The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-08-29
INCREASE OF POPULATION.
The Day of crowding on This Coas,
Approaching.
san FRANCISCO Call.
.oio.,l Ernno.I.n.an

A sagaeious Frenchman. reviewing
the schemes OF the 0pportanists 10
extend the markets OF France By
means of war in Tonquia and annex
alton movements in North Africa, OBJ
served that in the twentieth century
the aim OF the French viii be not 10
extend the territory over which the
French flag floats, but TO develop the
productive capacity of the territory
now covered by that standard. In the
same tenor the director Of the German
statistical bureau has just published a
report in which he states that, so far
from being oyerpeopied, the Ger
man empire is capable OF sustaining
much larger population than ID now
cont ans If its resources we're properly
hasbauaed aud developed. Thee are
views which are perhaps none the less
sound because they will seem novel to
Americans. who have been accas-
toned TO consider emigration the only
saiety-Salve for European counties.
Hos many people 20 the square mile
a country which i in the main arabic
and fertile can support. i a problem
which has never been solved. III we
believed ancient history we should
have To admit that Mesopotamia and
Ceyion were at one time the homes of
population so dense that nothing
equal TO is exists in our day. The
trouble there i that the evidence is
open % suspicion. In our time Bel
GUM sust8ins q population of 4si to
the square mile. Such provinces OF
China rs Se-chnen are rs densely pop
ulated. The Netherlands count Si2 TO
the square mile. and the province o.
Bengal. in India, about rs many.
These countries appear too thickly set
tied for comfort, especially a Great
Britain requires copious emigration to
enable lis soil 30 sustain 20 persons TO
the square mile, Germany PIC and
France iss. But Belgium Is about
as prosperous country as there
is in all Europe. The Holland
erS are proverbially well off. and
travellers agree that the Chinese OF Sc
chuen live we'll Ii the Dutch and
BelgiEns were as inconvenieniiy
crowded as would seem to he the case.
they would emigra,e more largely than
they do. The fact i that necessity
has compelled these people 70 develop
the small countries they inhahit more
thoroughly than people do who have
more elbow room The soil /. taxed
" w. Ak4atAf~h ~ AiEAfAtlE tNtA Hf Ltif
equivalent OF food. and il responds &C
cordiDgly. In Sechuen Gelds are cut
up into garden piats and land, which,
under inferior cultivation, would SRiy
WELD the equivalent OF - bushels OF
wheat 90 the acre. Is made TO WELD IA
equivalent oi hundred
The most densely populated portion
OF this country of tue Dis
3 !. q B. a
Ia $50 Rhode Island led with a popu-
lation ui "a 10 the square mile. MaSsa-
chusctts followed with ri, and Goa
necticut followed with rs New Jer-
sey counted l5l aud New York lot
Accordingly. i j. from these states
that the newer states Of the Union
have derived large portion of their
population Whether the eNodu, o.
PEOPLE from these Eastern states has
hai ANYTHING 10 do with the decline In
the value Of farm land therein. or
rs neither that i wholly due q the ct-
feet Of cheap transportation from
states with a richer aliuvial soil Il i
not now worth while in2uiring. The
fact before US l. that heneyer. in this
country. population grows denser than
about is1 30 the square mile. il over
flows and seeks more thinly settled
regions,
Forty wears ago New Eaglamd and
New York fed a steady stream oi
population t. the three great states %
the Northwestern re eFve-ohlo. In
diana ani Illinois. In l>So. Ohio had
- people "a the square mile, and Ia
ii ma and Illinois S. each Bur even
A. Ear back IS l-50, these three states
began t. overflow upon territories
further West. snd the process vent On
until n i>sl, Iowa counted ~ 70 the
sgasre mile. Kansas Il. Minnesota
neatly n. and Nebraska nearly 6.
simultaneously, a stream set ia to-
ward this Coast In 1850 California
did not contain person 70 the square
mile. IN lSs9 Il contained 3ss 4 ncw
prch4hgy contains about ;. " bile Kan
sas probably contains Is.
That the mieratloa westward viii
continue only limited hv the dimin-
i,hcl means a. the Eastern farmers
n bose lAads have fallen 80 that tho-e
which are uostcaEed Viii in many
eases ret sch tor enough "a pay tae
mortgage there is no rtsoFB 10 doubt
And man always travels from the
meridian ia which i j. har3 TO earn :
living 10 the meridian under which i
{ isvssy No reader o.; tAess' lines VII
[ live d see the time when CALIFORNIA;
vii sc a, den-eiy psopled a. New
1 YORK. az. ia otarr uuris- VII contain
I Il. ~. go people But n VII come.
! nevertheless, IL is quite wltAin tae
RANCE of possibility that some time
toward the end II the next century
Ssa Francisco VIII a. tar oJt-telp New
Z Nnrk IN population and trade a. Nez
I Nork i, pTol,1h.y destined 70 o1'stTip
( London in the hegiaaiag q tAai
century No les Uay be predicted
/ fram Il. siilation, ard from the vast
uopalAti1us which wlll leaS u % a.
[ thsir normal commercial eDtrcfN.E
I Ras here the Western migration
nin,t stop. Long before t2.lioEllA
contains t-n railliousot people tas t.1s
Wiz he checked by the alsad.. a
( nuaiac land a pTice which lii en-
ause a farmer s. iise BY AgTtci tlsre, 81
/ opportunities q engaging "a prolIiApls