Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-01-24
CR.vrRR or GR.sv.I7I. or POP-
UL.STIO.v,


According to the recent letter Of Gen.
Garfield, the centre of gravity of our ma
tional population IL now, or was at the time
the last census was taken, near Whining
ton, Ohio. Its march westward has been
as follows: Beginning in $780,. the begin
ming of our nation, at York, in the south
west corner of Pennsylvania, little above
the 39th degree of latitude II passed a little
to the south of that degree, crossed the AL
leghanies about 1888, moved across the Pan
Handle of Virginia in 1850, and Is now rap
idly passing over the State of Ohio, still
dropping little south of west as it goes.
The average rate of progress for the last
eighty years has been fifty miles per dec
ade, but it is now going at about eighty
miles for each ten years. 1t is estimatedr
however, by good judges, that this rate can
not be kept up long, because the main tide
of settlement will soon reach the poorer
soil of the eastern slope of the Rocky
Mountains.
II Is also possible that the direction Of
this centre may be varied in the future by
a change of influences. Thus far, emigra-
ton has been, as a rule, westward along the
same lines Oh ldllluue. lue uhhJOIlty VI
New Workers leaving home go to Michi-
gan and Wisconsin,; Virginans betake
themselves not only to Kentucky y and Mis-
sour, but to southern Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois, although always free States, yet in
the same latitude; while Vermont skips
over several States to land the greater num-
ber of her emigrants in Wisconsin, due
west. OF course there have been excep-
tions to this rule, as in the emigratons
from agricultural to manufacturing States,
as from Maine and New Hampshire to
Massachusetts,, and the settlement of the
Northwest largely by the central and south
western States. We think, also, that as So
ciety gets older there is marked tendency
southwark in general migrations. Wheth-
| or it Is that. with the increasing re1nements
| of life, people grow moie delicate or not,
| they certainly seem to have greater dis
! like of cold climates. Every year sees
| greater number of invalid residents at the
South, with many who are not invalids,
whose means enable them to enjoy more
agreeable climate than that Of the North in
| winter.
Hitherto this Southern tendency Of emil
grafton, even if 1t formerly existed in IFS
present strength, was coun teracted by the
existence OF dissimilar and offensive in
sttution, which bore with peculiar hard
ship, because inhicting a species of dis
grace upon the average emigrant who bad
to make his way in the world with his own
hands. Slavery, in fact, was an impassa-
bic wall TO free labor. The statement has
been made on good authority that there
are not probably in all the Southern States
$4,000 emigrants from the free States :" that
il, not so many as Maine alone has sent in
| to Massachusetts,. That state of things can
not last much longer. 1t is true, there has
been no great change since the war closed
mot so great as was generally anticipated;
but the bitterness of Southern society has
not yet had time to subside, and the tre-
mendous revolution inaugural ed by eman-
cipation has not fully worked itself out.
But great Improvement has been accom-
plished, nevertheless and when we con-
slider the increasing evidences of the profit
ableness of raising cotton, and the at'rlc-
tons of many other kinds of pursuits at
the South which had no foothold in the old
days of slavery, together with the climate
influence given above, we have reason to
believe that even the next census will show
a material increase of southernward emf
grafton. This will tend to check and di-
vert the western progress of the centre OF
gravity Of the national population, besides
contributing to salutary intermixture OF
the national elements and to the prosperi-
ty and strength of the Union.- Boston
Journal.