New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-03-28
The Approaching Limit to American De-
velopment.


In a community that is young in years
redundance OF population may occur as q
l-result of immigration or Of natural increase,
and even a thinly settled region may be as
much over populated as the cities. The
Highlands of Scotland, for instance, as
Nautilus tells us, were, even when he wrote,
probably more redundant in population
than any other part OF Great Britain" and
in our own thinly settled country we find
regions where the same condition begins to
appear. The census OF lS7O shows that for
ten years before that date people were
quitting the sterile hills OF New England
and seeking the towns and cities. The
entire population of some States, as Maine
and New Hampshire, diminished during the
decade; and 1t would seem that we are
approaching the limits Of population in the
East.
But the West, the boundless West! Well,
when we talk Of the West we need good
geographical map in hand, such as the Ger
mans make. Such d map, and the testimony
of travellers who have no transcOntinental
railway bonds to sell, will show US that
there is comparatively little more room for
population west of the Mississippi valley.
The geographers estimate the whole area of
these United States and Territories al about
100000 square miles, an area not greatly
less than that Of China or of Siberia. BUT
million OF square miles in one "block,"
nearly g. third of the whole. for the vast
mountain region that lies west of the Mis-
sissippi valley: From the eastern slopes of
the Rocky mountains to the western wall
Of the Sierra Nevada, 900 miles from
east to west in the latitude Of San Fran
cisco, and from Mexico all tho way to Can
ada, 1900 miles from north to south, the
larger part of the country is a bowling
wilderness; and not only this, but an ire.
claimable wilderness. Explorers and sur
veyors tell US that most OF this region is q
malpnys, an unwatered country of barren
mountains and sterile highlands, a domain
of minerals and Of snow, and that its mere
elevation makes il unsuita BILE for the habita-
ton of an agricultural people. Much of it
is full mile too high in the air for the
ripening of crops in our ATTITUDES. The
Territory of Wyoming contains 81 900 square
miles, and not foot Of it is less than 1000
feet above the sea level. The lowest valley
of Utah, except possibly few OF
the suDken daserts OF the South is
higher than the average summit of
the Allegheny mountains, and Nevada
is hardly lower than Utah. We
know that in South America whole COM
munities live and cultivate their crops at
much greater elevations than these; but it
is IN regions that are also much nearer the
equator and proportionately warmer. The
writer just quoted saya: At the Navajo
farms in Arizona / have seen icicles six
inches long on the rocks, only 800 feet
above the fields, on the eighteenth of June;
and in 1871, when the Indians had with
great labor brought forward crop of corn
and planted young orchards, on the night
of May 81, a storm OF sieet frcze every
plant and tree solid to the ground.
If there were no other causes elevation
alone would render half the far West unfit
tor the farmer" And General w. b.
Hazen tells Us from his own observation, in
the North american Reciev January,
1879, that 1.-The western limit of
our agricultural lands has already
been reached by. settlements along
the frontier, from the Rio Grande to the
forty ninth parallel Of latitude" From
the one-hundreth meridian to the Sierra |
Nevada mountains, a distance of ZOO |
miles, there is not more than one acre to |
the hundred that has any appreciate value |
for agricultural purposes, or that Will TOR |
the neSt 100 years sell for any appreciabEe |
sum. Moreover, for 100 miles before reach |
ing that meridian. there is comparatively |
little good land" And he adds: 1.-The phe- |
nomena of the formation and rapid growth |
IF new, rich ard pbpulons States will no |
more be seen in our present domain
No; the westward rolling tiGe of popula- |
ton is already heating against the limits of |
,ur habitable dornain; and there, except |
Tor scanty population of miners and gra-
Tiers, the proud wave must be stayed. |
Doubtless our babitable country is to be !
much more thickly settled than az present. |
But this does not imply that our population |
s to rival that OF India or China.
Climate. and other things which could be |
.reated only in technical essay, are |
against ne; and each new census falls short |
not only OF the popular expectation, but Of |
he estimates of experts made in advance
While we are still distant from the limit of |
,ur population, we are probably much |
nearer it than we suppose. We people |
continents by steam power nowadays: and !
he process has been carried on so rapidly |
n America that our immigrants are al
'eady returning in considerable numbers to !
Europe.
But this question must not detain us. |
Let us aek another that is allied with it, !
namely: How old il the American charac. |
er to day THE GALAXY.