The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-11-28
OUR POPULATION.
lYOa,As compaa,Oa.l

~This is a great county" we say, sometimes earnestly, sometimes irouic- ally. Few ot us, perhspA know what Is the real rank ol the Uaited States. So far as population fixes that rank, China stands first on the list. No census ot that country has ever been taken, but no authority estimates the population ot China proper at less than t~o hundred and ffty millions. aud tn N figure is larger than the population of Great BEitian and all its colonies aad dependencies com bined, Not very greatly iu excess, how- ever, for tho census of lSSI showed the British Isles to have a population oi thirty-6ve millions; while the dependent portions of the British empire had two hun dred and fourteen million inhabitants Following these comes Russia, with eighty six and a half million people in Europe, and sixteen million in Asia while fourth upon tue list arranged ac- cordinE 10 the number oi people hviag under one flag. is the government of the United States. When we consider the state of civilization in Chiaa, and in Rus sia, and when we remember the facts te rarding the people who owe allegiance to Queen Victoria we shall be apt to fix the ettective rank of our own country much higher than the fourth place, it not ac- tualsy in tho t,rs, pace.
 For of the two hundred and nifty mil lion people in the British empire, India and Ceylon have more than two hundred million; so that Great Britain itself and all its self governing colonies number fewer than hfy millions of people. China and Great Britain. then. the hrs, two powers, arc wholly or chiefly AStatic {; and Russia. the thttd. is ---=~- Russia. What Is the present population of the United States n 1870 t wAS thiry. eight and half millions; in 1880 it sas fifty millions. an increase ot jo per cent In the i've years tha, have elapsed since the last census, the increase, fl maintained at the same rate, should be nearly IS pcs cent.
 In that case the addition Ia the popu- lation should be seven and half mil. hons, and the present population should be ht,y seven and n halt millions. lt Is not believed, however, that the increase has been SO great as that There are two reasons for doubting It,
 The hrst of these reasons is tho fact tha, part ot tho increase shown by the census of 1880 was apparent and not re al, having been due to the greater complete ness and accuracy of the later cnumera- ton. The other is that immigration has not been so active during the las, few years as il was toward the end of the last decade
 Nevertheless, there has been large increase in population since 1880 Th,s IS proved conclusively by some state cen suses that have been taken th,s year. Massachusetts has made very complete enumeration of its inhabitants, and it's growth, fl continued at tho same rate until 800, would give il an increase of almost 70 per cent. m the decade, as compared with little less than q per cent between 1870 and 1880
 Taking th,s indie alton, together with that furnished by the census of Minne sota. of other states, and of the territory of DAkota, we may fairly say that the present population of the United States Is fully hiiy-six millions--an increase of | , per cent in five years.
 Twelve per cent added to hi,y.slx mil. lions would give us the population m 1890. fl the increase were continued 4, the same rate, namely. six,yt two and thIee-quaT,eTs millions. If we have really entered upon a season of business pros. peri,y, this IS a reasonable estimate.