ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 6S 
?nce we naturally, as well as from necessity, engage in different pursuits. The more 
versified the labor the better for the country. No people come to much who all 
igage in one or two pursuits. The nation which encourages the greatest diversity 
■'labor, reaches the highest civilization. 
Our state is making progress in developing her resources. We are better pre¬ 
yed for rapid development than almost any other state, except that we have not as 
mch home capital as the older states of the east. Our soil is inexhaustible; we are 
iDundaptly supplied with coal; we are bounded on almost every side by rivers and 
.kes, and our railroad facilities far exceed those of any other state, according to the 
iport of our Railroad and Warehouse Commission, which has just been laid before 
te for 1882. We have of main line and branches in Illinois, 8,541 miles of road, be- 
des double and side tracks, making a total of 10,463 miles. I find in the report a 
ible giving the number of miles of railroad in nine states respectively, each state 
aving over 4,000 miles of road. It is as follows : 
linois. . .".^>54 1 
cw York.6,279 
hio.^....S'&H 
ennsylvania. 5 * 59 ° 
... 
.. 5 * ”3 
idiana.,.... 4 > 7 °S 
.. 4 * 3 H 
[issouri. 4« 211 
i Illinois standing at the head of the list with over two thousand more miles of road 
nan the State of New York, the next highest. By this report I find that the capi- 
il stock of the roads in this state reporting to the Railroad Commission amounts to 
555,689,428, and that the funding debt is $605,812,000. The total gross earnings of 
irty-seven railroad corporations reporting, amounts to $189,352,977. Of this amount 
52,782.000 was for passengers, and $126,767,839 for freight, and about ten millions 
ro o other sources. These roads, of course, most of them, extend beyond the limits 
f Illinois. The gross earnings from the business in this state is $56,396,000, of which 
14,921,000 is for passengers, and $39,985,000 for freight. The total operating ex- 
enses and taxes paid by these roads in Illinois amounts to $37,628,000, and the gross 
rofit is $18,767,000. The total number of persons employed this year by these roads 
3 132,587, who received as wages, $70,775,000 ; 44,174 of these persons are employed in 
llinois, and have received as wages, $24,286,000. These facts show only partially the 
xtent of the railroad system and operations in this state. The vast sums of money 
iivested in the roads and the great armies of men employed in operating them, also 
uggest what a power for good they may be for the people. They are a necessity, 
^hey are chiefly relied upon as a means of transportation for the people and what 
hey produce. They are and should be controlled by the state. They should be used 
S not to abuse the rights of the people. The power of the state over all corporations 
as been settled by the decisions of the highest courts. There has never been, since 
he state attempted to assert its right of control, so perfect obedience to the law by 
he railroad corporations as there is to-day. It is in the interest of the people and the 
ailroads that t ley shall understand one another and help one another. The rail- 
oads should not be permitted to extort from the people unreasonable sums for their 
rork, and the people should be willing to allow them fair compensation. The great 
uestion to the producer and consumer is, how to secure the highest price for the 
u'oduct of the one, and for the other to get it for the smallest price after it leaves the 
land of the producer. It is in the interest of both that the cost of the transportation 
4 the product to market should be as little as possible. The importance of the sub- 
ect of cheap transportation of freights is directing the attention of the people to the 
[uestion of national control of trunk lines of railroads, and also to the improvement 
»f rivers and the construction of canals. We scarcely realize the extent of the busK 
less done in this country. Take the receipts of grain and other products in Chicago, 
or instance, during this year. The figures on this subject were kindly furnished me 
>y Mr. Randolph, secretary Board of Trade, and others. They are as follows, viz : 
,'orn, bushels. 43 * 767*649 
)ats, bushels. 2 40 °S* 34 2 
lye, bushels. 1*646,663 
>arley, bushels. 6,473,386 
'lour, barrels...*.3,796,000 
Vheat, bushels. 20,630,13s 
Nearly the same amount of the several kinds of grain received, was shipped from 
Chicago during the same period. During the year 5,000,000 hogs have been slaugh- 
ered in Chicago. Exclusive of local consumption, there have been packed or shipped 
it Chicago, between five and six million beeves. 
Up to December 2d of this year, there had been received in Chicago 60,759,000 
)ounds of butter, valued at $12,000,000, and 56,000,000 pounds of it had been shipped * 
)ut. Over 50,000,000 pounds of cheese, valued at from five to six million dollars, nas 
