The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-06-05
NO FIIEs ON THE E1G1E.

Those cynics who have coldly smiled
when Fourth of July orators made the
American eagle scream have made a
mistake. 1t now appears that the ora
tory has been in close accord with the
facts. Mr.. Michael G. Mulhall is man
who deals with facts, and he says in
the North American Review that If we
take survey of mankind in ancient
or modern times as regards the phys
ical. mechanical and intellectual force
Of nations, we find nothing to compare
with the United States In this present
year of 1895. AT the same time we see
that THE wealth of the American people
SURPRISES that of any other nation, past
or present. Taking the working power
of an able-bodied male adult as three
hundred foot-tons daily, that of horse
three thousand and that Of steam horse
power four thousand, he finds that the
total working power Of the country to-
day is 129, 300 millions of foot4tons daily
an average per inhabitant of 1,94O foot
tons daily. Compared with the working
power of our people at earlier dates, it
is found that the absolute effective force
of the American people is now more
than three times what 1t was in 1860
Compared with the working power of
other nations, reckoned on the same
basis, we see that the United States
possess almost as much energy as
Great Britain, France and Germany
collectively, and that the ratio falling
to each American is more than what
two Frenchmen or Germans have at
their disposal. This superiority arises,
Of course, in great part from the use
Of labor-saving machinery. Thus, an
ordinary farm hand in the United States
raises as much grain as three in Eng
land, four in France, five in Germany
or six in Austria, In our country the
labor Of one man can produce enough
wheat flour, including all the processes
from the farm to delivery at the bakers,
to feed two hundred and fifty persons,
while in Europe the similarly employed
labor of one man feeds only thirty per-
sons.
Mr.. Mulhall further reports that there
are three countries in Europe-Great
Britain, France and Holand-whose
,,,ooI4l ,,,,oo.,,,od h. ,,o,,,,io4ion L..
slightly in excess of ours, but that in
none Of them is the rate at which the
United States Is growing richer equalled.
In the last decennial period we have
been adding to our wealth at the rate
of 81 900 900 daily, and If we go on at
that rate the next census will find us
worth as a nation 800, 900, 100000 or more
than double what we were worth in
1880 The average Of wages has risen
go per cent. since 1870, and during the
same time the accumulation OF wealth
In the hands Of the urban population
has been 76 per cent. more than during
the twenty years preceding 1870 The
increase in a. single form of ma
tional wealth has been, in the last two
decades, in railways, the gain from this
source being not so much to investors
as to shippers. The average freight
charge on American roads in 1890
cents per ton per one hun
bred miles-is less than half the GUS
tomary charge in Europe and represents
a saving in this respect alone Of $685. |
BOO, 900 yearly.
Let the eagle scream. 1t is amply |
justified in so doing. There are no
flies on him.