The Russellville Democrat., 1882-06-08
Our Population Thirty Years
 Hence.


 The official figures of foreign im- into the United States for the year 1881 present some facts, md foreshadow the probability of others, that are really startling. The total number oi immigrants that came into the United States in the year was 7l9,000 During the latter part Of the year, and especially in December, this tide was about 54 per cent. greater than during the cor responding periods of 1880. The disturbed state of Europe, and es- pecially in Germany, from which about one-third of our foreign immi- grants come, makes it probable that the increase of 1882 over 1881 will be even greater than that of 1881 over 1880, and, consequently, that during the current year we shall re- coive considerably over 100000 foreign immigrants.
 When We consider that in this country the natural increase Of popu latlon by the excess of births over deaths doubles the resident popula- tion in less than twenty y-five years it will be seen that it would require only about thirty years of the pres ent influx of foreign population, to- gether with their natural increase, to amount to number equal to the total present population of the Uni ted States and territories, or about 50,000,000. If to this we add the natural increase of the present popu- lation at rate of doubling every twenty-five years (which is even longer than it really requires), it would give total population of not less than 160, 100000 in 1911.
 When we think that it has taken 200 years for the accumulation of the present population in the United States, it seems at first almost in credible that within the lifetime of the great majority of men now living the population will be over three times as great as now; and yet it seems almost beyond question that this will be the case. Population in creases with such enormous rapidity, not only in America, but Tn all parts of the globe, especially where it has the fostering influence of civiliza- tion, that it is one of the great pug zles of human life to know what has prevented every part of the world from being overcrowded with human beings. In Europe, notwithstand- ing the loss of life by war and epi, denies, and all the decrease of popu- lation by emigration, the increase IS enormous. In 1889 the whole of Europe contained little over 200,- 900, 0,000 of people. The same terri tory now contains over 300, 0,000, thus showing that the average doubling period of European popula- ton is about 100 years. England doubles her population about every fifty years, and Scotland in even q shorter period. The continental countries all require longer period. Spain, France, Belgium and Sweden require longer period than the countries :fnrthereast-owing proba- bly, to the fact that population is al ready so impacted that the difficulty of obtaining subsistence checks the rapidity of the increase.
 The history of the world shows no such great and persistent movement of population as that now in progress in this country, except that which overilowed from the north upon the Roman empire, nor can it be doubted that there are plenty of men now living who will witness as moment ous results in the history of man kind from the present movement of population to America as were cxpe rienced from similar causes in the fifth and sixth centuries. These re. suits, however, while quite as impor- tant, will necessarily be of totally different character. Instead of q barbarian horde subverting an es- tablished civilization as then, it is the movement of an already civil, ized and cultivated people into the hitherto unpeopled regions in the center of the American continent, to create there, within the next half century, cities and Improvements, population and industry equal to that in the center of Europe.-Chi- cago Tribune.