Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

SPRIXG FIELD, 16S6-1SS6. 443
houu's opinion on slavery. The latter was again a candidate for
Congress. He answered by calling attention to the fact that his vote
against the admission of Arkansas upon the ground that slavery was
recognized in its constitution was sufficient to indicate where he
stood. He added: •• I look upon this infernal traffic as but a slight
remove from the foreign slave-trade now so abhorrent to all. It is
the grand means of perpetuating slavery. ... I found no difficulty in
arriving at the conclusion that Congress, within its appropriate sphere,
ought at once to adopt such measures of judicious and efficient legis-
lation as shall bring this great moral, social, and political evil, in all
its forms, as speedil}' as possible to an end." Mr. Garrison did not
receive Dr. Osgood's support in his radical notions of forming a po-
litical party at that time, and Garrison denounced Osgood in his
paper in unmeasured terms.
It was of course to be expected that between the enterprise of the
stage men, the boating men, and the railroad men, that the town
would grow apace. In 1834 the population was 6,784. By 1837
Springfield was the sixth town in population in the State, and the
third in the valuation of its manufactures. Here are some figures :
Population, 9,234 ; public schools, 20 ;
winter scholars, 1,(117 ; aver-
age winter attendance, 1,398; teachers (winter), 14 males and 16
females, (summer), 4 males and id females; academies and private
schools, 4, with 168 scholars; cotton-mills, 7, with $1,400,000 in-
vested ; wool produced, 4,500 pounds ; value of boots manufactured,
$10,000 ; tanneries, 3, with $8,000 capital ; hat factories, 2 ; paper-
mills, 4, with $120,000 capital; furnaces, 3, with $35,000 capital;
cutlery, 1, with $20,000 capital; cabinet and chair factories, 6, with
$16,000 capital ; plough manufactories, 2 : tinware factories, 4 ; steam-
boats built during year, 5, valued at $18,000. There were also manu-
factured $14,000 worth of muskets at the armory. An indication of
over-production was noticed in 1837, when many hands were dis-
charged at Chicopee and Cabotville. By 1840. 2,558 persons were
engaged in Springfield manufacturing.