And thus the total population may be given as follows:—­

North 10,582,099
South 7,649,660
Doubtful 3,582,684
West 9,140,390
Outlying States and Territories 741,090
                                  ----------
Total 31,695,923

Each of the three interests would consider itself wronged by the division above made, but the South would probably be the loudest in asserting its grievance.  The South claims all the slave States, and would point to secession in Virginia to justify such claim, and would point also to Maryland and Baltimore, declaring that secession would be as strong there as at New Orleans, if secession were practicable.  Maryland and Baltimore lie behind Washington, and are under the heels of the Northern troops, so that secession is not practicable; but the South would say that they have seceded in heart.  In this the South would have some show of reason for its assertion; but nevertheless I shall best convey a true idea of the position of these States by classing them as doubtful.  When secession shall have been accomplished—­if ever it be accomplished—­ it will hardly be possible that they should adhere to the South.

It will be seen by the foregoing tables that the population of the West is nearly equal to that of the North, and that therefore Western power is almost as great as Northern.  It is almost as great already, and as population in the West increases faster than it does in the North, the two will soon be equalized.  They are already sufficiently on a par to enable them to fight on equal terms, and they will be prepared for fighting—­political fighting, if no other—­as soon as they have established their supremacy over a common enemy.

While I am on the subject of population I should explain—­though the point is not one which concerns the present argument—­that the numbers given, as they regard the South, include both the whites and the blacks, the free men and the slaves.  The political power of the South is of course in the hands of the white race only, and the total white population should therefore be taken as the number indicating the Southern power.  The political power of the South, however, as contrasted with that of the North, has, since the commencement of the Union, been much increased by the slave population.  The slaves have been taken into account in determining the number of representatives which should be sent to Congress by each State.  That number depends on the population but it was decided in 1787 that in counting up the number of representatives to which each State should be held to be entitled, five slaves should represent three white men.  A Southern population, therefore, of five thousand free men and five thousand slaves would claim as many representatives as a Northern population of eight thousand free men, although the voting would be confined to the free population.  This has ever since been the law of the United States.