The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-11-11
4,713,55l

BY this table it will be seen, that these
States increased in population 3O6O,269 in
ten years. 1t is reasonable to conclude, that
the census of 1870, will give them popula-
ton of eleven and half or twelve millions.
Notwithstanding the loss by the civil war.
So late as 1910, this whole area contained
only 791, ,293 inhabitants namely 5S1 POS in
Ohio, 146,9SS. in Indiana, 81, PAS in Illinois,
and S,765 in Michigan. At that time there
was not single person returned for the
great territories constituting the States Of
Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota These were
exclusively in the occupation of wild Indians
and wild animals. After the cold season of
1916, many of our citizens became discour-
aged and emigrated to Ohio. That State
was so far West and so far from market that
this exodus from Maine seemed little short of
madness. | well rent mber it was made The
subject of rdicule and called "the Ohio fever"
Caricatures were struck off, to bring the mat
ter into contempt, and save the people from
delusion.
All that feeling has long since passed away.
In 1910, Ohio contained population 279,670,
greater than Virginia, State which contain
ed more than twice as many inhabitants as
New York in $780, and which was boasting-
ly styled ''the Old Dominion"
In the year 1860, the population of Massa-
chusetts was 1921 O66, or at the rate of 1878
to the square miles. When the seven States
under consideration become as populous as
Massachusetts was in 1850, they will contain
IS, ,631317 people, That day will come long
before 2050. And there is no reason to doubt
if we plant our government firmly upon the
principles of the Declaration of Independence
and maintain it without further civil war,
that before that time the United States will
contain a population exceeding thousand
millions.
The increase of the population of the
United States for the decade from 1910 to
1880 was at the rate OF 35S7 per cent. and
for the next decade it was at the rate of 35.46
per cent. Admitting that the increase for
the current decade shall be 35 per cent, and
at the same rate for The next three decades,
in 1900. We shall have population in the
United States OF 114,439, ,16I. The statistics
of the census for 1860 estimate our popula-
tion at I00,355,S 1902, at that time. There is
scarcely doubt that in 1900 our population
will exceed one hundred millions.
The seven States under consideration are
grand States for agriculture. The soil is di-
vided between the bottom lands and prairie.
These prairies are easily cleared and put into
corn, wheat and grass, and easily cultivated.
1t is nothing strange to see fields of corn or
wheat of fifty or hundred acres Sometimes
the land is found covered with scattering
oaks OF small size and some of it is naked of
trees. So far as l know, the proportion of
waste lands in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michi-
gan, ard Iowa, and the southern part of Wis
consin is small. In the Northern part of Wis
consin there is considerable land that is
worthless.
Ohio and Indiana are getting TO be old
States. They are excellent for fruits as well
as for grains and grass. So are Illinois and
Michigan, States comparatively new. The
orchards in Michigan are very fine indeed
In Michigan are large forests of pine. From
two to six million feet of sawed pine lumber
are taken from Michigan to the Chicago mar
ket daily.
The marshalls of the United States were
directed to estimate as near as possible the
true value of the real and personal property
of the United States fol- 1850 and 1860. That
was done and is found in the volume on
"Mortality and Miscellaneous Statistics" for
1860, on page 295, According to this esti-
mate the value of all the property in the
United States real and personal in 1850 was
s7,1s5, ,7so,22S. In 1860 it was 1850 616,O6S
The comparative value for the seven States
aforesaid, for 1850 and 1860 was as follows: