Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1893-04-27
WE HAVE ouTsTRIPPED EUROPE.
The United States Has Become the Creates
Manufacturing Country.

Il. H. Edmonds, a journalist. of Bal
timore, one of the most eminent au'
thorities on the conditions of recent
progress in the United States, contrib.
utes to the Engineering Magazine an
interesting and valuable paper entitled
ga Decade of Marvellous Progress
from which a few conclusions are ex-
tracted:
The United States is o the leading
manufacturing country in 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
increase in capital invested in manu-
features should exceed the total in
vested only twenty years ago. The
value of our manufactured products
increased about so per cent; add GO
per cent to the output of 1890 and We
would have $13, 700, OOO, 900 in 1900
but that is too much to expect. The
rate of growth OF mining interests in
this decade as in the last would make
our mineral output in 1890 nearly
81, 200, 900, 900 while a smaller per-
centage of gain, only equaling in vol
ume the total increase in 1890 over
1880. would bring the figures to over
$3.50, OOO, 900. flour coalminers add
| to the output of 1890 as many tons
as they added to that OF 1880, ignor-
ing in this the percentage of growth,
217, OOO, 900 tons will be produced in
1900. No other country in the world
ever advanced in population and
wealth as the United States is doing.
The progress of the past showsn no signs
of halting. In fact, the development
OF our foreign and domestic trade and
commerce and of our industrial inter-
ests is steadily broadening out.
Contrast our position and condition
with Europe, with u surpass-
ing those OF ali Europe, with wealth
creating possibilities in soil minerals,
timber and climate unequalled by
Europe, and practically without limit
to their profitable utilization, with a
homogeneous population of $4,000
900 people unvexed by the arbitrary
regulations OF hall a dozen different
governments and free from the drain
or 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 iron and steel business
is yearly increasing in cost OF produc-
ton, while ours is decreasing. 1t can
not meet the worlds growing demand
for iron and steel because 1T cannot
increase its production to any great
extent. 1t produces less pig iron now
than it did tel years ago. Much OF
its ore it imports from distant coun-
tries. 1t cotton is all imported. 1t
spends about $3.50, 00O, 900 a yearfor
foreign food stuffs. On the continent
every nation is burdened with debt
and none of them can ever hope to
pay off its obligations. Measured by
their natural resources and advant-
ages for continued growth against their
debts and many disadvantages under
which they labor they are practically
bankrupt. In all of them the cost OF
production and living must steadily
increase. In the United States We
have scarcely laid the foundation for
our future greatness. In natural re-
sources we are richer than all OF
Europe; We are paying off our debts
faster than they are due, we have
barely scratched the ground in the de-
velopment of our mineral wealth and
our agricultural growth can scarcely
be limited.