Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-09-10
OUR MANY PEOPLE
Present Population of the United
States and Gain.
Interesting Facts Concerning Growth
OF This Country Ascertained
from Recent Enumera-
tiOn Accounts.

from Recent Enumera-
tiOn Accounts.
How many persons were there in
Uncle Sans big family On June /? If
this noble American sire is not quite
like the tabled dame of Mother Goose,
who had $50 many children she didn't
know what to do" he has so many
that he isn't sure but once in ten years
what the total number of his offspring
is, says the New York Herald.
Measured by the per cent. of gain
between the censuses of 1880 and 1890,
which was 24.6, the population of the
United States to be disclosed by the
national roll call, just completed,
should reach a total of n, 1896, 900. As a
matter of fact, it does not seem likely
that the total will exceed rs, 900, 900,
and probably will not reach that figure.
Several noteworthy factors have
been at work to effect this, to many,
surprising result. immigration has
fallen off to a remarkable degree. In
the ten years ending June 80, 1890,
4,849,00O persons entered this country
from foreign lands. In the decade
closing with June 80 of this year al
most a million less will have sought an
asylum on Americas shores. These
figures omit the immigrants from Can
ada and Mexico.
The reason for this marked decrease
in immigration lies very plainly in the
hard times period of 1s93I94. A small
food of 623,0e4 persons entered the
United States in the fiscal year of 1892.
Two years later the total was barely
half as great, and so far spread was
the news of Jul business and financial
distress that in 1898 the immigrants
were only 229 1899, the smallest number
since 1879. An increased total last year
has been followed by a greater one this
year, SO that the coming decade will
probably e a return to the huge i'm
migration figures Of the early sos.
Coincident with the decline in i'm
migration, due to the business crisis,
must be reckoned a decline in the nat
ural growth in population. Adverse
financial conditions operate not only
to increase the death rate, but also to
decrease the birth rate. Aside from
this it is a notable fact that the per
cent. Of natural growth of population
has been constantly and rapidly de-
c~reasing in this country for a whole
century. If we correct the admitted
errors in the census tables of 1870, it
will be found that the ratio OF increase
OF population by natural growth in
each decade has steadily dropped from
$3.50 in the 1o01-10 period, to 14.1 in the
1881-o0 period. In other words, there
was born to the average community OF
1000 inhabitants between 1901 and1s1O
a56 children, while to a similar COM
munity between 1881 and 1890 there
were born only al children.
To give q keen point to this plain
truth that the nation is slowing up, so
to speak, in its natural growth, the in
teresting state censuses of 1895 are of
decided value. Nine states counted
heads in that year. Two in New Eng
land, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island;
n middle state, New Jersey; one
southern state, Florida; four middle
western states, Iowa, Kansas, Mime
sofa and South Dakota, and one far
western state, Utah. Of this typical
group, representing all sections Of the
country, only n showed an increase
in per cent. Of population equal to the
to be expected half Of the increase of
the previous decade.
The sole exception was New Jersey.
which grew 27.7 per cent. between 1880
and 1890, and 1877 per cent. between
1890 and 1895. Two causes may explain
this increased ratio Of growth-prox-
unity to New York city, which, with
its ever gathering density of popula-
ton, forces more and more families to
fly to the less crowded and less expen-
sive suburbs, and proximity to the
main port of entry Of immigrants, who
would naturally, in hard times, be 10th
to spend their savings in taking a long
trip into the west.
How much influence this latter con-
.sideration had is potently illustrated
by the figures of some of the western
states censuses. Thus, Minnesota,
which grew more than 66 per cent. be-
tween 1880 and 1890, gained but 81 per
cent. in the five years following. Kan
sas, which added 1872 per cent to her
population between 1880 and 1890, ac-
tually lost 81 per cent. between 1890
and 1895. In both these cases probably
the lack of new settlers from foreign
lands was not more marked than the
sackening Of immigration from other
states.
Now some one will ask in view of the
sharp decrease in immigration and the
probable decrease in natural growth,
What is the population of the United
States to-day7 With all due Difference
given to the many points involved, it
may be fairly estimated that there are
between 75,0o0yOoo and 77,O0O,O 900 in
habitants in this country. The exact
number 10 nearer the smaller than the
larger figure
Tafantulas Bite Trainmen,
Scorpions and tarantulas have made
their appearance in such numbers at
Iguala and other points on the Mexico,
Cuernavaca & Pacific railroad as to
interfere with the operation of that
line and the transaction Of other bust