INTERSTATE MIGRATION. In the early period of migration the direction of the morement was determined largely by the opportunities afforded by waterways and mountain passes, and, later, by the railroad accommodations. The waterway system of the United States was admirably adapted to aid in the settlement, and the part it played is not easily over-emphasized. Not only did many of the early settlers secure transporta tion to their new homes by rivers, but they used the rivers also as avenues of commerce, and new settlements almost universally began along water courses. In the North the immigrants from New England and New York passed almost wholly through the Mohawk Valley, and western New York developed rapidly along the line of the Erie Canal. By this route the Lake region and the Northwest in general were peopled. Farther to the south a large number of settlers found passage west by way of the valley of the Potomac, and by the Ohio and its tributaries. The settlements made in the region tributary to the Ohio were first to the south and later to the north of that stream. In the Southeast the Savannah and other rivers in like manner aided in opening up the interior region. The influence of streams in the Mississippi Valley was very marked. Through the main stream from the south, and through the Ohio from the east, large nnin hers of immigrants passed to the centre of the valley and thus were enabled to reach other regions watered by the Mississippi system, until settlements lined the main and tributary streams. The railroads came at an opportune time and made possible and profitable the set tlement of regions that would otherwise have re mained unsettled for a much longer time. The gold discoveries in California drew large num bers of immigrants in spite of the difficulties of the route, but, generally speaking, the Pacific Coast and the Cordilleran region awaited the con struction of railroads. The movement of the popu
lation in the United States has been in the main westward, following the parallels of latitude. Almost every newly settled region, however, re ceived representatives from all parts of the older settled regions, and there are a few very marked north and south movements. Thus, for instance, southern and central Indiana were filled largely with immigrants from North Carolina, Ken tucky, and other Southern States. The early lead-miners and settlers in the adjacent corners of Wisconsin and Illinois on the Mississippi were Southerners. The recently settled Oklahoma and Indian Territory received large numbers from both the North and the South. As the West became well settled the movement grew less important; whereas in 1880 11 per cent. of the population of the Central States were born in the Atlantic Coast States, in 1900 only 6 per cent. of the population in the former group of States were born in the latter group. Again, in I880 13.5 per cent. of the population of the West ern division of States were born in the Atlantic States: in 1900 the corresponding per cent. was only 9.5. The absolute number, however, had in creased during the period. The increase was much more marked in the percentage of the Cen tral States population which the Western division of States contained. The rate increased from 17.5 per cent. of the population in 1880 to 24.0 per cent. in 1900. In the latter year there were 954, 97I whites and 336,879 negroes born in the Southern States who lived in the North and 1, persons born in the North who lived in the South. New York and Ohio have each ex perienced a net loss of between six and seven hundred thousand by interstate migration of native born. Texas has made a net gain of 629.000.