The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-06-23
AHEAD OF EUROPE.
The United States in the Lead as
a Manufacturing Country.
Our Industrial and Commercial Progress
as Compared with That of Foreign
Nations Splendid
Showing.

r. II. Edmonds, journalist of Balti-
more, one of the most eminent author
tiles on the conditions of recent prog
ress in the United States, contributes
to the Engineering Magazine an inter-
esting and valuable paper entitled: ga
Decade of Marvellous Progress" from
which few conclusions are extracted:
The United States is now the leading
manufacturing country of the world.
We have far outstripped all other ma
tions in the magnitude of our indus
trial operations 1t is almost incom-
prehensible that in ten years the in
crease in capital invested in manufac-
lures should exceed the total invested
only twenty years ago. The value of
our manufactured products increased
about 60 per cent; add 60 per cent. to
the output of 1890 and we would have
$13, roo. 900, 900 in 1000-but that is too
much to expect.
The same rate of growth in mining
interests in this decade as in the last
would make our mineral output in
1900 nearly $1,000, ,000,0 900, while a
smaller percentage of grain, only
equaling in volume the total increase
in 1890 over 1880, would bring the
figures to over $3.50, ,O0O, 900. If our coal
miners add to the output of 1890 as
many tons as they added to that of
1880, ignoring in this the percentage of
growth, 100000 tons will be the
production of 1900. No other country
in the world ever advanced in popula.
tion and wealth as the United States
is doing. The progress of the past
shows no signs of halting In fact, the
development of our foreign and domes-
tic trade and commerce and of our in
dustrial interests is steadily broaden
ing out.
Contrast our position and condition
with Europe, with resources surpass-
ing those of all Europe, with wealth.
creating possibilities in soil, minerals,
timber and climate unequaled by
Europe and practically without limit
to their profitable utilization, with a
homogeneous population of 65,O0O,OOO
people unveXed by the arbitrary regu
lations of half a dozen different gov
ernments and free from the drain of
standing armies, the United States
Justly commands the wonder and ad-
miration of the world
Great Britain is no longer the manu-
featuring center of the world, for we
have taken the foremost position in
that line. Its vast iron and steel busi-
ness is yearly increasing in cost of pro-
duction, while ours is decreasing. 1t
cannot meet the worlds growing de-
mand for iron and steel because 1t can
not increase its production to any great
extent. 1t produces less pig iron now
than it did ten years ago. Much of it's
ore it imports from distant countries.
Its cotton is all imported. 1t spends
about 5O,O00,0o0 year for foreign
food stuffs.
On the continent every nation is bur-
dened with debt, and none of them
ever can hope to pay off it's obligations.
Measured by their natural resources
and advantages for continued growth
against their debts and the man" -
advantages under whit, +har obnr
tttVJ -" ,4.Ictically bankrupt. In all
OF them the cost of production ana liv-
ing must steadily increase. In the
United States we have scarcely laid
the foundation for our future great
ness. In natural resources we are
richer than all of Europe; we are pay
ing off our debts faster than they are
due; we have barely scratched the
ground in the development of our min
eral wealth, and our agricultural
crroxu+h can Scarce1v he 1imited