Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-03-15
PLAQUEMINE:
SATURDAY, MARCH Is 1881.
The American Census Abroad.


The London Artheneum makes some com.
ments upon the extraordinary growth Of this
country, which though true, would have pos.
sessed much less interest had they appeared in
any American journal:
"Men in the habit of reading daily newspa-
pers may sometimes observe in small type and
carefully packed away in spare corners Of the
names and the other half figures. Often
enough these paragraphs are the result Of
much labor and skilful arrangement-but too
frequently the reader hurres past them to the
more exciting police reports of foreign cores
pondence. Yet some Of them are well worth
pondering. In one, for example, we have just
read few returns Of the new American GEN.
sns-of such unusual significance, that we
doubt whether far-seeing men will not regard
them as more interesting than the finest revo-
luton abroad, or the foulest murder at home.
"The American census il not yet complete;
but the returns already received point to con-
clusons far beyond hope or expectation. Look
at New York, for instance. In 1890, it had
population Of 10000; in 1880, 100000; in
1870, $4,000 This rate of increase WAS un-
paral.eled in the history of statistics. But the
population is now said to have risen TO an A..
tonshing number Of 100000! There are but
two larger cities in Europe; in ten years more,
at the same rate of progress, it will be larger
than Paris. In thirty years from this date New
York, will on the same terms be larger thsn
London.
"And it must be considered that the com.
me rcial capital of America il not fed, like our
Manchester and Liverpool, at the expense of
the country: its advance is The type Of that Of
ii, entire continent. In 1910 the population Of
St.Louis was 1900; in 1880. $500; in 1910,
l6,4OO; in 1850 it numbered 10000! So far
~ the general nature of the returns can be in-
fefred from the date at hand, the population OF
the Union will be about 25O00,OOO. From the
year 1908, when the number was a little more
than 100000, to l84O when it had advanced
to 100000, the decennial rate Of increase
was about 3S per cent. This rate would have
given for 1850 population of 22,O0O,OO0
only.
"Material power has been developed equally
with population. Great Britain alone except
ed, no state in Europe could now maintain
equal ornaments in the field for any length of
time. This maryelous growth is deranginggall
the old traditions of balance Of power"
America is not only frst-class state III a.
few years, If no internal disorder shall occur,
BIC VIII US tuG ktC1lCoG "a 0iis ASAVUA~ saAS
1e4Q-6O rate of increase be maintained for fifty
years, the population will then amount to
100 600 ooO-neary equal to that of the whole
of continental Europe! Were it possible to
conceive the same ratio maintained for another
fifty years, the census of 1850 would give the
astounding number of l,696,000. German
wars and French revolutions sink into com.
plete insignifcance by the side Of considera-
tions like these.
"With such comment, how well We may
understand the sroars of laughter with which
the American Senate recently received the me-
naces of Austria! When the United States
shook off the yoke of England, their people
numbered no more t..an 100000; when they
were last measured against European power,
my were not more than 100000. Ten
years hence they will be equal to France or
Austria. There hardly seems to be limit to
their growth. The valley of the Mississippi
would alone support the whole population OF
Europe. In its vast basin, nations are now
growing up as if at the bidding Of en-
chantment.
"The valley already contains about thirteen
millions of inhabitants-at the beginning OF
this century it did not contain as many thou
sands! There is a moral as well as mate
rial-marching on from conquest to conquest,
absorbing into itself less energetic stocks, and
planting from ocean to ocean the finest insti.
buttons ever adopted by nations. America /:
destined for it's sole inheritance: the Spaniasd
and the Portuguese will disappear ss surely -
the Gaul, the Dane and the Hollander have dis
appeared-and two centuries hence the En-.
giish tongue will, no doubt, be spoken from
the Cape Of Storms to the Frozen Oceans OF
tho North"
NJ The census returns for Indiana show the
total number of newspapers published in the