Colorado and Utah. States which show an increase from 20 to 30 per cent. are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Arkansas and Texas. The states showing an increase between 10 and 20 per cent. include Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas, and in the South, Virginia, North and South, Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. The states showing the lowest rate of increase, falling below 10 per cent., are Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland and Delaware. Iowa shows a decrease of 0.3 per cent.

Later statistics will probably show that more than 45 per cent. of the population of the country is urbanthat is, in places of 2,500 inhabitants or more. The Director of the Census notes no increasing tendency by the population to leave the country and go to the city during the last decade-this movement being much greater in the previous decade. Nevertheless, there has been actual decrease in the rural population in several states.

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In order of population, the five states ranking highest are New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Texas. Massachusetts has the sixth place, and the other New England states stand as follows: Connecticut in 32d place; Maine in 35th; Rhode Island in 39th; New Hampshire in 40th; and Vermont in 43d place.

It has often been predicted that the states of the Middle West would become dominant in political power, but the census figures show that the Eastern States and the states of the Mountain and Pacific sections are

growing more rapidly than those of the Middle West. Unless Congress changes the present ratio of representation, the next House of Representatives to be elected in 1912 will have an increase of fifty-nine members, the additions being chiefly in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Middle West will fail to strengthen its pres. tige in federal politics, and two or three of the states may stand to lose in representation.

The population of the New England States by the new census is as follows: Maine, 742,371-an increase of 6.9 per cent. in ten years; New Hampshire, 430,572-an increase of 4.6 per cent.; Vermont, 355,956-an increase of 3.6 per cent.; Massachusetts, 3,366,416-an increase of 20 per cent.; Rhode Island, 542,610-an increase of 26.6 per cent.; and Connecticut, 1,114,756an increase of 22.7 per cent.

The centre of population is still in Indiana, but has moved north about 30 miles and Washington township in Brown County has the new title to the distinction.

THE MIRAGE OF RECIPROCITY.

From the Boston Saturday Republican.

There is something alluring about the promises of politicians that, right on the fringe of the New Year, we shall, by reason of the recent Democratic victories, be able to negotiate a reciprocity treaty with Canada under which the cost of living will be reduced to a mere trifle. Those who are inspecting their monthly food bills with some care just now, and expecting to see this highly desirable fulfillment of democratic campaign pledges, should not allow their anticipations to take them so wide of the probabilities as to occasion them too great disappointment.

Those who are familiar with conditions over the border know that Canada is not going to concede anything which will imperil the prosperity of her young and growing industries, and thus deprive Dominion workingmen of employment, while at the same time ruining capital. Our northern neighbors have just got a taste of the fruits of protection, and they like the flavor well enough to continue it. They will be glad to send their natural products to this market, but they are likely absolutely to refuse to receive our manufactures duty free in return. Why should they? It is much better to be independent of other countries than to be dependent. Independence keeps both Canadian capital and labor busy, and tends at the same time to national growth and spirit.

The United States is the largest customer Canada has in the line of sales, and it is so, notwithstanding the existence of a discriminating tariff, which favors England to the extent of 33 1/3 per cent. Proximity overrides the present tariff walls, and is a valuable asset. We would be foolish to invite the free importation of Canadian goods unless that country makes equal concessions to goods of the United States.

Neither the Canadian farmer nor the Canadian manufacturer would ever consent to have American manufactures admitted free. Such a course would crush their industries, and by throwing the workers therein out of employment, destroy the

farmers' home market, which is growing enormously every year, and introduce a reign of hard times. No Canadian government would dare do such a thing. The United States could not ask it.

THE "CHEAPER WOOLENS"

FALLACY.

From the Textile Manufacturers' Journal. If we could get it (wool) much cheaper than we do, wherever it might be grown, it is evident that it would be a great boon to the woolen industry of the country and all engaged in it, and a blessing to those who then might have comfortable and durable clothing in cold weather, which they are now deprived of.-Editorial Journal of Commerce and Commercial Bulletin, Nov. 23, 1910.

The first half of the quoted sentence can be because of its nature, nothing more than an expression of individual opinion, and is quite consistent with previous low-tariff sentiments published by this contemporary. The latter portion of the sentence, however, purports to be a statement of fact. Coming from a commercial journal that could easily ascertain its complete falsity, and that is supposed to be jealous of the interests of its subscribers and advertisers, it is a shocking exhibition of careless editing, or of disregard for the truth.

The identical statement has been going the rounds of the muck-raking magazines and newspapers, and has been a favorite weapon of insurgent and democratic demagogues in their attacks on schedule K. To attempt to make answer to such as these would be a mere waste of words. The facts answer them and only the unthinking or prejudiced can be misled. The same statement made by the Journal of Commerce assumes a semblance of more authority and is all the more reprehensible.

