Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1879 — BUSINESS. [ARTICLE]

BUSINESS.

It may not be uninteresting to the five thousand readers of Tiik Union who are scattered over the United State* in Maine,New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, lowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado,California, Oregon and twenty odd counties of Indiana^—it may not be devoid of interest to ihefce to know What amount of business is being done at Rensselaer, a m«dcst inland town of a thousand inhabitants, since the opening of the Indianapolis, Delphi ifc Chicago railroad. On tire 14th day of February, 1878, the was finished between Jrradford, on the Louisville, New Albany it Chicago railroad, to this town in the wilderness, the distance being sixteen miles; and a record of the business doij&over the road lias been kept since the Ist day ot March, just eleven months. On the 14th day of August the road was extended from Bradford twelve miles southeast, to Monticello on State Line division of the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis railroad; making the entire length of the road open to business since the Ist day of five months, twenty-eight miles. By the courtesy of Gen. S. N. Yeomau, general manager of the road, and with the aa.-iataiicc- of Mil T. 11. lleiner, freight agent at Rensselaer, Tub Union is able to publish the following tabulated statements of the business done at. the Rensselaer olliee since March Ist, 1878. The imports delivered were as follows:

=I % sis? j?'* 3.3 •> g -Hl?**"■ §* E ' ■?'£ ? cT - _, £ * s s * s * •* .- :» ■ rS X “ snoatt 'ft B?,Sk'a‘s£i)gsk JO »t >uno *i ' o -lowta- >-* • j-irs ■ : : : |Co;) jo «jio S'' vaiSuius puw '* : JrsrS-i". »" npiu‘amtan'TJOSJK.J . . | £ j . %»■_». „SS5*. -siejumu j p I ti - ti * <*■ - 1 i- 1 _ k-,.-: ; : [ 'IP’S i<> SJ«.) * : j 'tmo.tt i» mV> ..| _ :": I ' •Y^Tija"f< > sj | .’.) j; -.Sx r -K-iS*.2s;'i soSjuq.)(BJO'l S| I i ii" )■ J. SWO -■ I iThe exports from Rensselaer were: j y~r.z 'j I ” z. • ®$ ’ 5 3IJ? ! ? i. O eg,! .. ■ si s«=f=-.i:r.25-i _ «" | ‘ faun uao.> ,2 S.2£i: %2 52 o I ns' £i: i. ’ : i ninii.) s.in.> 2 V a ln «.> J.xpu iis. —.— _ T— L - w 7 r—~— ■J-. I ... »-;rgr. I 1 «a*o w«.> S' i - 4-i*.r. —— -1 * 1 nvirr.v I *n»o w. - ) 1 : : : ■ IM'I.W M'O w j >8 / , ; „j, ' ;>jv> U.xfum i sjw;> •2 : 1 § S£ 2 n § S M spnnoa w o rr 'y “ . \Z P "Z ’fdSjVHJ IlfDO'l '•cs I ir 745*iXkpWFJ -‘.S _

It will be st)en that the railroad earned for freight alone, delivered at and forwarded from Rensselaer, the aggregate sum ot $5,430.50 in eleven months, or an average per month of nearly SSOO. This, it must be remembered, is exclusive of passenger fares, express rental andr mail contract. Conductor J. B. Millikan says that trkvel was light -dmmtf.thn .month of_January just past, yet the receipts from this source make a footing of $226.30 > calling this an average month, although it is really much less, and consider the mail and express subsidies, together with the trade at Bradford abd Moluieello,:aiHl it is probable that SI,OOO per month would not be a greatly exaggerated estimate of the earnings oLthe rdad. For the first year of a short, incoiiF' pletc road, operating in an isolated and imperfectly developed region of country, in a year unprecedented for commercial stagnation,.financial disasters and monetary stringency, this is certainly a good showing) and the belter when it is reiuem- j bered that three seventh* of;,the line . has really been in operation only pince September or five months. Our grain exports *re something entirely, novel. The shipment of 5fi,660 bushels of grain' was not thought of before. Through this channel 112,000 has been distrib-

