Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-07-29
The Old Thirteen States.


Although tho Spanish and Mexican
cessions comprise towns which far
antedate the earliest settlements
within the original Thirteen States,
it is to the latter that we must first
turn in any attempt to broadly grasp
the history of population within the
United States But we shall fail to
reach the full significance of the stu
alton if we only give to ourselves, as
reasons for treating this portion of
territory first in order, its present
population, exceeding that Of any
other section, its earlier political de-
vtDpmcnt, or its more conspicuous
figure in American history. 1t is no
more, but rather less, on account Of
these than on account of the actual
contributions which this section has
made to tho population of each one
in turn of tho other geographical di-
visions of the United States, early or
recent, that the writer on population
must turn first to jamestown and
Plymouth, or be will read his theme
backward St.Augustine (565) and
Santa Fee (1682) were, indeed, lsnt,
cd before English cavalier or Il glsh
Puritan sought the moro northern
lands for settlement but St Angus.
tine and Santa Fe were d barren
stock and the populations that to-
day occupy the regions in which
these were planted 10 the sixteenth
century havo poured forth from
States founded in penury and neglect
long afterward. When the great
province OF louisiana camo to us, in
1903, moro than three centuries after
the discovery of he maitland Of
America, it contained, from the dolta
of the Mississippi to Pnget sound,
scarcely 10000 white inhabitants.
That this vast territory now contains
more than 100000 of inhabitants,
who will by 1880 be 5000, 900 or TO-
600 900, IS not due to the robustness
of the stock which Jefferson annexed
with the soil, or mainly to direct inn
migration In like manner when we
received Florida from Spain by the
treaty Of 1919, not consummated,
however, until 1921, the white popu-
lation was but 10000 or $4,000, so
slight had been the fecundity Of the
Spanish settlement Aud when, in
1922, Congress directed the Postmas
ter General to make proviaion for a
post route from St. Augustine TO
D,,ooooI, ttot CH3onr ,,oo CiIinad
to report the next year as follows:
"Dlligent inquiry has boon made,
and it does not appear that there is a
road between these places on the route
designated on which tho mail can be
conveyed. There are Indian paths
which pass through different Indian
settlements, but none, it is under
stood, that extend for any coRsld-
erable distance in the proper direc-
ton"
And so late as 1850, the first date
for which we have the statistics OF
nativity in the United States, it was
found that Of the free Inhabitants OF
Florida m re had been born in the
original thirteen States than in Flor
ida itself, while less than six per cent.
of the free inhabitants were of foreign
birth The Texan annexation, again
now contains about $4,000 souls
but when Texas revoted from Mexico
it contained not more than 40 000 Of
whom by far the greater part had
come in anticipation of "manifesi
destiny" from the States. In 1850
of the free inhabitants scarcely more
than one-third, including, of course
an undue proportion OF children
were natives of Texas.
In the same way the first Mexican
cession, when taken possession OF By
the United States, embraced but
small white population. Of this
tract it is true that in the furious ex
element caused by the discovery 0
gold at Suffers mill in 1913, it wa
settled more largely than any othe
bad been by direct immigration
Yet of the first so, 900 eager golt
hunters who pressed into the valley
of California, more than three-fourth
were born in the East, of whom one
half, as nearly as might be, were ma
tivos IF the original thirteen State
while probably not less than two
thirds Of the remainder would b
found to be cisappaiaohian in thei
origin, could we 60 but thirty year
further back.
saT Now we expect that the Demo
cracy will begin to howl about g
: deep laid plot' on the part of tt