Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-06-11
How When and whereq


country and the distribution of pop
ulation in accordance with rainfall,
mean annual temperature, altitude,
drainage basins, latitude and long
tude, and the movements of the cen
ter of population, are matters of alb
sorbing interest to intelligent citizens
of the Republic. The steady west
ward march for example, OF the center
of population from twenty-three miles
east of Baltimore, Md, in 1890, to a
point near Greensburg Decatur coun-
ty, Ind. in 1890, movement of longi-
tude of nearly 9.5 degrees, indicates
the tremendous growth of our West
ern States, while the steadiness with
which this movement has clustered
along the parallel of 80 degrees lati-
tade shows how equally balanced the
population north and south of
this parallel has been. A total west
ward movement of sos miles in a cen
fury.
These interesting reports just is
sued to by the Census Office likewise
show that in 1870, 1880 and 1890 more
than half the population was living
under a temperature between As and
SIS degrees, and between As and go de-
grees were found from 70 to rs per
cent. of the inhabitants. Only a tri-
fle over 1 per cent were living where
the temperture was over 20 degrees,
while in the region whose mean an
nual temperature was above rs de-
grees the number of inhabitants Is trI-
fling. The number of inhabitants to
the square mile not only expresses
the density of population, but also
gives a comparative measure of the
absolute number and the increase in
absolute number. The greatest den
sity is and has been since 1870 where
the temperature ranges from so to 55
degrees. With this as a maximum it
diminishes rapidly both with an in
crease and decrease of temperature.
The most rapid proportional increase
in population has taken place at the
two extremse, where it has trebled
during the twenty years intervening
between 1870 and 1890, while in the
same time it has increased but about
80 per cent in the most densely set
tied group. This would indicate
that population in its struggle for ex-
istance has been compelled to seek
extremes of heat and cold during the
the last twenty years which, prior to
that had been avoided.
The main body of the inhabitants
occupy the region IN which the annual
rainfall is between 30 and so inches
comprising about thee fourths of
the entire population, while the great
est density Is in the area showing
from 40 to so inches annual rainfall,
the average of this RECON being fifty
nine inhabitants the square mile. In
the eastern portion of the great plains
stretching from Texas to Dakota,
where the most rapid increase IN pop
ulation is taking place, the rainfall
ranges from twenty to thirty inches
The density of population in this
section OF the United States has in
creased in the last twenty years from
1.6 to 81 per square mile. The aver
age annual rainfall IN the United
States is 29.6 the variations rang
ing from o to about 125 inches. It
was WALDO RALPH EMERSON who once
pictured the American sitting secure
in the possession of his vast domain,
rich beyond all experience in resourc-
es, seeing its inevitable force unlock
ing itself IN elemental order day by
day, year by year, and feeling secure
from famine in a country reaching
through so many latitudes. At the
close of each decade we take up these
beautifully tinted maps, showing the
westward march of the center of pop
ulation, and the gradual spreading
out of the population into new lati-
tudes and longitudes the movement
beyond the normal rainfall and tenn
perature and elevations. the lncreas
ing settlements along the well known
drainage basins and the constant
darkeniEg of the shade IN the more
populous regions, showing the steady
increase in the density of the popu-
lation. And as we study these things
is there any wonder we exclaim SLOW
when and where will it all end?-
Philadelphia Press.