i?h the United States in Fifty Years. 125 



proach equality than at present. Of the twenty-six States, while 

 eight* of them have, together, an extent of but 54,000 square miles, 

 the smallest of the other eighteen has an area of upwards of 31,000 

 miles, about that of Ireland, and the area of the largest does not 

 much exceed that of England and Wales. Nor is it probable, that 

 any State hereafter admitted into the Union will contain less, or 

 much less, than 50,000 square miles. 



It must also be recollected that, even at this time, with those 

 great divisions of the Union, composed of States which are similar 

 in modes of industry and local interests, the disparity is far less than 

 it is with the individual States, as may be seen by the following 

 statement : 



New England States 31 Representatives =13.9 percent — 43 Electors= 15.6 



Middle States 70 " =31.4 " 80 " =29.1 



Southern States 39 " =17.5 " 47 " =17.1 



Southwestern States 27 " =12.1 " 37 " =13.5 



Northwestern States 56 " =25.1 " 68 " =24.7 



Total, 223 100. 275 100. 



The subjoined diagrams show to the eye the inequality of the 

 States in population and political power ; their different rates of 

 increase, and the comparative areas of the five great local divi- 

 sions. The lines opposite to each State represent its population at 

 each successive census : 



* These are New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, 

 New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. 



11* 



