Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-22
THE OMAHA THAT IS TO Be.
An Answer to the Croakers at
Home and Abroad.
NO PICTURESQUE FANCY THIS.
Figures Which Speak Volumes For
the Gate City-How Chicago Has
Been Distanced in Percentage
3.'u OF Increase.
Crumbs For the Croakers.

.t. Crumbs For the Croakers.
OMAHA, Neb., April 10, 1SS9.-To
the Editor of THE BEE: Since your
publication Of my estimates of our pres
ent population at 12l ,4S5, parties have
asked if | wasn't too high. 1t is un-
necessary to say these were residents oil
Omaha. 1t is n fashionable vice with
some Omaha men to disparage their
own city. 1t makes other men regard
them as oracles, especially eastern men
who come here to locate or invest. Be-
sides, their oracular utterances give
Omaha a good reputation abroad.
Something like this from a Chicago
capitalist: at is impossible to get
money in Chicago to invest in Omaha" +"
Have seen dozen capitalists in Chi
cago. Not one will invest in Omaha. "
OF course this is a repetition of the old
contest between New York an Chicago,
when the latter was no larger than
Omaha is now. Chicago went around
New York and got all the capital she
wanted in New England and elsewh ere.
1t is hopeful sign for Omaha. But il
the work of these croakers is pleasing
to the average citizen of Omuha, we
have n good deal more complacency
than we want. Better ship some OF it
to ary place that needs 1t. There is q
''silver lining to the cloud" If Chi
cago refuses to invest her capital h ere,
others will not abide by her example.
One eastern capitalist visiting Omaha,
witnessing our splendid growth and
steady advance in wealth and popula-
tion. writes me thus:
''Hurrah for Omahal"
ut is to have $500 people in 10O0.''
The wonderls how this gentleman
ever got out of Omaha alive, If he ut
tered these sentiments openly without
consent of the croaking guardians (p)
of the city. Perhaps they thought him
insane and harmless. They might have
been asleep. He is, however, regarded
as a very shrewd business man by his
acquaintances. AT any rate it was q
dangerous experiment.
In the meanwhile our real estate men
are wondering why eastern capitalists
do not jump over each other to buy
come in to buy and build when told by
the so-called best citizens to keep out,
especially when these citizens are re-
garded by their fellow-citizens as ora
cles and apostles. If the real estate aud
business men of Omaha like this. and
they appear to, by the Difference shown
these croakers, they are not to be en-
We'd,
'Contentment with godliness is great gain -
But to the purpose of this communlca-
tion. Thinking | might have been in
error looked into the matter, and
found the estimate of the presidential
vote also gave the city an average of
&c, 900 people, hence that based on the
school census is conservative.
In 1860 Chicago had about 00,000
people. This was all in one solid city.
Count Council Bluffs, Omaha, South
Omaha and Albright as one city and we
have something like this, in round
numbers:
Council Bluffs. Observation-Disclosures. 10000
| Omaha ........,............. 120, 600
South omaha. ......... ............ 1000
AloriSnI ...'.'. ..''.......'.......... z,ooo
ia, 900
This is $4,000 greater than the popu-
lation of Chicago in 1860.
Looking over the United States CEN
sus of 1880, and other authorities, the
population of several cities will range
thus:
1860 1870 1850 1889
Chicago. ...... 700 29s,977 5O3, ,1s5 $50, 900
coanei Bluffs 1895 1895 i55s iS5ds 45dos
south Omaha. ....... $500. ..... l2,ouO
Albright ...... ..... 1000
AS | set the percentage of increase in
Omaha for the next eleven years at 200
per cent, it will be seen that of Chicago
for ten years from 1860 to lS7O), was
nearly 1919 per cent, or 2l9 per cent for
eleven years. AT the Chicago rate of
increase for the ten years in question,
the four cities below would range as
follows by A. D., 1900, viz:
Council Bluffs, 10000
Omaha, ,..;... one solid $4,000
South Omaha. city by : :. $4,000
Albright ...... I that time :. 5000
O4OOO
Total. $4,000
This is 10000 greater than the popu-
lation of Chicago in 1880.
With the exception of Lake Michi-
gan, which was of little or no use until
the completion of the railroads, the
natural resources of Omaha are greater
than those of Chicago.
With no competitor of any consequence
north of Kansas City, or east of San
Francisco, with 1000 miles Of tributary
country scarcely touched, and abound