surplus, amounting to more than four times the total corn exported during that year from the United States. The actual amount crossing the Mississippi river from the west is not obtainable, but aggregates about four times the actual export from the United States of the corn product, and should be shipped out of the country via. the Gulf route without burdening the Eastern markets.

The wheat product of the United States for 1886 amounted to 457,218,000 bushels. The amount shipped out of the counties where grown was 263,170,110 bushels. Total exports, including flour, 160,600,000 bushels. The States and Territories west of the Mississippi river produced 222,584,000 bushels, about one-half of the etire product of the United States; and shipped out of counties where grown 133,626,521 bushels, more than one-half of the surplus of counties of the United States, and almost equal to the total exports of the United States of that product for that year.

The pork and beef supply of the United States comes mainly from the States west of the Mississippi river. Cotton, sugar-cane and tobacco are likewise principally produced west of the river. January 1st, 1888, the States west of the Mississippi river had 22,614,795 head of oxen and other cattle, exclusive of milch cows, and the entire United States had but 34,378,363 head. The West therefore had nearly two-thirds of the cattle of the United States. The trans-Mississippi States had January 1st, 1888, 20,523,899 hogs; the entire United States had 44,346,525 head. Therefore the West had nearly one-half of the hogs of the United States. Commissioner, now Secretary of Agriculture, Norman J. Colman, in his reports of 1887 states that the average of exports of swine products per annum for twenty-seven years past has been 15 per cent. of the production, or about 4,500,000 hogs. The same authority gives the annual production at 30,000,000 head; the West is then entitled to a credit of producing about 15,000,000 hogs annually, or one per capita. The East produced about 15,000,000 head, or one-third per capita, a little short of the actual consumption. they requiring from the West about 5,000,000 head per

annum.

In proportion to population the West stands in production of corn, 50 bushels to each person, while the East stands 20 bushels to each person, or in proportion to population the West is two and one-half times the East. Secretary Coleman estimates that in the United States the proportion of consumption of corn averages 25 bushels per capita. The States east of the Mississippi therefore lack five bushels per capita of supplying local consumption. West of the Mississippi the States produce 25 bushels per capita more than local consumption. Therefore, after supplying the local demands of the East with five bushels per capita, or 225,000,000 bushels, the remainder of surplus amounts to more than four times the total export of the United States.

In wheat the West produced 15 bushels per inhabitant, while the East produced ubout 3% bushels per inhabitant; or in proportion to population the West produced four times the East. Secretary Coleman estimates that the average consumption of wheat in the United States is 4% bushels per capita as follows:

The estimates of production, as recorded in our reports, average 448,000,000 bushels, in round numbers, for seven years since 1880, not including the present year. The exportation averages nearly 136,000,000 bushels, and with estimates of seed and bread, the entire distribution averages over 447,000,000 bushels. The difference is less than the losses by fire and foundering en route to market. These figures may not be absolute proof of the accuracy of the estimates, because the consumption is estimated. But as no one has furnished evidence to disprove the accuracy of the rate of consumption of 4% bushels per capita, there is no peg in existence upon which to hang a doubt as to the verity of the estimates. As the range of annual production is more than 150,000,000 bushels, and that of exportation as large proportional the estimates made in advance of consumption are entirely

independent of the ultimate facts of distribution, and are made entirely from the crop records of the year.

As to the per capita rate of consumption, it is almost a bushel less than that of Great Britain; and it corresponds with all data of local distribution that has been found available, especially in New England and the Middle States, which obtain a large portion of their supply from the West. Those States consume five bushels, and the West quite as much, while some of the Southern States require but three or four. The average of 4% bushels was fixed ten years ago from an exhaustive study of the local facts of distribution, and will be changed only on proof of inaccuracy, or at least a strong presumption fortified by ample facts. It should be remembered that in addition to wheat, about three bushels per head of maize is used for human food, besides oatmeal, rye and buckwheat, making the fullest bread ration of any nation in the world.

If this rate is too high, then the estimates are too high; if too low, they are equally understood. That they are not too high is a reasonable conclusion, from the fact that in 1879 the wheat estimate was two per cent. lower than the census enumeration, and in 1869 it was six per cent. lower, and that all estimates of area and of comparative product tend naturally to be low rather than high, notwithstanding efforts made to prevent under-estimate.

