San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-04-08
WE oUTsTRIPPED EUROPE.
The United States Has Become the
Greatest Manufacturing
Country.

of Baltimore, one Of the most emf
nent authorities on the condition 5
of recent progress in the United
States, contributes to the Engineer
ing Magazine an interesting and
valuable paper entitled "A Decade
of Marvellous Progress" from
which n few conclusions are eX-
tracted:
The United States is now the
leading manufacturing country in
the world. We have for Outstripped
all other nations in the magnitude
of our industrial operations. 1t is
almost incOmprehensible that in
ten years the increase in capital in
vested only twenty years ago.
The value of our manufactured
products increased about GO per
cent; add 60 per cent to the output
of 1890 and we would have Sl3-.
700,000,000 in l900-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
81, 100000 while smaller per-
centage of gain, only equalling in
volume the total increase in 1890
over 1880, would bring the figures
to over S950,0OO,00O. If our coal
miners add to the output of 1890
as many tons as they added to that
of 1880, ignoring in this the per-
centage of growth, 2l1,OOO,OO0 tons
will be the production of 1900. No
other country in the world ever
advanced in population and wealth
as the United States is doing. The
progress of the past shows no signs
of hating. In fact, the develop
ment of our foreign and domestic
trade and commerce and of our in
duStrial interests is steadily broad
ening out.
Contrast our position and condi-
ton with Europe, with resources
surprising those of all Europe,
with wealth creating possibilities
in soil, minerals, timber, and eli
mate unequalled by Europe, and
practically without limit to their
profitable utilization, with a homo
geneOus population of G5,OOO,OOO
people unVeXed by the arbitrary
regulations of half dozen differ
ent governments and free from the
drain of standing armies, the Uni
ed States justly commands the
wonder and admiration of fine
world.
Great Britain is no longer the
manufacturing center of the world,
for we have taken the foremost pO-
81 ton in that line. Its vast iron
and steel business is yearly in
creasing in cost of production,
while ours is decreasing. 1t cannot
meet the worlds growing demand
for iron and steel, because it cannot
increase its production to any
great extent. 1t produces less pig
iron now than it did ten years ago.
Much of its ore it imports from
distant countries. Its cotton is all
imported. 1t spends about 800
100000 a year for foreign food
stutfs. ON the continent every ma
ton is burdened with debt,
and none of them can ever
hope to pay off its obligations.
Measured by their natural re-
sources and advantages for con-
tinued growth against their debts
and the many disadvantages under
which they labor they are practical
ly bankrupt. In all Of them the
cost of production and living must
steadily increase. In the United
States we have scarcely laid the
foundation of our future greatness.
In natural resources we are richer
than all of Europe; we are paying
off our debts faster than they are
due, we have barely sCrathed the
ground in the development Of our
mineral wealth and our agricul-
tural growth can scarcely be limit
ed.