Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-22
FOR H0ME-SEEKERS.
THE STATE BOARD OF TRADES,
FORTHCOMING BOOK.
by People of the East-Sugges-
lions Upon the Subject.


was held at San Francisco yesterday. The
principal business of the session was con-
sideration of the subject Of preparing
hook upon California and it's resources, for
distribution at the East, with view to
placing in the hands of intending iunrni-
grants reliable information upon such
points as are being raised by letters and
visitors. concerning our soils, climate, pro-
ductions, etc An interesting and valuable
report upon the subject was presented by
W. Il. Mills, Chairman of the Committee
on Publication. He called attention to the
westward march of immigration, and the
advantages possessed by Territories east of
the Rocky Mountains, by reason of prox-
unity to the principal markets and center
of population, and the ease and small ex-
pense required to visit them. The report
then says
The statistics of the growth of population
of the various States and Territories OF the
United States will perhaps better illustrate
the difficulties and disadvantages of our
isolated condition.
IN 1860, the date of the first census taken
!
itatants; Kansas had 107, 600. By the CEN
sus of 1880, California had $50 600 inhab-
itants, giving al increase of 495, 600 people
| in twenty years. Kansas in 1880 had $780,
900, or an increase of $500 in the same
| space of time.
! Projecting the ratio of increase in Kansas
for the ten years between 1870 and $780,
and the population of that State to-day ex-
ceeds two millions of inhabitants. The
| fal lot,a @,f ,l. Al.
| present time is 100000. In twenty-eight
years, therefore, Kansas has received 2,O0e,-
I000inhabitants, las against l, 100000 in thirty
| eight years in California. Texas in 1860
had 100000, and the present ascertained
and estimated population of Texas is about
two million five hundred thousand, an in.
crease in twenty years of 100000. 1t
should be noted that in the comparison
drawn between California and Kansas the
territorial area of Kansas is less than half
that of California, while the territorial area
of Texas is two and one-half times greater
than California. The Western frontier of
| civilization has now reached the base of the
| Rocky Mountains. Between that point
and the western flank of the Sierra Neyadas
| there is an arid. mountainous and very
| much uplifted country, where in the aver
| age fertility of the soil, as compared with
the soil of the Mississippi valley, or the
great valleys of California, is as one to
| twenty-seven-that is to say, the average
| fertility of the great uplifted table-lands be-
| tween the Rocky mountains and the Sierra
Nevadas is but one-twenty seventh of the
average fertility of the lands east of the
Tooth meridian, or west Of the SUBMITS of
| the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is there
| fore capable of sustaining but one-twenty-
seventh of the average density of popula-
| ton of the countries brought into com par
| ison with it, and, therefore, the next
advance OF this frontier inevitably passes
over the great uplifted table lands of the
continent and enters the fertile belt which
| borders the Pacific ocean. The tier of
States lying Immediately west of the Mis-
! sissippi river were, from 1850 to the present
date, large absoTbents of population. For
| the past eighteen years they have been con-
tributing from their popu alton to the tides
of emigration which flow still further west
| ward. 1t should be understood that until
a territory acquires given density it is an
absorbent, and when it has passed that
point of density of population, becomes
contributor to the tides of emigration which
are flowing into contiguous and unoccupied
territory. Itmay be admitted here that the
territory lying between the 9th and the
Tooth meridian still possesses large reser-
voir capacity for the receipt of great aces
! sions to its population.
COMPETITIVE REGIONS.
Recurring now to facts which have been
hereinbefore presented in relation to the
capital which precedes settlement in the
| unoccupied territories in the way of con-
struction of lines of railroad, and in the
| foundation of other enterprises, it becomes
speedily apparent that between the territory
| lying east of the Rocky Mountains and the
| fertile belt lying west of the Sierra Nevadas
I, there is a competitive relation in the effort
| the two are making to attract immigration.
| This competition is carried on with almost
| every natural advantage in favor of Eastern
| territory. 1t is powerfully reinforced by
numerous lines of railroad which constitute
| the extension of the great trunk lines into
| the territory in advance of any existing or
profitable traffic. At the beginning of this
century the center of the population of the
United States was at Baltimore. When the
census of 1880 was completed the center of
| population was found to be eighteen miles
| southwest of Cincinnati. Taking Gin
| cinnati, therefore, for the center OF pop
ulation in this country. the proximity of
the territory lying west Of The Missouri
| river TO that ceuter becomes appareIt
| The intending enigrant can pursue that
highest and most judicious method of de-
termining point of destination. He may
at very economic cost visit all the territory
| lying east of the foot of the Rocky Mount
aims and make personal inspection there
Of This is by far the most effective and
most satisfactory method of determining
for ones self the character of the country
! which he has chosen for his new residence,
and it is also the most effective in the way
of influencing the minds of others to con-
sensus OF determination as to the advant-
| ages of various sections of the more
sparsely settled regions. Within the past
| five years very remarkable movement of
population to the southern portion of our
| own State has taken place. Its rise was
coutemporaneous with the completion of
two great trunk lines of railroad TO that
section. One was the Sunset route, the
other the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Each of these railroads addressed its en-
ergy to the settlement of the countries
they had invaded, and the success they
have met with has strongly attracted the
| attention of the American States and of
European countries.
ANTICIPATING POPULATION.
| Latterly it has become apparent that
| many of the extensions of trunk lines into
the unsettled portions of the country to-
ward the foot of the Rocky Mountains has
| by many years anticipated the settlement
of that country, and in q recently-pub-
| lished interview with Chauncey NJ Depew,
| who is the President and representative of
the Vanderbilt system, it was plainly init
mated by that gentleman that a condition
of Misrepresentation in real estate in some
portions of the West was retarding settle
ment aud threatening to precipitate fiuan-
cial panic. Many of the lines in which
his company was interested had penetrated
territories where growth was very slow,
while at other points most phenomenal
growth had been attained. and vast sums
of money had been attracted. The volume
of capital attracted to some of these eenters
will be understood. when it is stated that in
the year 18S7 the aggregate transfers of real
estate in Southern California represented
$3.50, 100000, while the transfers of real es-
| tate in Kaneas City alone represented $97,
000, 600. These facts, and especially those
relating to Southern California, having
attracted general attention in the East
competing localities which may be
said to embrace a total area of
100000 square miles. into which railroads
! have been built in advance of the demand
4 for their construction, have evidently de-
termined to arrest the flow of capital and
population which has been pouring into