Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-05-15
Populational Meters.
Nebraska Increment In Two Years
6ss925! Total In 1874,
19I,e2S.
BY PROF. j. d. BUTLER.
LINCOLN, 1873.

LINCOLN, 1878.
I Hume speaks of Roman Emperor
who, wishing to learn something about
the population of his metropolis, issued
an edict requiring everybody to bring to
his palace all the cobwebs they could
find. There were enough to prove Rome
ii very large city. When Arthur Young
wished to compare the different French
departments, he could devise NO better
method than to cut them out one by one
from map, ana then ascertain their
comparative weights in d scale
One OF the earliest modern examples OF
| accurate enumeration throughout wide
country, was the United States census of
Il9l. Each new decade some new spcciti
cati ons have been added to those before
made
The prosperity Of a State is now meas
ured, by all political economists, by its
populational growth. dence all States
are prone to over-estimate the rapidity OF
their increase, and so at every census are
mortified thai their numbers are proved
so few. Sc chagrined were several
cities in 1879, that they paid for taking
second census in hopes 10 show that
| their inhabitants had not been al. includ-
| ed IN the government returns.
The biennial census which was long
taken by the State of Iowa, furnished to
every Iowa editor an exhaustless treasury
OF ltems-never in the way, and never
out of the way.
In the absence of an oft repeated cen
sus, there is an infinlty of unchecked
guessing and gassing, especially in new
State where growth is most wondered at
being transition from nothing to some
thing.
Accordingly, on the Atlantic slope,
there is gre 1t distrust of all reports con
cening western progress, till they are
confirmed by an official censas. The
Nebraska Superintendent Of immigration
has estimated the influx into that State
at III, 1000 persons year. His estimate
has been much ridiculed as a wild exag
geration, ola piece with Yankee Doodle's
reckoning OF the continental host when
his father and he Went down to camp.
Sand there was Captain Washington
Upon strapping stallion,
A giving orders to his men,
ggees there tCds Httilioa.'
But it can be proceed mathematicallv,
that Mr.. Noteware 5 estimate is very near
ly correct. Thus, in 1870. the school
children numbered 81, ,T63, and the popu-
latlon 122, ,993. But, in 1872 the school
children had increased to 81 ,153. There
fore, as all those scholars who have reach
ed the Rule of Three can demonstrate
the Nebraska population in 1872 amount
ed to lSl, 1928, showing gain Of 6S,955
within two years.
| he lists of school children, besides
showing the growth of the State at large,
&c aa~eter of local progress.
I.ODk for InSfnnCtl olOnar tho 1,noi,1 l;,,,o
of the Burlington u Missouri River Rail
road 1t runs through eieht counties.
Adams, Cass, Clay, Fillmore, Kearney,
Lancaster Saline and Saunders. Tbeir
school children in 1910, were 5,912, and
their population 23,241. In 1872 their
school children multiplied to II, 21O, !
therefore their population then can not
have been less than 44,019,5-S
Nebraska, at large, has been excep- |
hon&lly prosperous, for its populatlonal |
increment in two years has been 56 o. |
per cent But even this per centage |
falls far below that OF the eight counties |
traversed by the L. & NJ railroad line.
Their populational advance between
1910 and 1872 has been at the rate of S9. 6 |
per cent.
In the next two years their growth will |
be still greater than in the last two, for
half OF them had no school children two
years ago, and locomotives not vet having
traversed them all for more than four
months, have but just begun to put forth
their magical influences in making soli
tudes populous.
Yet the railroad above mentioned with
in thirty three months after putting its
land in market, had sold 47S, ,9SS acres to
4,525 purchasers, ON ten years credit and
SIX per cent, interest. and on sales since
1872 nothing of the principle is payable
ill the end of four years.