The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-17
vERMoNrIs eopuLArIoN
Some Deductions by William S. RIOS.
sitter, Census Expert.

llOn III IT'D ~ Utll u
paper of great significance upon Yer
mont the material for which was gath
cred as data for an article intended to
be published in the Thirteenth Cen
sus. After the article was prepared
by William s. Rossiter, former expert
special agent and chief clerk of the
census office, II was found impractic-
able to carry out the original design
as 10 making IL a census document.
II was then turned over to the Ameri.
can Statistical Association, and now
sees the light under its auspices.
DR.. Rossiter gives a considerable
part of his paper to a fascinating his
torical summary of Vermont from col
onial times, and abundantly shows
that its population. largely drawn, as
he conjectures, from Massachusetts
and Connecticut was almost exclus-
lively OF English and Scotch origin and
Of unusual sturdiness and mental abil-
ity. He proceeds TO discuss the pres
ent condition, as to population and in
dustry as revealed in the last census
and as compared with earlier Stats
tics back to 1890. He illustrates
his story with many tables and sums
up his conclusions in about ten pages,
the substance OF which, and largely
the exact words, are here given.
Many Declining Towns
The population Of Vermont increas-
es four fold from 1890 TO 1910, when
the national increase was twenty-five
fold. The state had attained most OF
its population growth (thus far by
1880. From that date TO the present
time, the state has increased In num-
Der of inhabitants about $4,000 or less
than 1000 per annum. The group OF
lower counties recorded an almost
continuous decrease from 1850 to 1910.
Since the early part of the nineteenth
century, the population tendency OF
the majority OF Vermont towns, where
ever located, in general, has been
downward. In 1910, approximately
two-thirds of all towns reported less
population than in 1900; but 80 towns
out of 254 returned larger population
than was shown at the census of 1850.
But one-eighth Of all the towns and
cities in the state reported maximum
population in 1910, principally cities
and large towns.
Ten towns, those which in 1910 re-
ported population exceeding 10000. fur
nished all the increase which occurred
in the population Of Vermont from
1850 to 1910. and thus made good
loss of 27,261 elsewhere. The only
group of towns which maintained pro-
portions similar, both in number of
towns and in their aggregate popula-
ton, in 1910, as compared with the
returns for 1850 was that of commun-
tiles having from 1000 to 1000 inhabi-
tants. The group showing decided in
crease was that which comprised
towns and cities exceeding 1900 popu-
lation.
Like Race Suicide
In 1850 the proportion of children
under five years OF age was 134 TO
every 1000 persons above that age;
In 1900 the proportion was LOG. In
1850 the proportion Of elderly persons
lover so years of age) was 164 to
every 1000 persons below that age,
but in 1900 the proportion was 272.
In 1910 more than one-fifth of the total
population of the state was so years
of age and over. The disparity be-
tween these proportions and those of
the entire United States is shown by
the fact that If the Vermont proper
tons were applied to the nation there
would have been in 1900 approximate
| ly 100000 less children and 100000
more old persons in the republic than
were actually reported. The number
of persons in Vermont below the age
OF so years increased but 345 from
1850 70 1900.
Emigration from Vermont
In 1900 of all the persons born in
Vermont, sos per cent resided in the
state and 1914 per cent resided else
where. These proportions showed
practically no change from those re-
ported in 1850. A larger proportion Of
Vermonters have left their native
state to reside elsewhere than is
shown by natives of any other state
in the Union. Residents of Vermont
born elsewhere in the United States
form less than one-fifth of the entire
population of the state. This class
showed practically no change In pro-
VI III dUHOlulC llOliA
1850 to 1900. While the foreign born
| in the United States increased fiyefold
from 1850 to 1900, in Vermont this
class of population fell short of doub-
ling, and continued to form roughly
the same proportion of the states to-
tai population that it did in 1850.
From 1890 to 1900 the number of ma
tive whites of native parents and the
number of persons born in foreign
countries remained stationary; such
increase as occurred in the states
population during the decade approx
imately 10000 appeared in the class
native born of foreign parents.
Hence the foreign element in Vermont
but $4,000 in number, contributed all
the increase that occurred in the
states population, or nearly % per
Icent, of their own number.
Declining improved Acreage
The farms of Vermont increased
about 10 per cent in number from 1856
Ito 1910: the number of acres improved
decreased nearly 100000. This de-
lcrease occurred in all counties except
one. The value of agricultural prod
ucts increased about 10 per cent from
1900 to 1900, but was slightly less in
the latter year than in 1880 The av'
erage of acres improved per farm de-
creased from S7.4 in 1850 to 50.2 In
1910, but upon the decreased acreage
the value of agricultural products was
maintained
Growth In Manufactures
In 1880 there were 2S74 manufactur.
ing establishments in Vermont, in 1900
4071. The value of products increas-
ed from approximately $92,00O,OO0 to