Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-05-28
Taxation Without Representation.

laAatiou WITHOUT approximations
In new state which is rapidly set
Ting up by accretion of population
from abroad, the steady tendency is
toward certain sections of the state,
and these sections, fast outgrowing
others, show in few years great dis
proportion of population. Counties
and regions have their periods of
youth, adolescence and prime. When
population reaches fixed point its
progression is very slow, and all sur
plusage is expelled to take up homes
in newer territory, which invites pio-
neer adventures and guarantees re-
wards to toll which no effort could win |
in equal time in regions already over
run. Following this law, the advance
of population westward has been going
on in this country for more than 200
years. Every decade has witnessed an
advanced frontier, and every decennial
census has shown transfer of the
center of population further westward.
The West has steadily grown in
strength, and her acquisition of popu-
lation has been so much more rapid
than the older states that each new
congressional apportionment takes
from the East and gives to the West,
and now the West is the controlling
power in national legislation.
In like manner as the Western states
have overgrown the Eastern, has
Western Texas outstripped Eastern
and Southern Texas. Portions of the
state have been settled for half n CEN
fury, and have reached maturity and
, ceased TO grow. This part of the state
!, Is, generally, the Eastern and Southern
sections. Their growth is now ac-
lauired from the natural increase of
families, and the influx of migration is
r bat meager. The constant waves OF
incoming population flow to the virgin
e prairies of the Northern, Northwestern
e and Western counties, whittier CHEAP
u lands and rich grazing fields attract
!. the settler. So rapidly have the
r changes been wrought that what was
called West Texas few years ago is
no longer West Texas, IN the sense Of
an ultima thule" but that portion o.
9 the state known as West Texas is now
). extended several counties westward
>, A few years ago Tarrant county wa.
II one of the outposts of the Northwest
1t Now it is hedged in by several tiers o
y counties that have filled up with popu
e lation aud industry. Still the marcel
westward Is kept up with unabatet
constancy, and still Northwest Texa
re continues to grow and widen the con
"a fines of civilization.
70 No recent enumeration of popula
Is ton has been made to show the pre-
y portion of increase in different poi
Q. lions Of the state, but that this increas
p has been unequal and that 1t has bee
: greatest In North and West Texa,
On there Is no doubt. The latest author
tative census, that of 1880, found til
counties Of Mitchell. Nolan, Taylo
'a Wichita, Clay, Wilbarger, Shackelfor
vs. and Howard almost tenantless. The
.S now contain numerous towns of froI
- 1000 to 1000 population, and niue
IN business Is transacted there, shown
49, the presence of fair population
:" support them. The larger towns
Dallas, Fort Worth, Denison, Wac
- Gainesville, Paris, Bolton and Lar
=. pasas also show astonishing increa
'"' In population and business, reliab
index of the fast filling country /
-, hind them. But perhaps the safe
ure guide for comparison Is the asses
ment list Of 1880 and of 1888. 1t IL ia
en- to assume that population increases
m, the same ratio Us wealth, aud that Il
de- pro rata of wealth now In the state
to not greater than In 1880. The asses
ost ment for that year showed that In Il
to section of Texas which we have 70
IA merly defined and assumed to have /
op- ceived the bulk of foreign immigr
nd tlon, there wasa wealth Of $ll7, 825, 0e
run and population Of coo, 257, giving I
IN average Of $l03 per head. The san
lila counties In 1889 had increased the
vt. assessed wealth TO 1919 ,O0O,0 900, viii,
ar at the same pro rata as In 1880 int
lie; Gates . present population In excess
by i.O0S, 44o. This population OF ! ,00s, 4
ri Ii represented In the legislature of II