uted among the producers in the immediate vicinity, and $50,000 more tor'hogs and cattle that were forwarded by “the little narrow gauge railroad.” The business dona by the American Express company at this town, in the same period, (for a synopsis of which Thk Union is indebted to Mr. A. Purenpilo, local agent,) was as follows: Received Number of Usual" Month. Package*. Value. Chargs Mare.hV 1878 f TfSi 81.l03.(ffl 815.90 April 250 1,20:1.77 HH.6I Mav 2-JO 1,7(51.71 V 77.C) June I IH7I ' 2,«)7.:iN 111.00 July 22'H 271. 1ij 100.10 August #SS; nil.HI I 04.75 Soptemher 211 8.403.7H1 110.25 October «*»- 207 5.850.00 79.60 November Kill 1,475.00 ‘ S 3 80 December 19V)| 5,728.43 113.05 January. 187!) I 1001 2,702.94 73.15 Total ~~| 2,':t02 | 833.857.00 T laniti Forwarded: - I Month, j Number of Valuo. I Local I Packages. I I Charges, iflvrcb, 1868. i 447“ 81,482.84 | 85.87 April JOi! 9,442.40 85 50 Slav l»li 3,416.80 102.70 Julio 1781 1,022.36 78.99 .July i 109. 931.411 41.49 August - 115 916.98 17.84 September I 110 828.12! 59.92 October 127! 2,346.21 1 64.97 November Ull 1,240,83] 83.00 December 130 654.14 127.18 January, 1879| 951 893.441 88.02 Total |_ 1.374 j 23,531.09 | 880.54 Of the miscellaneous freiglits re* ceived a large proportion was consigned to Rensselaer merchants, mechanics and other business people, to be disposed of to patrons. Among the leading articles in this group, other than agricultural implements, hardware, cabinet furniture, dry goods, clothing, tobacco in various forms, shoemakers’ and drugs, etc.) were the following:

' ? z * 0 i >rr 2 o 3 i-- 2 - —5 a— H B§S|J'sS!.|r3.3 Miiflf '" r r 4 22 o rLi a S __ ••••• *L vSS*S»k§^^ jno i* j° «p«»°«i g iisliffiiia] - | SSStJ.SS%a«SS JWttg sjauva ts" w~n »»- ________ i § sSs:f£«»wS£s3« 6J93iavJD gtajjftfi §|-g£S~S-.ja.a>..cS 1!Q TO *|3J-n»IT gi~. : | t»n«mui!H >n«jtt fe I fcS ZA Cl w »- •* I* CO t« A- { 1 *- & *»& I vox s^^UD *c I I S ! Egsg££sft.gSS?Sg3g 1 § ' =£§*£«-> xgg 1 gao’lS V *I°<HI »■>««.•) lo 4- w* bi'lC *• *- *— • ! £ X I _adjß!q A\ t!3JJ»g £ i 'au'aß-B«xan-i JDIlhjT gSajj ? , > 4 o , irjr.ssriS. : ;iL'-- jggFjggg ill mos _ _ .i.'<■>![ The annual drainage of money from J asper comity for breadstuff# is no inconsiderable sum. In eleven months Rensselaer alone has imported 1,500 barrels, worth, say, $9,000; in addition to this contributions are also made by Hebron, Valparaiso, Koutts, Westville, San Pierre, Medaryville, Francesville, Bradford, Wolcott, Remington and Goodland; so that it is probably sate wilhin-bounds to say that, even at present prices, we pay not less than $25,000 a year for bread. Wheat is not successfully grown in the county, though twenty-five years ago, when the soil was fresh and the seasons were more favorable, the wheat crop was relied upon with a hapVy degree of certainty., The last t\\p seasons have been more encouraging than many that preceded them, and this year a larger scope of territory than customary has been seeded to this cereal, and up to the present time it gives fluttering promise. Another drain of money, and a shameful one, too, because it is extravagant, useless and inexcusable, may bo considered by the people who proudly boast that the temperance sentiment is so strong and Tiealfßy and eflhSteßirtlrat na licensed grog shopJias been allowed in the comity for many years. The consumption of lager beer and ale in Rensselaer in eleven months has ' n been 5,000 gallons, as shown by the books of the railroad and express companies, which cost tnVconsum* ers 80 cents a gallon or $4,000. Iu the same time 1,500 gallons of whiskey, brandy, wiue, gin, rum and kindred intoxicants found a market here.: and for this the consumers Trave eagerly paid SG,OO<Jt. When we add to this whit has probably been done in this industry at Remington, Goodland and Francesville to supply the demands of Jasper county customers, we shall not fall materially short of 820,000. This sum is within $5,581.88 of the eir. of public revenueip Tor the fiscal year ending May ' 31, 1878.- It is nearly lour times the salary and foes of our oouuty officers ; it is L. '‘..t- ' ■ -

