Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/508

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UNITED STATES

The District of Columbia is the seat of the United States Government, provided by the State of Maryland for the purposes of government in 1791. It is co-extensive with the city of Washington, and embraces an area of 60 square miles. The district has no municipal legislative body, and its citizens have no right to vote either in national or municipal concerns. By an Act of Congress of 1878, its municipal government is administered by three commissioners, appointed by the President.

The unit of local government in the North, especially in the New England States, is the rural township, governed directly by the voters who assemble annually or oftener if necessary, and legislate in local affairs, levy taxes, make appropriations, and appoint and instruct the local officials (select men, clerk, school-committee, &c). Where cities exist the township government is superseded by the city government. Townships are grouped to form counties, each with its commissioners and other paid officials who have charge of public buildings, lay out highways, grant licences, and estimate and apportion the taxation necessary for county purposes. In the South the counties are them- selves the units, though subdivided for educational or other special purposes. Their officials have in general additional functions, as the care of the poor and the superintendence of schools. In the Middle and North-Western States the two systems of local government are mixed. In the West all the public land is already divided into townships six miles square.

Area and Population.

I. Progress and Present Condition.

Population of the United States at each census from 1790. Residents of Hawaii, Alaska, Porto Rico, the Philippine Islands, Guam, Samoa, and Panama Canal zone, and persons in the military and naval service stationed abroad are not included in the figures of this table. The residents of Indian reservations are not included prior to 1890.

Year

White

Coloured or Free Negroes

59,527

Slave 697,681

Total

Increase per cent, per ann.

1790

3,172,006

3,929,214

1800

4,306,446

108,435

893,602

5,308,483

3-51

1810

5,862,073

186,446

1,191,362

7,239,881

364

1820

7,866,797

233,634

1,538,022

9,638,453

3 31

1830

10,537,378

319,599

2,009,043

12,866,020

3 35

1840

14,195,805

386,293

2,487,355

17,069,453

3-27

1850

19,553,068

434,495

3,204,313

23,191,876

3-59

1860

26,922,537

488,070

3,953,760

31,443,321

3-56

1870

33,589,877

4,880,009

—

38,558,371

2-26

1880

43,402,970

6,580,793

—

50,155,783

3-01

1890

55,101,258

7,488,676

—

62,947,714

2-55

1900

66,809,196

8,833,994

—

75,994,575

207

1910

81,731,957

9,827,768

—

91,972,266

210

1920

—

_

—

105,683,108

149

There are also included in the total for 1860, 34,933 Chinese and 44,021