The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-07-06
THURSDAY, JULY 6, 1898
THE GREATEST COUNTRY.


that America is "the greatest country
on earth" The objector characterized
the idea as spread ageism !" that is
to say, belief fraught with buster and
brag, and having no basis in fact
But, after all, will not the claim bear
examinations Considered territorially,
the United States are several times
greater than England, Germany and
France put together. England and
Wales have an area OF $500 square
miles; Germany, 2G2,o0I square miles,
and France 2o4,177 square miles,
making in all square mile area Of
474,58S. The United States, on the
other hand, contain 3,6o3,8S4 square
miles, an excess over those of the three
great European powers Of S,I29, 200
square miles. We may add Russia to
the European list, forgetting that much
of its territory is uninhabitable, and
still America leads the coalition by
86o,63o square miles--a residue which
is greater than the entire mileage of
Au stro- Hungary, Belgium, Denmark,
Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Turkey and the Neither,
lands-greater by no less than I48,774
square miles. Territorially, therefore,
America is the greatest country"
Now as to population: By the last
census that of the United States was
something over 62, 10000 According
to the Statstician of latest date Great
Britain and Ireland had 35S79,285 ;
France had 38,345I92; Germany had
4e,42I,So5. Russia alone exceeded
the American showing though it may
be truthfully said that beside an intelIi-
gent American or English laborer the
Russian peasant, starved, ignorant and
indispensable as he is, does not count
as man for man. In any event the
United States, in the number of their
inh abitants, overmatch any one of the
three great powers of Central Europe
and can, without eXhausting their adult
population, put more fighting men in
the field than the sum of the present
armed forces of Germany and France
combined--or an American total OF
$4,000, 900 men.
In the matter of commerce the ton
mage which passes Detroit annually, a
dominating percentage of which is
American, exceeds that carried by
Great Brtain's sea-going and coastwise
fleets as a whole and in the matter of
revenues the entire public income of
the Dominion of Canada, which com
prises more than half the British En-
pire, is exceeded in volume annually
by the receipts of one American corp r
ation-the Pennsylvania railroad
Coming to the question of wealth,
which is the substantial basis Of
political and military strength, we find
a total value of United States property
amounting to 500, 900, 900. There
is no country on earth which approaches
this showing. The available realty in
America is SO large, the securities SO am
pie, the material enterprises SO vast and
profitable that the United States Govern.
ment has the soundest credit of any
power extant. That is to say it can
raise more money for any given pur-
pose than can England, Germany,
Russia and France combined. OF all
powers it is the only one that has pos
sessed a surplus in its treasury during
the past twenty years, and the only one
which has made appreciable progress
in paying off its debt Aside from all
this it dsburses more money for pen
sions, and does so without feeling it,
than the sum of the combined military
outlay of Germany and France-an
outlay which Expresses the people OF
those countries almost to the limit OF
endurance.
The only rival to the United States
is the British Empire, but half the pos
sessions of that coalesCed power are at
the mercy of the great republic and
could be taken by force in thirty days.
OF the remainder Ireland and India
are obvious sources of weakness rather
than strength; and as for Australia,
observers like Henry George agree
that rather than be dragged into war
over an English quarrel in which she
could have but slight concern, she
would declare her independence and
go her way rejoicing.
Yes, America stands unrValled and
unapproached amorg all the great
powers-th the richest, the freest, and the
most puissant nation.
Came the four quarters of the world in arms,