The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-04-14

whlle addressing the house of repre-
sentatives regarding the ACCESSIBILITY
OF lending aid to or showing interest
IN the region west of the Stony noun
tains--as the Rockies" were then
called-made the following assertions:
This federation of states can never
be safely extended beyond the Stony
mountains. can conceive that mutual
interest in the Mississippi valley may,
because of common river facilities,
help bind the people to the union: but
beyond the mountains-1 can see a
few states formed just west and bor-
derlng on the Mississippi-but further
west the federation system must not
be attempted"
In the senate Mr.. Dickerson of New
Jersey also entered vigorous protest
in these words:
"The distance that a member Of
congress from the state Of Oregon Gall
west Of the Rocky mountains was then
known as Oregon) would be obliged to
travel in coming to the seat Of gov
eminent and returning home would be
5000 miles. If he should travel at the
rate of thirty miles a day it would
require BOG days; allowing for Sun
days forty-four, and it would amount
to $50 days. This would allow the
member fortnight to rest himself at
Washington before he should COM
mence his journey home. It would be
more expeditions, however, to come
by water around Cape Horn, or to
pass through Behring straits round
the north coast Of this continent to
Baffin's bay, thence through Davis
straits to the Atlantic, and so on to
Washington. It is true that this pass
age is not yet discovered, except on
our maps, but It will be, as soon as
Oregon becomes a state"
The concluding words of Mr.. DECKER
sons address were, Of course, spoken
In sarcastic vein. At the time Of this
unique argument the geographic cen
ter of the United States was at a
point near Pittsburg, while the center
of population was at point nineteen
Virginia. In eighty years the geo.
graphic center has been moved west
ward to a point northwest Of the cen
ter of Kansas, while the center of pop
ulation is at Nashville, Brown county,
Indiana. Strange indeed are the
changes wh:oh have taken place since
1895, and remarkable the TRANSFORMED
ton from the census of 1790-when
the geographic center was near Wash
ington city's present location, and the
center of population marked as twen-
ty-three miles east, not west, of the
city Of Baltimore.
Odd as it may seem, the movement
of the center Of population follows
close to the old Mason and Dixon's
line" the boundary between Pennsyl-
vania and Maryland, which was estab-
lished as early as 1853. This line was
practically the imaginary division be-
tween the slave and free states.
John Randolph said: This Mason
and Dixon's line is the partition be-
tween those who make slavery profit.
able, and those who could not make it
profitable" and ever afterward the line
was referred to as the bounds Of the
slave and anti-slave states. The cen
tiers Of population have travelled near
ly parallel with it, an apt illustration
of how closely balanced were the con-
tending forces in the federal and anti
federal sentiments of 1861.
From 1870 to 1900 the center moved
westward forty-one miles, landing it
about Washington, which was prac.
tically the geographical center also.
In 1910 the center shifted to forty
miles northwest of the national CAPT.
tai; in 1920 it had moved fifty miles,
locating sixteen miles north Of Wood
stock, Virginia. In 1880, travelling
thirty-nine miles, we find it nineteen
miles southwest Of Moorfield, West
Virginia; while in 1910, jump OF fifty
five miles places it sixteen miles
south of Clarksburg, w. Va; In 1850,
a move of fifty-five miles sets it TWEEN
ty-three miles southeast Of Parkers-
burg, w. Va. A remarkable journey
of eighty-two miles in 1860 placed it
twenty miles south of Chillicothe,
Ohio; but the terrible Intervention of
the life-destroying Civil war is seen in
1870, when it moved only forty-two
miles, landing at forty-eight miles
northwest of Cincinnati, Ohio. In
1880 the center shifted to point eight
miles west Of Cincinnati, after travel
ing flfty-eight miles. In 1890 it had
gone west forty-eight miles, arriving
twenty miles east Of Columbus, 1ndi
ana; in 1900 it went but fifteen miles
landing at Wigs, Indiana; and the Of
fetal records of 1910 show the center
of population locate ed at Nashville
Brown county, Indiana.
In order to determine exactly how
strong the nation is at present, and tc
get at an approximate estimate OF ou1
assembled under the Stars and Stripes
the government is now laboring with