Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-03-12
The Increase In Wealth and POpula'
tlOn I'm the United States.

X
copied BY us from the New York CONNER
cial Advertiser, II contains statistical facts
of the highest value, Every one should
study and remember thom, We desire
especially TO call attention TO two OF three
facts disclosed in this report
First. The vast area Of land lnthc United
States nd yet reduced to cultivation Inc
whole territory amounts in round numbers
to two nd lions nine hundred and thirty-siH
thousandsouare miles, or ono billion eight
hundred Ind scvcnty.nnc millions of acres,
At the dte Of the report Of Mr., Rugglcs
there renRined Hdisp0std of nine hundred
and siXtylour millions of acres, or nearly
one half the territory Of the United States,
II is probably safe TO assume that one halt
of that Itch has been disposed Of remains
uncutivat4i, From which it follows that
only about one-fourth Of tho land Of the
country is Under cultivation. And yet with
this comparatively small amount under cul-
tivation, wdare able to supply the wants of
the world, Our commerce floats on every
sea, and reahcs every cline.
Second An other remarkable fact dis
closed is, tie wonderful increase in popula-
ton in the United States, In 1890 ourpop-
ulation amounted to 1929, S27; in 1860 to
81 ,445,0s0 Since that date the increase for
each ten years hiss been about thirty-threc
and one third percent; that is, the increase
Of each decade over the population at the
end Of the preceding one has been at that
rate, And for nb,ut every period Of TWEEN
ty-one years the population has doubled
According to that ratio Of increase the year
1880 will witness US with n population of
near sixty MILLIONS and the year 1900 with
near hundred millions The increase in
population in the United States for the
period Of sixty gears has been 500 per cent
while the incpase in England and Wales
for the same ,criod has been 12l per cent,
ofFrancc exclusive Of Ageria) - per cent,
and Of Pruos for - years 70 per cent, No
wonder the nj tons of the old world look
on our progres with amazcmcnt, mingled
with fear andlcnvy. No wonder many Of
the people es ,ccialy of France and Eng
land so ardclily desire the disruption Of
our glorious lhion Of States. When sixty
millions Of people shall nhablt oar country,
and cultivate il soil history will indeed af.
ford no paraelto our progress in greatness,
Third.--Tho third fact to which we call
attention is the wonderful mineral wealth
of our country The principal gold and
silver region liesbctwecn the Missouri river
and the Pacific ocean. with an area of 4
million Of squaremilcs and principally in
the Territories and States Of Dcllota, Ne
braska, Colorado New Mexico Arizona,
Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon and
Washington. The viola in .,yi,i alone IN
1862 was a..o @pndied millions Of dollars, 1t
was estimated ha, in ten years from 1862
the annual yield Of the precious metals
would be tco hUairN millions Of dollars,
while the yield in other minerals would be
one hundred millions Of dollars; and that
the Weld will Augment with the increase
of population for centuries to come 1t is
estimated that if the same relative labor
were applied to all thcmincs that is to those
Of California, The ANIMAL production Of the
prociou, metals would be t0gr hH|rH MIL
lions ri I0'lIra
/, !, a question moro appropriate for the
political economist to determine the effect
such stream Of gold 70 have upon the
commerce IF the world. Certain II ia. that
in all civilized countrie, where gold is the
standard Of value, the taluo Of all kinds Of
property will he enhanced In other words.
gold will become ch'1Pr and in proportion
as that is 20, other property will become
dcarcr. Gold is in irclf Of no more H..
trjHSi, value than iron, bat having become.
in commerce, the great standard Of value,
by which all other articles are estimated. it's
value, - well as that Of al other articles. is
greater or less in proportion to its abun.
dance or scarcity.
But there is point Of view in which the
vast yield Of gold from our mines is Of the
highest practical importance to us as ma
ton 1t will enable us to bear the burden
Of taxation, and pay off tho vast war debt
which we are now contracting, 1t will en-
able tho Government, in the course of time,
10 pdks god md redeem creydoHdrof Treas.
wy Notes and Bonds issued for carrying on
the rar. Our people can b;ar a larger in
debtedncss and heavier taxation than any
in the world, for the plain reason that til "
will have more moaey-mo'e of the sr~,io,s
metals. These mines are ours. and the
profits arc ours. The influence of throwing
two hundred millions of dollars worth of
gold every year upon tho country will be
wonderful Il will quicken enterprise and