The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-03

j. j. Hill took glance into the
future in his speech at the fair grounds
today, and INDUCED in some very in
teresting and suggestive speculation as
to how the greatly increased population
OF the United States was to be fed
when the accretions to be taken on dur
ing the next twenty-five or fifty years
had been added. He found no solution
except in greatly improved methods Of
some startling but very true statements
about the waste of natural resources in
the form of minerals, timber, etc. The
substance of Mr.. Hill s instructive adj
dress is given below:
Highest Conception of a Nation
The highest conception of a nation is that
OF trustee for posterity. The savage is con-
tent with wrestling from nature the snpIe
necessaries of life. But the modern idea of
duty is conservatism of the old and modelling of
the new In order that posterity may have a
ward impulse. The ideal Of the prudent. low
ing careful head of, every family is the true
IDEAL Tor nation of rational men. The people
OF the United States, as far any perhaps
nave meant to follow this pattern. It is worth
while to consider how far they have been suc-
cessfm and where they have failed.
A National Problem.
Problems we have found and trifed with in
confusing number and variety; but the prob
lem of the future material condition of our
country, Of an inventory of Its assets and liza
Utilities, of the inevitable demands upon it's re-
sources and the careful adjustments by which
alone they may be preserved has thus far been
subject for little more than passing thought
The main elements, Of this problem, which
above all others is crowding upon our attention,
are three:
Possibilities of population.
Actual and possible natural resources
Possibilities of productive application of ono
to the other. !
AS the prudent man, about settling himself
IN life, sums up his possessions his opportuni-
ties for earning income and the demands upon
him OF family to be cared for and left in
position to begin the world at least as adj
United States should know with reasonable ex-
actness just where shall stand half cen.
fury from now.
Vital Statistics.
So The population index has the simplicity of
ascertained vital statictics. Subtracting from
the total population of the country as returned
by each census since 1880 the immipration for
the decennial period, the ratio of increase for
the first decade is slightly over, and for the
second decade slightly under Is per cent 80
care1ni an observer as Leroy Beaulieu gives the
natural increase Of our population as 152 ner
thousand per year. 1t IS fair, therefore. to
reckon the Increase by the excess Of births over
deaths ut 10 per cent on the average for each
uecaue. Inc additions by immigration are more
variable 1t is highly probable however that
the oncoming tide will increase Only in no.
RODS OF severe depression has immigration fa1
len much below the half million mark for the
!ast twenty-five years In good or fairly good
times 1T has gone greatly above In the two
years before 1905. 1t exceeded 800 600 annually,
Wh1ie for each Of the last two years it has ex.
ceeded one million. 1t is a conservative esti-
mate, therefore: to add 100000 year for in
crease OF population from this source or
100000 for each decade. Computed on this
basis, the population of the United States in
the near future will show these totals