Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1857-05-23

The westward Movement Of Population and Empire.
We all know something of the westward march
Of empire. We know that in the lifetime of the
present adult generation the vast wilderness OF
the West, using the term in its most enlarged
sense, has been reclaimed from the savageness Of
nature and peopled by q larger number of millions
than the country contained at the beginning Of the
period indicated. 1t is also equally we'll known
that the region of country called the north west
has advanced in wealth and population in much
more rapid ratio than any other section of the
Union, and that indeed in these respects, it is
without parallel in the history of the world.
Its population in 1910 was 272,33l-230,167 Of
which was embraced in Ohio. Wisconsin, Iowa
and Minnesota were then complete blank as to
population. and Illinois had but IL, 282. But the
forty-six years that have interviewed between 1910
and 1856 have teemed with the most momentous
results for the Northwest. At the former period
its people but little exceeded quarter OF mill
lion in the latter, as shown by estimates based
on the returns of the Presidential election, they
have increased to I, 1926, 366-that is something
more than seven round millions during the period
named. Nothing can retard this grand movement
of humanity and civilization. In few decades
the present seven or eight millions of the North
west will have swelled to fifteen, twenty, thirty,
and so on-perhaps to hundred millions in the
next fifty years. s..5r.. .H
In short, nobody pretends to doubt that the
position of the Northwest in the Union is here
after to be Of the most commanding character.
1t contains all the elements of greatness, and they
are being developed with almost miraculous
energy and success. But We suppose there are
not many persons in the country who have so far
entered into definite speculations upon the subject
as to be able to point out the exact rate and
course of our progress toward empire. writer
in Hunts Merchants Magazine has, however, at
tempted the task. His paper is entitled "The
Westward movement of the Centre of population
and of Industrial Power in North America," in
GLIDING Canada and emitting Mexico in his range
of observation. He assumes that the centre of
population, white and black, is now little west
of Pittsburg. The movement Of this centre IL
north of west in the direction of Chicago. The
centre of productive power is considerably east
and north of that of population, but both are
on their grand march north-westward, and will
reach lake Michigan. 1t as certain as anything
in the future can be, that the central power of
the Continent will move to and become perma-
nent On the great Lakes, and Cleveland, Toledo,
and Chicago are to, be the great distributing
points. )"
At the end of fifty years from this time, contin-
ues the writer, the United States and Canada
will contain a population of over a hundred and
twenty millions, and then there must be built up
s'the great city IF the continents" besides several
cities greater than any that can be sustained on
the ocean border. On the general subject of the
growth of cities he says:
ssThis is the era of great cities. London has
nearly ts9tled in numbers and business since the
90 mmeno48 ent of the current century. The
angu1lSS lion of her population in that time has
beer million and half. This ncreaseis equal
to the whole population of New York and Phila-
dephia; and yet, it is probable That New York
will be as populous as London, in about fifty
years. liberal, but not improbable estimate of
the period of duplication of the number of these
great cities, would be for London, thirty years,
and for New York fifteen years At this rate
London will have four millions and seven hum
dred thousand, at the end of thirty years. At
the end of the third duplication of New York,
that is, in forty five years, she will have become
more pOpulous than London, and number nearly
seven millions. This is beyond belief, but it
shows the probability of New York 0vertaking
London in the next fifty years.
ga similar comparison of New York and the
leading interior city Chicago-w show like
result in favor of Chicago. The census returns
show the average period of duplication to be if-
teen years tor New York, and less than four years
for Chicago. Suppose that OF New York for the
future should be sixteen years, and that of Chi
cago eight years, and that New York now has
with her suburbs, nine hundred thousand, and
Chicago one hundred thousand people. In three
Implications, New York would contain six mil
lions two hundred thousand, and Chicago in six
Implications, occupying the same length of time,
would have six millions four hundred thousand.
1t is not asserted probable that either city will
be swelled to such an extraordinary size in forty
eight years-if ever but it is more than proba-
BILE that the leading interior city will be greater
than New Yew fifty wears from this time"