The following table presents the exports and home consumption in comparison with the estimates of production, the latter made months before it is possible to know the extent of the year's contribution to the supply of the European deficiency:

Thus in seven years since 1879 the average of annual estimates is 447,742,320 bushels, and the distribution 447,334,229 bushels. This is marvelous closeness, especially in view of the fluctuating export, ranging from 186,321,514 to 94,565,794 bushels. Thus three-tenths of our wheat has been exported in the last seven years, and the proportion exported of the last crop (one-third) is only exceeded by the unprecedented volume and percentage of the crop of 1880, and only twice exceeded in the history of our wheat exportation."

The West, as will be seen by estimates of the highest authority of the United States on agricultural products, produces 11 bushels per capita more than local consumption, and the East 1 bushel less than local consumption; therefore the West must supply the East with its deficit, 45,000,000, and actually supplies all of the export of the wheat product. There is a discrepancy of nearly 30,000,000 between the actual amount of surplus left in the West, after supplying the deficit of the East, which may be accounted for by wheat shipped into the United States from British America in bond and exported in flour. In our calculations we reduce flour to bushels of wheat, and corn meal to bushels of corn. Of corn we have a grand surplus, not accounted for either in export or supplying the Eastern deficit, which, without doubt, feeds the West's surplus of cattle and hogs.

Secretary Colman furnishes us no statistics of cattle consumption or export, and we therefore refrain from comparisons, except that the surplus of the West undoubtedly makes up a deficit in the East equal to nearly the annual production of the States east of the Mississippi and all of the export.

In hog product the average local annual consumption is about one-third of one hog per capita. The East does not produce its quota; therefore the West must supply the deficit, which it does, and its surplus also supplies the export demand.

Cotton is raised entirely in the Southern States, the majority of which lie east of the Mississippi river. However, in the four cotton producing States west of the Mississippi river nearly one-half of the cotton produced annually in the United States is raised, 2,550,000 bales in 1887, out of a total of 6,439,000 bales, Texas alone producing 1,345,000 bales. The cotton raised east of the river is principally manufactured in the United States, the cotton factories, with a single exception, being east of the river; therefore, the amount produced west of the river is nearly all exported. The exports of cotton in 1887 amounted to 4,400,000 bales.

The West supplies the raw material exported, and is justly entitled to direct transportation via the Gulf and is entitled to every harbor facility required. The following table of exports will give the reader a comprehensive view of the point we are making:

Thus it is seen that the West's surplus for export is within about 3,000,000,000 pounds of the total exports of the United States for those products, the actual surplus of the West for export being 5,876,000 tons.

TABLE OF COMPARATIVE DISTANCES TO NEW YORK AND TO THE TEXAS GULF COAST-IN MILES

The difference in favor of the Gulf amounts to 10,150 miles from the centers of each of the eighteen States, except Missouri, which favors New York by a couple of hundred miles, or an average mileage in favor of the Gulf of 564 miles from each. By a careful study of the table any person must admit the fairness of the comparison. Then what does it mean? It means that the West pays the railroads for conveying export freight to the seaboard on 5,876,000 tons over 564 miles of road more than would be necessary if there were deep harbor facilities on the Gulf coast of Texas. East of the river a very low rate charged, is one cent per ton per mile on the commodities mentioned, while west of the river it will average three cents per ton per mile; a fair average, taken together, would be two cents per ton per mile, which means that the West pays $11.28 per ton more freight to the seaboard than by a Gulf route. Experience teaches that the charges from Galveston Texas, to Liverpool on cotton is but 1⁄2 cent per hundred higher than from New York to Liverpool. For argument's sake we will assume that it costs twentyeight cents per ton more, instead of ten cents per ton more, and it still leaves $11 per ton in favor of the proposed Gulf route, and which should be saved to the West, in dollars it amounts to $64,636,000 per annum that the Eastern monopolies are grinding out of the West, and, by such methods and usurous rates of interest for the use of their millions used in farm and city improvements, they have kept the West poor.