The assumption to be drawn from the statement made is that, were there no duty on wool, the people of this country would be more comfortably and durably dressed and that none would be deprived of such clothing. As a large proportion of the domestic clip has been selling on a free wool basis, and as much of it is now within but a few cents of that basis, the Journal of Commerce will probably be able to explain why it is that anyone should suffer for lack of warm clothing. But argument along this line is silly to anyone who knows the facts.

The facts are that the per capita consumption of wool is larger in the United States than in any other country in the world, that its people are better dressed, class for class, than those of any other country in the world, and that the people wear poorer wool goods and fewer of them when they enjoyed (?) the benefits of free wool under the Wilson-Gorman tariff. The Journal of Commerce knows all this, but, like thousands of others in this country, it has temporarily forgotten and needs to suffer the return of bread line and free soup kitchen times to bring it to its senses.

THE "PROGRESSIVE" FAD.

From the Hartford Times (Dem.) Nobody will ever be elected to office for any definite period, when the progressives shall have ceeded in remaking our constitutions and laws to their liking. Every election to office of any kind will carry with it the mark "t. f.," which the

country papers still attach to some of their advertisements. A man may be elected to the Legislature or to Congress to carry out some special plan which the people favor, but if the popular whim changes and the legislator does not prove a good political weather vane-out he will go by a quick application of that favorite "progressive" process known as "the recall."

We doubt if many people in Massachusetts are feeling very much humiliated because Oregon has got ahead of them in trying on these new kinks in government which are only necessary in States where the average of human character is a good deal run down.

In a commonwealth where nobody puts any faith in his neighbor, or in his own ability to pick out an intelligent and trustworthy political representative, such expedients as the referendum and the recall are doubtless to be desired. We had not supposed that Massachusetts was in that class of communities.

VALUE OF AGRICULTURAL

PRODUCTS.

In his annual report, Secretary Wilson states that the aggregate value of the crops of the United States for 1910 is about $8,926,000,000. This is almost double the value of the crops eleven years ago. The total value for the whole period is about $79,000,000,000. The record crop of 3,121,000,000 bushels, the Secretary values at $1,500,000,000less than 50 cents a bushel. The estimated value of the wheat crop is $625,000,000; of oats $380,000,000; of hay $720,000,000; of cotton about $900,000,000; of potatoes no estimate of value can be made because of the wide variations in price, but the crop is the largest ever grown in this country-being about 328,787,000 bushels; of barley $97,000,000; of rye $23,000,000; of tobacco $96,000,000; and rice $16,000,000. The farm value of cereal crops declined $230,000,000 in 1910 from 1909, and the value of all crops declined $119,000,000. A gain was made, however, in the value of animal products amounting to $424,000,000. It has been a year of high prices for meat and animals, poultry, eggs, milk and butter.

The production of beet sugar, which the free traders would like to have abandoned in this country, is 512,000 short tons, and its factory value is estimated at $51,000,000. The factory value of cane sugar is $28,000,000; and the total for the entire sugar crop, beet, cane, sorghum, etc., is reckoned at $97,000,000.

The growing importance of the South in agricultural production, particularly in corn, is conspicuous. The aggregate value of three crops -corn, wheat and oats-is $1,071,460,000. Of the increase in grain production in the country in 1910, more than 58 per cent. was in the South. In 1889 the South produced hardly more than one-fifth of the corn crop of the country; now it produces one-third.

CONTRABAND WOOLENS.

Thomas D. Marvin in Boston Transcript.

Tucked away in odd corners of our daily papers are to be found by diligent readers brief mention of Government investigation of woolen importations. Conditions indicate a systematic undervaluation, by means of which the Treasury has been defrauded and American-made goods

crowded out by contraband products of English manufacture. To date the results of the investigation are the more or less temporary sojourn in Canada of several of the managers of the New York importing houses and the issue of writs of attachment against a dozen or more firms of im

porters.

In the same issues of our patriotic press, which give scant notice to these serious offences, vicious attacks upon American citizens engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods are enblazoned on news and editorial pages. The alleged evasion of law and defrauding of the Government by the importers of foreign woolens is overlooked, but the efforts of American manufacturers to maintain New England industries, to give employment to New England labor, to meet foreign competition. both fair and unfair, both honest and dishonest, are misrepresented, our leaders of industry are maligned, and the men whose enterprise, courage and ability have made New England foremost among the manufacturing sections of this country, who give employment to thousands of men, and on whose shoulders rests the fair structure of our New England prosperity, are treated as malefactors and stigmatized as oppressors of the people.