The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-02-09
..America's Line of Duty Now Clear. /"


made by Postmaster General Charles
Emory Smith, before the Union League
Club, the swell Republican club Of the
Quaker City. The address, like all of Mr..
Smiths addresses, was asophistry and
glazing over instead of logical deduction
from facts.
The statistics which Mr. Smith pre-
scented if Approximately accurate, were
valuable as amazing, showing as they
did the wonderful capacity of the United
States 10 produce and the leaps and
bounds the people are making in the
accumulation of wealth. The following
are some Of the figures, contrasting with
other great nations the wealth and pro-
ductive power of this country:
"Our growth is the wonder Of mankind.
In 1870 the value of our manufactures
was $500, 900, 900; in 1899 it was nearly
81 900, 600, 900. The amazing advance
can best be realized by comparison. In
1870 the manufactures of the United States
just about eqnaled those of Great Britain;
i'll 1899 they were two and half times as
great as the total volume of British manu-
features and equaled those OF Great Britain
Germany and France put together. The
increase in the annual American product
within thirty years has been double the
combined increase of those three great
nations of Europe In other words, if
You match the United States against
Great Britain, Germany and France to-
gether, orr manufactures are now equal
to all theirs and are growing twice as fast
We are manufacturing nearly two-thirds
as much as all Europe, with its 37o, 900,
900 people; and more than one-third of
all that is manufactured in the world.
IF you take the whole range of indus
tries, including agriculture, mining,
transportation and even commerce, where
in alone we are behind the proportions
stand about the same. The aggregate
value of American industries is more
than double that of Great Britain. three
times that of France and two and half
times that of Germany 1t is one half
that of all Europe combined. With this
enormous industrial expansion the nation
al wealth of the United States grows pro-
portionately. In 1860 our aggregate
wealth was but little more than half that
of Great Britain, less than half that of
France and only about half that of the
nations that made up the German Empire
Now it is third greater than Great
Britain's, double Germany's and nearly
double that of France. Within forty
years the United States has gained over
! 81 900 millions in wealth, while Great
Britain, France and Germany together
have gained less than 90 900 millions.
Our present annual gain is about 1000
millions, and every working day sees the
United States over $4,000, 900 better off
than it was the day before -
TO secure an outlet for this increasing
manufactured product and exchange it
for other forms of wealth is the burden of
Mr.. Smiths address, and he looks to
China as the great absorbing nation with
its SOC, 900, 900 of inhabitants Trade
presumes all exchange of products, a
mutual barter of the things which one
nation produces for the things that the
other nation does not produce. China
produces but little that we want Silk
and few other articles. China imports
but little in comparison with other
nations In this-commerce-C China is
the poorest nation on earth, while the
Chinese are the most industrious and
imitatiye people in the world They
never change their manner of living or
their dress. The habits and dress they
have held to for thousands of years ap-
parently, are still chung to wherever they
go. They never take OH the customs and
manners of the people they go among
outside of their own country, but absorb
Their wealth by rigid economy and tireless
industry.
This is the nation and these are the
people which Mr.. Smith and his school OF
statesmen and economists are pointing
the American people to and Boosting of
the "open door" which they have made,
an open sesame which rivals the magic
cave of the forty thieves of the Arabian
Nights.
But the Philippine Islands are the all,
important vestibule to the new treasure
house of China. The whole scheme is a
bald delusion, and it is surprising that
intelligent Americans can be led astray by
such confidence men representations.
This China open door with its Philippine
vestibnle should be christened the Nc
Kinley party folly, humbugging trick
to retain power and continue to fleece the
American people. The sparsely settled
republics south of us are a hundred times
more valuable as customers for our sur
plus produce than all the Asiatics can
ever be.
But the main question of interest 10
Americans is who has this immense
wealth which Mr.. Smiths statistics show
has been created in this country within
the last forty years? 1t is not among the
masses OF the people. One half of one
per cent of the people have managed to
appropriate three. fourths Of it. The
American people euuasse do not have
half as much OF the products as they
wonld consume had they the means TO
procure them. They are the producers of
this amazing wealth but by some niys-
terious, to them, means 1t slips, or is
slipped away from them. Each division
Of labo-ers produces its special part Of the
great wealth that surpasses the combined
aggregate of the three greatest nations of
Europe, but in the exchange of their
separate specific products by the use OF
money-the only medium by which such