Designed by Henry Holcomb Bennett, Chillicothe.

Executed by no Williams, New York.

A CENTURY OF STATEHOOD.

ADDRESS BY GEORGE K. NASH.

[On the evening of Saturday, December 27, 1902, the members of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce participated in their "Annual Christmas Dinner." It was an elaborate banquet held in the spacious hall of the Chamber of Commerce. Many distinguished speakers were present, among them being Major-General Henry C. Corbin, Major-General Samuel B. M. Young, Major-General Adna R. Chaffee, Hon. John G. Milburn, of Buffalo. One of the speakers of the evening was Governor George K. Nash, whose topic was "A Century of Statehood." The address was so timely in this centennial year, that we publish it in full.-E. O. R.]

The Governor said:

The subject which your committee has set aside for me to speak upon is, "A Century of Statehood." I suppose that they

desired when they gave me this toast, to have me say something about the growth of the splendid state of Ohio during the 100 years of her existence. When Ohio became a state we were but a wilderness. We had almost nothing. We had our forests; we had our undeveloped resources, but we had a strong and splendid set of pioneers

the bravest, the best, the most patriotic pioneers who ever hewed the forest or builded up a state. (Applause.)

When Ohio became a part of this union, we had but three incorporated villages, Marietta, Chillicothe and Cincinnati, each with less than 1,000 people. In the state In the state we had but 45,000 people. From this you see that our population was entirely rural in its character. Fifty years went by, and in 1850 the census showed that we had but nine cities with more than 5,000 people.

The largest was Cincinnati with 115,000, and in them all there were less than 200,000 of population. The following year the convention assembled which framed the new constitution for the state of Ohio. That convention provided and laid down an ironclad rule that all cities should be governed by a general law, and that there should be no special charters. That, perhaps, was not an unreasonable rule at that time, for then there were but the nine cities, the largest 115,000, altogether less than 200,000 people. It would not be a very hard thing to provide one law which should control those nine cities.

Another fifty years went by, and the supreme court of the state had reaffirmed the iron-bound rule of the constitution. The general assembly was called in extra session. Then we found that Ohio had seventy-one cities with more than 5,000 people. The largest was your own splendid city of Cleveland with its 370,000. In them all there were 1,800,000 people to be governed by the new law. What was an easy task in 1851 was a most difficult task in 1902. A new general law was made for the government of our cities. The general assembly, considering all its difficulties, did the best that it could; but, from the din which has surrounded my ears for the last few months, I am quite sure there are quite a few people among the 1,800,000 who are not satisfied. (Laughter.) But I trust, fellow citizens and members of the Chamber of Commerce, that you will remember that the best code can be spoiled by bad administrators, and that the poorest code will seem to be the best with good administrators. I therefore hope that you as good citizens of Cleveland, that all good citizens of the state, will take the new code and do the best they can with it by seeing that honest, intelligent and upright men are elected to your municipal offices in April next. (Applause.)

Going back to 1850, I discover that Cleveland under the census had but 17,100 inhabitants, and I also discover that my own city of Columbus had 17,800. We were ahead of you then, but we have given up the race. We are willing to take off our hats and say 'Cleveland men go ahead, for this place belongs to you.' (Applause.) But Cincinnati still thinks that she is in the To be sure, since 1850, Cleveland has become twenty-two

race.

times as large as she was then and Cincinnati only three times as large as she was then. (Applause.) Sometimes I have wondered at the growth and prosperity of this great city of Cleveland. It has been a mystery to me, but tonight the mystery is solved. When I have looked upon this splendid assemblage of represen tatives of Cleveland citizenship I do not wonder that you have grown and prospered. I almost believe if the great lake was taken away from your doors that Cleveland would still continue to grow and prosper.

In these 100 years not only has our population increased, but we have also increased in manufacturing, in mining, and in all the paths of industry. There were no mines developed in Ohio when she became a state. Now, last year 25,000 men were employed in coal mining; they produced more than 20,000,000 tons of coal of the value, upon the cars at the mines ready for shipment, of more than $23,000,000. Our railroads not only have been commenced, but they have grown until all parts of the state are crossed by them and last year we had 8,700 miles of railroad. Their employes numbered more than 67,000. The wages paid to these employes amounted to more than $42,000,000. The gross. income of these railroads was $101,000,000 and their net earnings about $13,000,000.

Then in agriculture we have grown and prospered as well as in the other industries. The value of all the farm products produced in Ohio during the year 1900 was more than $200,000,000. I want to call attention to our manufacturing industries. In our manufacturing establishments last year we employed an army of 345,000 men. Their wages amounted to $123,000,000, and the things which they made were of the value of more than $800,000,000. (Applause.) (Applause.) This shows how our state has grown and prospered.

But it is not of our material wealth of which we should be most proud. Ohio has been engaged in better business. During all these 100 years she has been engaged in the work of raising splendid men and women, who have added fame and luster to her name, have done splendid service for our state as well as for our whole nation. (Applause.) This has been the result, because one of the characteristics of the state, from the very

beginning has been the pride which our people have taken in their public schools. During the last thirty-five years the people of Ohio have spent upon her public schools the sum of $360,000,000 (applause), and during her whole history the sum thus expended has been more than half a billion dollars.

Then, again, the people of Ohio have been and are a patriotic people. Our foundation stone was the great ordinance of 1787. It has been said that a better law for the government of mankind has never been conceived by the mind of man. One of the provisions of that great ordinance was, that human slavery should never exist in the states created out of that territory. Another of its provisions declared that education and religion are necessary for the happiness of mankind. Therefore, our people have made provision for that.

But of all the good provisions of that great law, I think the one was the best which declared the said territory, and the states which may be formed therein, shall forever remain a part of this confederacy of the United States of America. (Applause.) Calhoun and his followers, those who afterwards took part as members of the southern confederacy, contended that this nation was a mere confederation of states, which could be broken at the will of any state. The people of the north contended that this was not the case. About this controversy we waged cruel war for four long years. It seems to me that this extract from the ordinance of 1787 destroyed forever the argument then put forth. If the old constitution was an unstable compact from which any state could be withdrawn, the passage of this ordinance of 1787 by the congress of the United States, with all the votes of the members of that congress, north and south, except one destroyed that doctrine, and declared that this union should last forever, because they provided that the states erected in the northwest territory should be forever a part of the confederacy of the United States. (Applause.)

When Ohio sent forth her soldiers from 1861 to 1865 to fight for, the union of states she was simply upholding the declarations of their fathers put forth in this ordinance of 1787. Happily, this contest is over. Every state in this union, not only hose which existed in the northwest territory, not only the states