Ohio History Journal

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 Christ- mas 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 pa- triotic pioneers who ever hewed the forest or builded up a state. (Ap- plause.) 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 we had but 45,000 peo- ple. 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. 25

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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 iron-

clad 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 diffi-

cult task in 1902. A new general law was made for the govern-

ment 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 mem-

bers 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 adminis-

trators. 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  1805, 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

race. To be sure, since 1850, Cleveland has become twenty-two

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times as large as she was then and Cincinnati only three times

as large as she was then. (Applause.) Sometimes I have won-

dered 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.) 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

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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 pro-

visions 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.

Butt 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 declara-

tions of their fathers put forth in this ordinance of 1787. Hap-

pily, this contest is over. Every state in this union, not only

those which existed in the northwest territory, not only the states

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A Century of Statehood.                29   of the north, but also the states of the south, are united in the declaration of the old ordinance of 1787, and now are willing to say that the confederacy of the United States of America shall last forever.

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