The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-10-07
The Growth Of the United States.

The Growth Of the United States.
The superintendent of the late
census, General Francis A. Walker,
contributes an article to the October
Century under the above caption. The
writer's studies and labors in super
intending the last two census reports
have directed his attention cOntin-
uously and particularly to the mar
velous growth of the country, as
shown in every department and in
every direction in the ten successive
census reports. In this article General
Walker invites attention TO the con-
dltlon of the country at each success
slYe generation or interval of thirty
years, beginning with 1890 and end
ing with 1880, leaving the census
figures, for the most part, to tell their
own story.
~-ATne United STATES in 1890 com.
prised tract of about $40, 900 square
miles, lying between the Atlantic,
the Mississippi, Canada and the Gulf.
Its population was 3,929,214 being
about 40 inhabitants to the square
mile of the territory of to-day. This
population was almost wholly on this
side of the Alleghenies. About l25,-
600 pioneers were to be found in
Kentucky and Tennessee, and I4.OOO
in the Ohio valley. There were then
but six cities with a population of
5000 or more, and their aggregate
population Was One-thirtieth of that
OF the country, or about equal to that
Of Newark to-day. The census of
1870 shows a territory extended to
the Pacificcomprising 1000, 900 square
miles and having 1888, S22 inhabi-
tants. The area of settled territory
has doubled, and the great Mississip.
Dl valley has already a population OF
100000. About one twentieth of
the population lives in the thirteen
cities, having 5000 or more inhabi
tantS and an aggregate population
little less than that of Chicago of to-
day. The population had a smaller
admiXture Of persons of foreign birth
than ever before or since, and the
wealth of the country was distributed
among the many.
The seventh census, taken in 1850,
shows a territory swollen by acquisi-
tion from Mexico to nearly 100000
square miles, and containing a pOpu-
lation of 23,067 ,262, or about II peo-
pie to the square mile. Only about
one thIrd OF TINS DOMAIN was aettIeu,
making the average density in the
populated region to be 23.7 to the
square mile. A most striking fact
shown by the census is the increase
of city population. The thirteen cit
les of 1920, with 5000 or more inhab-
itants, have in 1850 become eighty
five, with an aggregate population of
nearly 3, 100000. Instead of0ne-twen-
tieth, eighth Of the population
reside in cities Of this grade, and for
the first time the census recOrds,a city
OF 100000 inhabitants. BY 1880 our
territory had been increased by the
cession of $4,000 square miles by
Mexico and 577 900 by Russia, and
our population had grown to over
80, l55,7S3. The eighty-fve cities Of
5000 inhabitants had increased to 2S5,
with an aggregate population of H.
30S, ,757, or y. ) per cent of the total
population of the country. Four
of the population now inhabit that
vast region west of the Alleghenies,
which at the first census returned less
than 10000. This increase in popu-
lation, great as it is, fails far behind
the material development of resour-
ces and wealth which has marked
this ninety years of phenomenal ma
tional growth. This material growth
cannot be shown within the limits of
a magazine or newspaper article. but
it is set forth in painstaking detail in
the great tones in which the mines
of census information are buried
Press