The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-09-15
TaYaS--The South,

General j. Is. ROBERTSON. OF Texas, stated
to us in the course OF q casual conversation
on Wednesday last, that five hundred thou
sand persons had removed into Texas within
the last two years. This is an astonishing
incredible one until we
learn that General ROBERTSON was but
lately the Superintendent OF the Texas Blu
reau Of immigration. Only think OF it
five hundred thousand souls added to the
population of that State in the course OF two
years. They arc all white, too. They con-
stitute number equal to tive-seycnths OF
all the white population that the State OF
Virginia has accumulated in more than two
hundred years. But this is not all. Texas
had little more than eight hundred thou
sand souls within her borders in 1870, ac-
cording to the Federal census. According
to General ROBERTSON, she now has two
millions! We confess our total incapabillty
of realizing this statement. 1t means that
Texas ought now to have fifteen members
OF the national House of Representatives
instead OF six. 1t means that Texas, one
OF the newest OF the States, being only
about thirty years old, is already the sixth
State in point OF population. New York,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri
are the only States claiming to have now as
many as two millions OF inhabitants, and
VIC are not sure that Missouri does. Her
representatives now number thirteen, and
we infer that she is possibly now entitled
TO two more than the census Of 1870 gave
to her.
The increase OF population in Texas Is an
indication Of what it ought to have been in
every southern State. The large proper
ton OF negroes in the other southern States
has prevented the whites Of the northern
States and OF Europe from casting their lot
with us. Texas has Il negro population OF
less than three hundred thousand. In
1870 she had about one-half as many
negroes as Virginia. In Virginia
there IS, as in Texas, Il large part Of the
State where there are few OF no negroes; ;
but the lands in that part OF Virginia where
the negroes do not abound are so high in
price that but few immigrants can be eN-
pected to settle there. The eastern part Of
our State is made up OF lands susceptible of
a high degree OF improvement, and obtain
able at ridicnlously low prices; but l,n-
fortunately negroes do abound in this
section. The price OF lands is i'll in
verse proportion to the number OF the ne
groes. Virginia, but for the negroes, would
be attractive to immigrants, but OF course
not so attractive as Texas, where land is
both rich and cheap. We must make the
best of our circumstances, however. The
whites viii gradually supersede the negroes,
even in eastern Virginia. And she will yet
grow into populous and flourishing Com
monwealth.
This by the way. We intended only to
speak OF Texas. The Lieutenant-Governor
OF that State delivered an address in the
Judges hall on the Centennial grounds,
Philadelphia, on Monday last, in which he
not only claimed. with General ROBERTSON,
that the population of Texas is now two
millions, but he added many other interest
ing facts. He said:
!" This year Texas has produced over
$50, 900 bales of cotton-more than one sew
enth OF the entire cotton crop Of the United
States. While one fifth OF her territory
could produce an annual crop greater than
is now gathered from all the cotton-felds on
the globe, 100000 of her acres are untoucl-
ed by the plough. Fifty OF her 1GS organ
lied counties are capable of producing
wenty bushels 40 the acre. With only one
fifth OF the area of these counties planted
with wheat the yield would be 10000, 900
bushels, the value Of which is four times as
great as the value OF the cotton crop. Texan
wheat, dryer and denser than any other in
the United States, is the heaviest known,
and contains less moisture than any west Of
the Rocky Mountains. Texas has 10000
O00acres Of ,lnappropriated public lands; her
annual exports OF cattle are worth $4,000,
900; WOOL $1,500,00O; hides, S1,S00,000 !;
beef in, barrels, $1,000, 900; fruit and other
exports, $4,000, 0O0.'' ~ "a
These statistics show that the South is yet
to he the most popuious section of the
Union. The abolition Of slavery will in
eyitably result in building up the southern
States. People will not live in a bleak, cold,
inhospitabie cline, where they have to
hibernate instead of living like human
beings. They will seek the sunny
lands OF the South, where all the year
round they may not only enjoy them
selves, but pursue their usual occu-
patsons. But for the negroes, this pro-
Cess OF converting the South into densely-
settled region would go on with almost mi