Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-10-18
Our Population LII 1909.

An article hy Gen. VI. Z. Melgs on the
growth Of oar population in the past hua
dred years and its probable xtent at the
END Of another century Is not withou, in
terest for Sreculative persons II l72o
cur population waa 3,9c9 .2t4. Nvxt year 3
census vi, show. it Is believed. popu-
lation Of 81, 900. To 10 1850 our al4l-
hers doubled in every 25 years, the per
ceatage Of incre so per decade being iTou.
81 to 3b per cent This was doing some
what better than the NV Of Matthias al
lowed, the eminent authority having cal
culated that 10 wide country .f1rhiag
plenty Of space and pr 'ducing abunua II
food the population shuuld douhta every
25 years. Had our rate OF increas- cou-
tinued unchecked, our population in 1890
should be n, 100, 900, instead Of 81 ,24o 900,
as estimated above, but the havoc OF the
civil war reduced the rate between 1860
and 1870 to 26.6 per cent, thus permanent
iy affecting the sum total of our popula-
tion. Taking good years with bad, the
average rae of increase since 1890 it is
found, has been 33.46 per cent in each ten
years tor our people a a whole. For the
negro race the rate has been less-but % 81
per cent. per decade. Between 1880 and
1860, when correct data were obtained
the percentage was from - to 90 per cent
The unrelIability of the census of 1870 is
indicated by the fact that i: gives the ne
groes rate of Increase of but 9S per cent
The rate shown in 1880 being 34.S pei
cent, we shall probably get near the truth
by taking the mean of the two rates. This
would give US about 22.5 per cent as the
average rate for the African population
as against 33.46 per cent, for the Caucas-
ian and African elements combined. So
much for the past What will be oul
population a hundred years hence in
1900, according to General Meigs, oul
population, with the usual rate of increase
will be S9,73S, 600; in 1910 it will be oS4.
691 900; in 1890 it will be ,206. i00, 900
In the last mentioned year each of our s.,
026, 494 square miles of area would have
upon an average, 39S inhabitants,or about
the same number per square mile as in Eng
land. In 1890 the negro population viii
be, it is believed, about 5000, 900, or one
eighth of the total, but at the accepted
rate of increase of the African the negros
vii, In 1890, number So, ,957, 900. or only
fourteenth of the whole. The ten
dency OF population to gather into large
cities will, it is believed, continue. As
suming this to be the case, our cities ia
1890 will contain 240 200, 900 inhabitants
New York is credited with as many a:
100000. What the effect of this vas
increase will be upon the value of land
may be imagined. Evidently there will bs
heavy profits for far sighted investors
provided Henry Georges single tax idea
does not intervene to prevent the "un-
earned increment" from going into private
hands. Long before 1890 the best land:
will be crowded, and the good town site:
Of today may be expected to be the site:
of teeming cities. 4 sound principal il
making investments, it is said, is to be-
|Iieve in the success OF the United States
and to conduct ones affairs on the theory
Of such success. 10 this view there 10 still
room for the expansion OF fortunes. Oul
prosperity as & nation has, in TACT, JUS
begun. Whether, however, the struggl,
for existence will not, with increasing
population, become more and more diff
ticult, is q problem to which Geners
Meigs does not address himself. The out
leOa is cheering as = whole, but it Cat
hardly be disputed that 1t has its shade VS.