Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-09-17
A GREAT COUNTRY.

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the United Colonies, but to even the
livelist imagination and the boldest
mind the majestic Mississippi river with
its vast volume of water was most prob.
ably considered to bo the extreme
western boundary OF the future Repub-
lie. To be sure some adventurous
spirit, who had reached the country
beyond the Ohio, had listened to Indian
stories ofan Eldorado far away toward
the setting sun where tho vision had
no limit save o chain of distant snow
capped mountains which veiled from
the gaze a country whose rich valleys
were beautified by wondrous vego-
tation and whose steep "rock-ribbcd"
activities glitlered with preciousslones
and golden pebbles but no one realiz-
ed the magnificence Of the broad grass
grown fertile plain which stretches
from the Mississippi river to the Rocky
Mountains, or the richness of the
region beyond holding withinits bosom
the ransom of a world.
Even with our present facilities for
obtaining correct information respect
ing the extent of our country, few per.
sons realize how small the Eastern
States are compared with the immense
territory beyond the "Father of Wa
ters !" SO large is it, and SO generous
its division that four of the now States,
namely, Texas, California, Colorado,
and Nevada, contain nearly twice the
area of the original thirteen States.
New York and our own State, Penn.
sylvania, seem like empires in them.
selves yet the new States Of Nevada
and Colorado would each moro than
hold both these with Vermont thrown
in. California alone is as large as all
the New England and Middle States
with two.tbirds OF West Virginia in
cluded. Texas, the largest State in
the Union, is nearly six times as large
as Pennsylvania. Arkansas, one of
the smallest Of the States west of the
Mississippi, is as large as Pennsylvania,
Connecticut, and Rhode Island togeth.
er--with l42 square miles to spare.
Kansas is greater in area than the
States Of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and
West Virginia combined. Our terri
tories are very great in area, the three
smallest being much larger than Penn
sylvania Wyoming territory is over
twice as large as our State, New Mex
leo nearly three times as large, Mon
tana much over three times as large,
while Dakota with its 150,932 square
miles of territory more than equals in
size the combined seven States Of Penn
sylvania, New York, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Con
necticut, and Maine.
The eleven Western States, namely,
California, Texas, Nevada, Colorado,
Kansas, Oregon, Minnesota, Nebraska,
Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, contain a
greater amount of territory than the
Other twenty.seven States ofthe Union.
Now although this portion of our
country has so greatly the advantage
In area, the strength in population is
Just the reverse. California is over
twenty-four times the size Of Massa-
chusetts yet the latter State according
to the census Of 1860, contained over
three times as many inhabitants as the
former; Texas over thirty-six times as
large as Massachusetts, contained, in
1860, scarcely half as many people
Oregon more than twice as large as
New York has only one forty
eighth as many inhabitants. Were
the eight large Western States, Texas,
California, Nevada, Colorado, Kansas,
Oregon, Minnesota, and Nebraska, as
thickly settled as Massachusetts, their
population would number over $780,
000,00 or more than three and hall
times the present population of tho
entire thirty-eight States and ten ter
ritories exclusive Of Alaska) and yet
this comparison with Massachusetts,
our most densely populated State, fades
into insignifcance when we use the
still more populous countries Of the
Old World. England with an area OF
10000 square miles has population of
q, ,290, 900, while the State OF Alabama
with greater territory Of 50,722
square miles had only in 1860, q popu-
lation of 964,10i. Had our country as
many people to the square mile ms live
on that area in England, the State Of
California would alone contain many
more than the present population of
the United States (estimated at fifty
millions), and the eight large Western
States above specified would bold with
in their boundaries nearly two hun
dred millions Of inhabitants.
Our readers can from the above es-
Inmates and comparisons find much
food for reflection. They show that
any fear OF our being overcrowded or
pushed out by the tide Of immigration
which has set steadily toward the Uni.
ted States is for the generations 10
come groundIcss fear. Among the
countries of the World our land stands
pre-eminent for extent and fertility of
territory and great natural resources (;
we have many advantages not otpossess-
ed by any other country all, there
fore, that Is now needed to insure our
future prosperity is wise government
on the part Of those who may be here
after intrusted with authority, and the
adoption by our people OF those Jcffer-
sonian principals embodied in our Fed
eral Constitution which make our Re-
public ian indissolublc Union Of inde-
structible States" and not country
like Russia, merely consolidated
Nation composed Of subject provinces.
- York Gazstte.
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