, 1870-08-04

|
hnt New York city proper has scarcely
more population than in 1860; aud will
roLably fall below 900, 900 that Philade1-
phia has about the same number, and may
exceed New York; and that the three lead
ing Western Cities Chicago, ST. Louis, and
Cincinnati, will not come up to the esti-
mates he1etofose assigned them Of 500, 900
each.
= As toNew York, the return has no bearing |
Oh the question Of the real growth and
prosperity Of that city, which has never |
been 50 great as during the past ten years.
1t only indicates that the lower end Of Alan-
haitian Island ia full and spilling over,
and that, like any vessel when full,
the overflow Is exactly equal to
the inflow. Probably the population
deriving their income from the business Of
New York city has risen during the ten
years from less than one md q half millions
10 at least two millions, OF these, the
islnnd which forms the legal limits Of the
city, contains, ssy, 900, 900. brooklyn has
CSC. 600, Jercey City and Hoboken, 100, 600,
and about one hundred su3,"-.- -itie*. and
villages within fifty miles Of New xork
.4.-*-t.4 44uout half million more. The
increase OF New York in wealth and bust
ness since 1860 has been mainly manifested
in the growth in population Of Brooklyn,
Jersey City, Hobokcn, and the hundred Vii
lnges lying around. Philadelphia, on the
contrary, has no suburban towns, except
Camden, where Philadelphinn men Of
business reside. The rents and values
of real estate ars lower In
Philadelphia than in auy other considera-
bic city in the Union, owing TO most gen.
erous and Quaker-like custom which hiss
prevailed from the very foundation Of the
city. In Philadelphia, the lots are rnainly
let on long or iatezninable leases To
whomsoeve1 Will pay The interest OF T
per cent on the value Of the lot before il
! WEE built upon. Under this systan, there
being abundance Of land for the city to
sprend over, and the buildings being 30
uniform that residence in any one street
is AZ healthy as in any other, neither lots
nor houses rise much above the original
cost. In many cities, the original cost
forms not tenth part of the NOM
inal value Of residence property.
Population will never move out OF philA-
ae1phia to get low rents A the city is not
circunsctihed, it is morally certain in !.
faw years to surpass New York city proper
in numbers if it does not already. 1t
ls6O its population was 5Ge, 5e9, and il
1880 it was 340,045, an increase Of 65.4;
per cent in ten yea1s A like rate Of in
czease for the Inst decade would give it I
present population Of SCI, 172, and it is no
likely t. fall much short Of this. philadel
phia represents Pennsylvania and tn
growth Of that State since 1860, in every
Thing except intellectual force, has been IN
| equal1ed by any other State, East OF West
This is due, "a part, to tho discovery ant
development It petroleum in part to th'
great impetus given to mining ant
manufactures by the war, and the pro
tective policy since pursued. to her pecu
= Lar profit and 10 tho Sasiet
of productions which characterize the State
l.. and tic high order Of it's agriculture
s,e4ng the on&y Eastern State which raises
surplus Of cerealA- Pennsylvania, it is est
mated, viii gain five new Representative
in The next Congress, which is larges gAil
on the basis Of population, than will L
made by any other State In the Union e,
cept Illinois
II tbs growth of the Western cities b,
not kept pace with the expectation Of the
people, it has been partly because these g:
pectations were without bounds, and part
because the txpid extension of our 1ailros
= ssatem to the Pacific has facilitated Il
most rapid desperation Of populatiou pos
: hle, rather than tta aggregation into lazl
q cities. During thane1t ton years it is pro
. able Tint the growth Of the three cities y
:: arise more out Of the expansion Of The
manufactures than it has heretofore Ion
~ Such growth would tend more toward Il
concantzation of great metropolitan pop
lations at these pointa than any oocup
-. tion Of increased ares of the country
:; Agriculture 1t Is possible, too, that,
view Of the high rates Of wages now p,
- vailing, the compensation fixed By tho C.
sus Law has been found insdequa.e to
euro full performance of the services
~ qnired, and that this inadequacy Of ~
~ fosuanee has resulted in the omission 81
- great many names from the censns retur1
Ne have been called upon to mention no
r. instances oi this kind, and, il they a1e ',
~ Numerous, they will 60 far to account
~ onr'own population, as well Us thAt Of SO
ny other cities, being soznewhat less than
oA been expected This should be looked
'm- By our State and city authorities, !
~ understatement Of our population iavol