Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-16

Of the aggregate wealth of the - -
siseippi states and territories bs 100000
900 900.
The marvellous strides made in the devel.
opment OF The transmlssissipp region are
chiefly due to the construction Of railroads.
In 1860 there were only 21OO miles Of rail-
road west of the Mississippi and only 26h
miles west Of the Missouri In 1889 the rail-
road mileage west OF the Mississippi was
62,6l2 miles. In 1896 1t had reached 79,7O5
miles and before the close Of the present year
1t will exceed 10000 miles.
That the population OF this section has
kept pace with the material growth Is evil
denced by the fact that in 1879 the popula-
tion west Of the Mississippi was 6.495 ,l6I,
and by 1890 it had reached l5,l7O,2l5-a
growth of $50 per cent in twenty years. AT
the close OF 1896 the estimated population Of
the country west Of the Mississippi was
2O12S 26O The basis for this estimate is
tho vote in the two last presidential cleo
tions. In 1892 the total vote for president
was 319g7SS, and In 1896 the total vote for
president was 39S37S6
As factor in the educational exhibit in
the exposition of 1898 the states west of the
Mississippi will be able to furnish striking
object lesson. They have l2l universities
and colleges and the number of school
HOUSES exceeds G2OOO. The school popula-
tion exceeds 100000.
West of the Mississippi have been founded
some OF the most important population and
commerce centers in the United States. At
the mouth OF the Mississippi we have New
Orleans, the commercial emporium of the
gulf states. In the center is st. Louis most
prosperous of American cities, reaching out
clear to the City of Mexico and Gulf OF Cali
fornia with its jobbing trade and manu-
featuring enterprises. Up near the mead
waters OF the Mississippi are st. Paul ana
Minneapolis, the greatest milling and lumber
centeIs in America. At the Gulf Of Mexico
lies Galveston and near the Rio Grande Is
San Antonio, both with a growing inter
national trade. In the heart of the corn
belt are Kansas City, st. Joseph Omaha,
Sioux City, Dcs Moines, Topeka, Lincoln and
Council Bluffs. On the crest Of the Rockies
is Denver the Paris of America, and south
of the Colorado capital are Colorado Springs,
Pueblo Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Beyond
the Wahsatch range Salt Lake City, the
famous capital of Utah, challenges attention
and points the way to the golden shores of
the Pacific, Of which San Francisco is the
commercial metropolis, with Los Angeles
holding profitable monopoly on the semi
tropical fruit trade, which has assumed
enormous proportions. Then comes Portland,
where flows the Oregon, and Tacoma and
Seattle contesting the supremacy of the vast
commerce of Puget sound. Other important
and growing commercial centers have been
established in the mountain states. Notable
among these are Boise City Spokane, Butte,
Helena, Ogden, Laramie Cheyenne and Dead
wood.
A fair index of the intelligence and pro-
gressive spirit of any country or section is
its newspapers. Measured by that standard
the transmssissippi states are the peer of
any portion of the United States or the
wCrld. In point Of character and enterprise
the great newspapers west of the Mississippi
will compare fayorably with these of the
most populous and progressive states. Thirty
years ago the number OF newspapers pub
lished in the whole United States wss less
than 5000 Now the number west of the
Mississippi aggregates nearly 5000 and these
papers are distributed through 22,0 06O pest
offices.
A more detailed review OF the resources
and productive enterprise of the transmits
sssippi states is herewith presented under
separate heads for each state and territory,
together with an outline of what each may
present at the great Interstate and Inter
national Exposition of 1898.