As will be seen, we ask $10,000,000 for Texas harbors, the annual income of which amounts to $64,636,000, or nearly 650 per cent. upon the investment. Can the Government make a more magnificent investment? We say not, and as we fifteen millions of people are as much and infinitely more to the Government than the handful of capitalists who control the ways of trans-continental transportation, we demand the appropriation or investment by the Government for our relief.

The relief of the Eastern markets of our surplus production would equally benefit Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, the only States east of the Mississippi that actually produce a surplus to ship to Eastern markets. They should stand with us, and with us demand that the West shall be provided with such shipping facilities as shall stop the accustomed glutting of Eastern markets. Let us add interior Mexico, which is fast opening up to the United States a market that promises to be quite as valuable as our trade with Europe. Compare distance to Galveston and New York from ten of the principal cities of Mexico;

Difference in favor of Galveston or Aransas Pass 14,360 miles, an average of 1436 miles of rail haul saved by improving harbors at the points suggested, or $28.72 per ton for every ton of freight now transported via New York from the Mexican cities mentioned above. We would not be surprised if the total saving to the pro

ducer and consumer of this western country would amount to one hundred millions of dollars the first year of the proposed deep harbors.

A new West is forming, and despite the efforts of Wall Street is growing rich, influential and populous. The time is almost here when the West will hold the balance of power of this great government, and in the near future will be in the majority in the nations' councils; soon the West will receive her just share of the appropriations for public improvements; soon will the West elect a president, a Western man, and then we may expect to see the National Capitol removed to a more central point less exposed, and the nations' wealth so equitably disbursed as to build up another New York, a rival of that proud city in wealth and population, protected by nature's best fortification-distance, and not by useless fortifications that the modern navies scoff at and safely disarm from distance too great for fort armament to reach. The West is famous throughout for its vast mountains, ranches, herds, crops, railways, etc., and the people for their vastly (to Easterns), enlarged ideas. It is said one Western man can tell stories so large that it requires a dozen Eastern men to believe.

The average citizen of the West is so impressed and enthused by the vastness of everything, that when he really believes and feels all that he says, he is put down by the slow-going and pent-up New Englander as an enthusiast, and his statements are regarded as gross exagerations. We note, however, that the most skeptical Easterner when he comes West becomes more enthusiastic over the possibilities, resources, etc. of the West than the old timers, and they in fact are those who are sounding our praises the loudest. The West develops that in man which is virtuous or vicious in proportion to the largeness of the country, either men are very good or very vicious, increased civilization is fast eliminating the bad, and is evidenced in Denver, the tide is strongly in the opposite direction, and Denver reputation is world-renowned for its schools and churches, in fact Denver could almost claim to be the city of churches, having 66 in number, capable of seating 40,000 persons, nearly the entire population over fifteen years of age.

According to good authorities the West embraces 785,000 square miles of tillable land, 645,000 of grazing lands, nearly one half of which under the proposed system of irrigation will be classed as tillable land ere many years, it is safe, therefore, to estimate the arable lands in the United States. west of the Mississippi River, at a round 1,000,000 square miles, and grazing 430,000; timber 260,000, and 425,000 square miles of waste or useless lands except that which contains mineral, of the latter it is safe to estimate one-fourth is valuable for its precious metals, and as much more for coal and iron, and much of the mineral land has sufficient timber for local demands. The mineral area is far from being waste land, as it produces annually more in value than an equal area in agriculture. The arable area of the East is reduced by local causes to about 700,000 square miles, every acre of tillable land West is equal to one acre East, so that in agricultural possibilities we are nearly one and one-half times the East. In grazing lands we stand alone, there being none East of the river. In mineral lands we may be said to possess the entire area of the United States, as the minerals produced East are insignificant in comparison, also in timber, exclusive of Alaska, of which William Seward once said: “Alaska is destined to be the ship yard of America." That was because of the immense timber resources of that far off Territory of the United States. Every State and Territory west of the Mississippi except Kansas and Nebraska, are more or less producers of all the precious metals and coal. They each produce an inferior quality of coal, but are known as strictly agricultural States. The annual out-put of the mineral producing region West of the Mississippi river is estimated by competent authorities at about $1,000,000,000, about one-half of the value of the agricultural produce of the entire United States, and