.987

It win bo noticed that tho Increase In population during the nineteenth century was 2,519.52 J. Yhe area of Indiana la square miles end acres has been variously estimated, as, for Instance. 36.350.335.910 and 33.309 square mile*. A document, entitled the -Public Domain," published by authorIty of an act of congress In ISB4. gives the area of Indiana at 23.509 square miles, or 21.C7.7G0 acres. But the United States census report cf ISS9 gives the urea of the state at 35.910 square miles, equal to 22.352. «j 0 acres. To find the true land surface It Is usual to deduct 10 per cent, for flakes, rivers and streams. Applying this rtsle to Indiana would give a- land surface of 32.329 square miles, or 20.C90.560 acres. This land was all Included In the "Public Domain." with the exception of certain grants made liy foreign sovereigns, and admitted by the United States, and was surveyed, sold or donated, under the laws cf tho United States, the price be- . Ir.g 11.25 an acre, at which the great body cf the load was sold, but there were tracts of considerable acreage. Anally disposed of at a less price. In some iatt .i.ces as low as 1274 cents an ac-e. First Setticrs. The pioneers of Indiana were fiot fhcrh N'.'w Ershs.nl. The people cf that section cf the country did not lay the foundations of the state. The great mass of the early cottiers e-.-re emigrants from

And groined the aisles of Christian Rome, They bulldcd better than they knew." They did not come to Indiana to search for gold, stiver and precious stones, but rather, to found homes In a wilderness. Buch was the mission cf the masses and right royally did they perform their task. That there were adventurers tvho also came goes without the saying, and there were also doctors, lawyers, preachers and schoolmasters, as well as politicians. Cut the great majority were agriculturalists, or farmers, men whose ambition was to own a farm and till the soli. An Agricultural State. For three-quarters of a century Indiana, as a territory and as a state, had only one great interest and that was agriculture, farming, the cultivation of the soil. All else was incidental and subordinate, and hence special reference to the pioneers of Indiana is not only admissible in a paper of this character, but is essential to a comprehension of the subject They were heroic men. They penetrated the forests with their wagons, containing their all. They wound their tortuous way through the wilderness to find a desirable place to locate, make a clearing, build a cabin and begin a farm, requiring in a remarkable degree courage. sacrifices, patience, endurance and resolution, challenging the inspirations ot genius, poet and orator to describe. These cabins and clearings were the beginning of the empire state of Indiana, the initials of progress, wealth and civilization, the church and the school, commerce and manufactures. And those who do not find in such beginnings themes for the highest forms of eulogy and poetic expression are not in sympathy with Byron, who sang of Daniel Boone, the pioneer of Kentucky. It has passed into a proverb that he who makes two blades of grass grow where there was but one is a benefactor of his race. Judged by such a standard, what should be said of the men who made farms In the forests of Indiana where previously none existed? It might be well to commemorate the deeds of such heroes by monuments and triumphal arches, since in the best sense of the term they were state builders. Farms. Starting from such beginnings it will be interesting to note the march of agriculture In Indiana. The data is not at hand to furnish statistics prior to 185?. but fifty yearp of growth will suffice for our purpose, the figures for the decade between 1890 and 1900 being estimated upon a conservative basis: i f ~\ - ‘ * Tear - As “ I’d i a-6 I MiIS > Is J_J. r ; S--ISSO ....I 93.876 12.793,422! 5.046.54317.746 *7o' 136 1800 ..J131.826j16.355.292 R.242.15315.146.1P9! 124 1870 .... 1161.2S9‘18,110.648110.184,27018,015,309; 112 ISSO ....1194,013 20.420.983;i3.908.738 6.487,245 105 1890 ....1195,067120,362,516 15.107.482:5.635.034 10C 1900 .... |202,801|29,244,049|16,311.22C|5,585,034j 199 It will be noticed that In fifty years the number of farms in Indiana increased 108,325; the acreage increased 7,564,094 acres: the improved acreage increased 11.464,643 acres, and the unimproved acreage decreased 2.191.536 acres, and the average area of farms decreased 33 acres. The area of the farms -of Indiana Is of interest to those who give agricultural subjects special consideration, and* to such persons the following exhibits will be found interesting:

It will be observed that the trend Is toward a reduction in the number of small farms from three to fifty acres, while the number of farms from fifty to 1.000 acres Is Increasing. This decrease and Increase In the size of the farms of Indiana Is suggestive of the trend of affairs in all departments of business. Bmall farms are absorbed by the larger landowners and their owners become tenant farmers. The report of the twelfth census will doubtless show that the reduction In the number of small farms is still progressing. Farm Valuations. Referring to ceusus reports showing farm valuation the figures indicate the growth of the agricultural wealth of In* dlana. Beginning with 1860 the sum totals are as follcw3: « i IC a E jj * Tear. -g«| e c y 3fciJ 3© gES > > I *136.385.173 * 6.704.444 * 22,478,555 1860 | 356,712,175 10.457,877 41,855.539 l b 7o 634.304,189 17.676.501 (3,776.782 ISSO I 635.236.111 20.476,988 71.068.758 ISSO 754.780.110 21.172.258 93,361.422 tauo I 874.324. UP 21-867.528 115.654.054 The figures show that during the fifty years, from 1850 to 1900. the value of land, fences and buildings Increased *737,938.937; that the value of implements and machinery Increased *15,163,064; that the Increase In tho value of live stock was *93.175.501,and that the total value of the three Items named In tha year 1900 wst approximately 51.011.815,724. Live Stock. Pursuing tl:c subject of the steady growth In the farm wealth of the state, the live stock of the state Is shown as follows,, the number for 1900 being estimated upon the basis of Increase between 1880 and 3890:

t t! l j Tear. d C U C •5 at £. i *• £ « U 6i X. T <4 C. 4 S 3 | =I £ i 1 % E % P SiCjwjM ~k,. . .....fauoj I (Ui99 I 40.221 I 284,554 339,891 2.253,1 T« 1.12!.493 M-. f .i.............. 526,077 ' 25.893 i 117,G57 I 363.563 668.144 1-3 OW.llo JM,J76 _ :s ) i 447,8X2 i 43,250 i 14.05 S f 393,736 618.36? 1.871.230 -.alass l HWI * Vllmm *64.546 IMMI3 1.100.511 IV4 ****** ! <7 - M> * • * 663,130 087.270 3.32qX17 1.081.133 Kentucky. Tennessee and the Carclinas. fn the foregoing exhibit It Is shown They were, cj Abrohsm Lincoln would that since ISSO the number of horses has cay, from thfel ranks c? the "plain peo- Increased £-14,326, ard the number of mules pie." e.rd yet }he the >tiD who . ~ ~ Continued on Pago 3, Column 1. Bound*! Peter’s coma