neaffy five times the sum paid for the relief of poor; it is more than eight times the circnit court expenses; it is five times more than is paid for religions instruction ; it is $i,0l)8 mofe than our educational expenditures; it is as much a? the cost of every ncwsprfpcr, magazine anil literary periodical taken by the whoje population; it is more money spent annually for the gratification of a depraved, unhealthy anil unho. ly appetite than the entire value ol every book in every library, public and private, professional and miscellaneous, in the county ; it is ten per cent, interest on two hundred thousand dollars—on ten times the capital invested in manufacturing industries—spent to make men poorer in purse, feebler in health, worse in morals; it i» nearly four times our proportion of tlm state revenue; it is nearly $3,0Q0 more than our county revenue; it is nearly four times the annual cost of our roads and bridges; it is almost five times the amount of taxes levied for township purposes; it is almost two-fifths as much as the entire amount of public revenue levied in JaSper county; it is a tax of more than 2 per cent, upon (he personal property in the county; it is nearly 1 per cent, upon the value of the real estate; it is more than one-half of 1 per cent, of the valuation of all the lands, improvements and personal property subject to taxation iifthe county ; It is equivalent to a per capita tax of $2 upon every man, woman, Child and human suckling living in the county 5 it is an average tax of $lO upon every voter. The use of so ranch alcoholic liquor is an expense and an evil insidious of growth that should challenge the serious thoughts of economists and social scientists to check and eradicate.

Pkof. Tick, the distinguished meteorologist and weather prophet ot St. Louis, has issued his Annual National Weather Almanac for 1870, in which, besides foretelling the weather for every day in the year and clearly explaining the theory on which his predictions are based, he gives a history, causes and efleets of tornadoes—a chapter on lightnings rods, exposes their generai worthlessness, and explains how they may be made effective, etc. The whole, is of great interest and practical value to every one, and especially indispensible to farmers. For sample copy and terms of sale to the trade and to agents, send 20 cents to Thompson, Tice & Co. Publishers, St. Louis, Mo.

Weekly Indiana State Jour.nal. —This old and reliable republican paper should find its way into every household in the state. The paper is now published in plain, large type. The publishers are giving to each subscriber a supplement containing the full proceedings of the Indiana legislature for the whole session, without extra charge. The price of the paper has been reduced to one dollar per year, where a club of twenty-five is raised, and one dollar and twenty-five cents for single subscriptions. If republicans want to redeem Indiana, they should seek to increase the present large circulation of the Journal. We will furnish the Journal, with our paper, at one dollar per year > both papers, two dollars.

Dr. Frank Dale, who studied medicine with Dr. Washburn when TirLog^nspbiTifi^ Indiana Medical College in 1875, but now of the United States Navy, has been ordered, at his own request, to accompany the expidition to be sent out by James Gordau Bennett to discover the North Pole. Dr. Dale goes as surgeon and naturalist. They arc to sail in the “Junialta” about June Ist. Mr. Bennett is to pay the expeusc of the cruise, snil orders them to “go and find the fen-Ur Pole”. I . Remington Agricultural Association. —At the regular annual meeting of she stockholders of the Remington Agricultural Association January 25th, 1879, the following board of directors was chosen: For J asper county, C. liensicr, O. P. Tabor and A. J. Bellow’s; for Bfeiif Off 1 County, Thom**-. Witoox. William Howard and John- McMurtry; for White county, A-. Hicks; fqr Newton county) C. Hartley. ' ' ’ ... * : v ' ■