The Democratic Press

	Watson's	Census of
	Predictions.	that year.
1820	9,625,000	9,623,000
1830	12,833,000	12,864,000
1840	17,166,000	17,069,000
1850	23,185,000	23,191,000
1860	31,753,000	31,443,000

Successful Prophecy.

By far the most accurate estimate of future population ever made in this country, or any other, was made by a man named Watson in 1815. As his predictions were published that year there can be no doubt of the genuineness of his "guesses." He predicted that the population in 1880 would be 56,450,000. His prophecies were made in 1815, and here is the striking manner in which successive censuses have shown their accuracy:

As General Walker says, in speaking of this matter, it almost staggers credulity. "That man, a mere human being," says General Walker, "should be able to predict fifty years in advance the number of inhabitants in a rapidly-growing country within a fraction of 1 per cent. seems wonderful—almost beyond belief." Had the war not intervened it is believed that Watson's predictions would have held good in 1870, and also in 1880. But in 1870 he was ahead of the census nearly 4,000,000, and in 1880 nearly 5,000,000. The losses of the war, direct and contingent, we can never know, but Watson's figures, almost absolutely accurate up to the war period, would show it to effect us the present year to the extent of nearly 5,000,000. That is, had there been no war, the present population of the United States would be about 55,000,000. Watson predicted that the population in 1900 would reach 100,000,000, but General Walker does not believe it will be over about 80,000,000.