The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-27
ITSELF AN EMPIRE
That Part Of the United States
Lying West Of the Big River.
The Trans Mississippi Con"ress-A
Thousand IIen Representing vast
Territory and Wealth IN >es-
sion TOday-A Glimpse OF
the Great West.
IcalPYRIGHT. 1871

COPYRIGHT. 1894
The Trans Mississippi congress. 20
eonvene in st. Louis and continue
Tor several days, win be one of the
most importal 1t gatherings of the en-
tire year in all material respects. It's
members VIII d iscuss the questions they
consider of most vital Importance to
The vast region lying west of the Fa-
ther of Waters, and several memorials
30 the national congress. asking for
ouch legislation as, in the iudgmcntrDf
trans-Mississippi ans should be enacted
For the well-bein 2 of the western five
tevenths Of the country, viii be COM
posed and adopte during the meeting.
Possibly it is Not known TO most read
Frs that 50 large q portion Of the United
States lies on the sunset side of the
Mississippi, but according to the best
authority the total land and water area
Of the states and territories, excluding
ALASKA, is 302G, coo square miles, of
which 2,233, 1G5 lie TO the west, and
es2.435 20 the east of the big stream.
The states of -the Atlantic and gulf
saasts. those of the Allegheny noun
lain reCio.9, those of the Ohio valley
End half of those washed by the Mis-
eissippi itself. could be set down within
the boundary line Of the trans-Missis-
Il, plan empire wit hOut touching it at
eno point and & here would be an area
nj eco. 100 squaT Y miles left over. The
total area of / nrope IS but ,. -Ga, .02
.ouaro miles. and the space left in the
trans-M ississippia- region after the
rest Of the Unit ed States had been
.wallowe ND woul 7 be enough TO take
In the Brit ISL isles, Spain including the
ranaries. Portugal, Franco. Belgium,
The Netherl ands 18th Luxembourg,
Switzerland. German Y, Denmark, Nor
svay. Sweden. Austri s-iIunga.ry, Italy,
Turlzev-. Greece and I'll Of the minor
states of Europe, Russ "a being the only
rountrv that would not be included.
Even then there would be about as
r,,,cb left over as the so-callcd arid
rariCT. Of the west amounts to, now
that tho ns-Mississipr'ians have re-
deemed so much of it by the magic Of
irrigation
It is truly a vast empir 2, whose pos
abilities. n the way Of II ture develop
mcnt, are almost beyond computation
There are. indeed, noun tain regions,
which cannot be brought nnder the in
suence of tue pillow; there are sandy
and drv expanses which even the in
genuity of the nineteenth or the TWEEN
fieth century American may not be
pbIe to bring within the range of re-
sivifvinr water, but eveA yrith these
loft ont. the .rans-Mississiy pian region
Is CAPABLE of supporting 4 population
many times exceeding the eptlre num-
Der of people living in the United
States at this time in comfort, even in
luxury.
The total population of this republic
Is NOW. perhaps. near 10000 600 Ac-
eording to the census of 1880 il was but
little short of 5000, 600. Less than
h. COO. 900 then resided west of the Mis-
eissippi. while more than 100000 were
homiciled in the east. If the trans
N;ssissippian region were to support
pnlv as large q number III proportion
as the region east now supports, more
Than Joe. OOO. 600 would dwell between
our greatest river and the Pacific
roast. and this vast number would be
nanifolded if the habitable portions
were to be settled as thicaly as are
sorne countries, Belgium. for instance
1t is to bring about such action on
the part of the national government
as will help to attract 20 the states and
territories. whose representatives, are
To meet in St Louis, the additional
population needed for Development
That the congress has been called 1t
Is expected that the attendance viii
number at least 1000. Every state