The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-01-29
E.oc, th;a t,hla II snneara that in thi,

From this table it appears that in this
country We have a. much railroad - all the
chief nations in Europe, though our popula-
ton is less dense than any Of those countries.
In cur sparse population We have a not able
impedimebt which hnd.rs that division of
labor which is one of the main conditions of
national growth in wealth. How much den.
sity OF population and the resulting div ision
OF labor helps the growth oil q nation is ad-
mirably shown by Adam Smith in the open
ing chapter of his great work. Since his
day this principle, which at the time, and
for ages before, was in crude, undevsloped
state, has captured BY steam and telegraph q
new energy and empire. An impulse has
jurt started which cover the seas with ships
and fills the continent with labor-saving
mechanism equal u thousands of millions Of
men. Thus has come revolution in the
material growth and productive power of
Christendom, of which no man can see
the end. This new life, it is true, has
generated social problems that will
task the wisdom of future gen.
erations of troubled statesmanehip. 1t is in
those new forces, let loose in our modern
social system, that We are TO explore and in
terpret the secret of that amazing wealth and
national prosperity which has just enabled
France to pay the heaviest war indemnify
ever exacted from . vanquished nation,
which has made England the richest CONNER
cial nation of Europe. and has given the
United States those capacities for financial
endurance which bore .;'e burdens Of war
without the predicted exhaustion, and not
only escaped . panic, but at length, when
the long. deferred revulsion came, shook it of
and recovered with the rapidly of last au-
tumn. Much Of this recuperative strength
We repeat, is due to our railroads. To the
swift transportation and to the telegraphic
facilities which the railroads have given us
We owe 1t that our sparse population has not
prevented that division of labor which lies
at the foundation of the rapid growth in
wealth and productive power that marks the
age in which We live. 70 show the distribu-
ton of our population in regard to railroads,
We have compiled the following table:
The population and railroads in the Unit.
ed States are a. follows:
New England States. population, 1885,.
600, area Of square miles, 6s. 348. miles, Of
railroad built, last year, 1858. Middle
States, population 10, 666, 600; area of equare
milee, 49, CPS; miles Of railroad IA, 209.0;
mLl6B Vi I8luOou u1isS SoHe yCos WV vvSOs-
ern States, population. II, OSO, 900; area Of
equare miles, loss. 5es; miles of railroad
80, 9O5 9; miles of railroad built last year >
762.2 2; Southern Stater, population, II. 090,-
600; area of square miles, 7S9. 1873; miles of
railroad is, 1854 miles railroad built last
year S47.9; Pacific States, population, SlO,.
600; area Of square miles, AS. s74 miles Of
railroad 4.67l, 8; miles of railroad built last
year, $500. Total in United States, poPu-
iation. 40, 232, 900; area Of square miles 3
49,, 3l6; miles Of railroad II ,56A.9; miles Of
railroad built 4, 1903.
The relative proportion which this increase
of railroad mileage bears to the wealth, pop
uls ton and business oil the several sections
Of the country is suggestive Of multitude Of
of practical cautions, on which We must now
enter. Enough has been shown to illustrate
the tendency TO an eauable distribution Of
our railroads over the whole country, the
South and West getting the largest share Of
the new work for several yean past.