Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-12-03


and economical measure. Certainly il is not
so easy 20 pay somslknG a. il is to pay
nofkf,lg 4. bus Il is easier % pay large sum,
than It is TO pay larger one. Aud It Is
easier 10 nay any sum igheH when We are
able, than Il is to pay it before we are able.
The war requires large sums, and requires
them at once The aggregate sum neces-
for comuensated emancipation, OF course,
would be lnrge. But It would require no
ready cash nor the bonds even, any faster
than the emancipatiog progresses. This
might not, and probably would not close
before the e1d of the thirty-seIen years.
At thattfmbEwe shall probably have n hum
dred millions ofpeople to share the burden,
instead of thirty.one millions, as upW.-
And not only 50, but the increase Of our
population mar be. expected 70 SQptinne
for q long time after that PERIOD as
rapidly as before; because our teri
tory. will not have became full, do
not state this ineonsiderately. At the
same ratio of increase which we have
maintained. ]. on an average; fronlsour first
national census, in 1870, until that of
ton of los, POS, AIS. And why may, we
not continue that ratio far beyond that
period2 Our abundant rOOm-our broad
source Were our territory as limited as
are the British Isles, very certainly our
population could not expand as stated
Instead Of receiving the foreign born, as
now, we should be compelled TO send
part Of the native born away. Butsuch
is not our condition We have two mill
lions nine hundred and sixty-three thou
sand square miles. Europe has three
millions and eight hundred thousand,
with a population averaging seyent three
and One-third persons to the Square mile.
Why may not our country, at some time,
average rs manyI Is it less fertile! Has
it more waste surface, by mountains, riy-
ers, lakes, deserts, or. other carsesl /
it inferior to Europe in any natural ad
vantage2 IL, then, We are, at some time,
to be as p0pulons as Europe, how soon!
As to when this NAY be, we can judge by
the past and the present; as to when ii
WILL be, If ever, depends much on wheth-
er we maintain the Union. Several Of
our States are already above the average
of Europe y-three and n third 20
the sqrare mile Massachusetts has l67;
Rhode Island, 1873; Connecticut, 80; New
York and New Jersey, each so. Also
two other great States, Pennsylvania and
Ohio, are not far below, the former haV-
ing 63, and the latter SO. The StatesHl
ready above the European average, ex-
cept New York, have increasedin so rap
id a ratio, asince passing that point, as
ever before; while no one of them is equal
to some other parts of our country, in
natural capacity for sustaining dense
population. 81 a Is = 1TUT
Taking the nation in the aggregate, and
We find its population and ratio Of IN
crease, for the several deeennial periods,
to be as follows; g 8z,rEWEI
1Ts0....- 992gS4T -f~rr.rg
$50 sS S SCs P'5 ss1t RATIO e neF'a's
is50.....12 $1,000 $50 e.
ISSS.....si, 1876 $3.50 Ss.Ss
This shows an average decennial in
crease of $500 per cent. in population
through tho seventy years from our .first,
to sur last census yet taken. 1t is seen
that the ratio of increase, at no one OF
these seven periods, is either two per ct
below, or two per cent. above, the over
age; thus showing how inaexible, and.
consequently, how reliable, the law of in
crease, is. Assuming that 1t will contin-
ne, gives the following results:
ISL. "a
1901 So
1909 SIS
81 $40
These figures show that our country may
be as populous as Europe now Is, at some
point between 1920 and 1S90-say about
1925-our territory, at seventy three and
third persons to the square mile, being
of capacity to contain 217, 1876, 200.
!. And we IeiU reach this, too, If we do
not ourselves relmquish the chance, by
the folly and evils of disuniOn, or by long
and exhausting war. springing from tie
only great element of national discord
among us While it cannot be foreseen
exactly how much one huge example of
secession, breeding lesser Ones-indetinite-
ly, would retard population, civilization,
and prosperity, no one can doubt that the
extent of it,would be very great and inju-
rious.
The proposed emancipation would shor-
ten the war perpetnate peace, insure this
increase of ipopulafiOny and proportion
ately the wealth of the Country. With
these, we should pay all the emancipation
would cost, together with our other debt,
easier than we should pay our other debt,
withOutit. If we had allowed our old ma
tlonat debt TO run at SIX per cent. per an
mum, simple interest, from the end of our
evolutionary struggle until to-day, with
out paying anything ON either principal or
interest, each man Of as would owe less
upon that debt now, than each man owed
upon it them and this because our increase
of men; through the whole period, has
been greater than six per cent; has run
faster than the-i1terest updn the debt.-
Thus, time alone, relieves debtor nation,
50 long as its population increases faster
than unpaid Interest accumulateS on its
This fact would be no excuse for delay
ing payment of what IS justly dine; but It
shows the great importance Of time IN this
conhexion-the great advantage of pol
iisy by7yheieh shalllne hays p pay un-