New-York tribune., 1900-11-04
TIE GREATEST NATION.

The United States, at something more than
1G0OO0O0 is the greatest nation in the world
The direct reference is, of course, to numbers OF
civilized inhabitants. Only three others out
number Us, and in of them is the stand
ard Of civilization of individual intelligence
for moment comparable with our own. Rus
sia proper outnumbers lis by less than 90 per
cent. But IA nation in which probably not 3
per cent of the people can read and write and
which has only 26.OO0 miles of railroads 10 our
10000 or more, is scarcely TO be compared
with this India is larger in numbers than
Russia. if We regard it as a whole and more
highly civilized; yet its intellectual and indus
trial potentiality is far below that of the United
States China is probably the most popu.ous of
ALL hut intellectually is scarcely superior TO
Russia. and industrially is probably inferior
Certainly its preponderance of population can
not avail to place it by the side of the United
States
The other great nations which are comma
rabe with our own in civilization are now far
outstrpped by in numbers The United
Kingdom has about 41.000,OOO inhabitants or
less than 30 per cent of ours. and if we odd
thereto the millions OF BritOnS and other civil
lized British subjects in Canada, Australasia
and elsewhere throughout the empire the
grand total will still fall far below our figures
Austria Hungary. regarded as one nation boasts
only 430o0,0o0 people. France has ONLY 80 OOO-
600. The German Empire is growing More
rapidly than any other Continental nation vet
il has to-day all told not more than ~ 600 OOo
Inhabitants, or - per cent less than the United
States Italy has about 20 600 600 Japan
45.o00.000. and Spain 2O.000OOO Among all
these the United States with its 10000 900 is n
veritable giant When we add that this conn
than any Of them, its primacy in that par:icu-
lar seems assured. Possibly one certainly two
or three more decennial censuses will show the
United States TO have surpassed European Rus
sia itself in sheer numbers. and thus to be the
most populous of all nations that even lay
claim TO Western civilization.
We shall find the showing of the census we'll
sustained by other statistics. The rank of this
Nation in industry in manufactures and in
commerce is comparable with that in numbers
IT is becoming. and in fact probably Al this mo-
ment is, the greatest producing and consuming
EatioD and the greatest manufacturing and
trading nation in the world. In such estate il
would be shame to ii TO let its citizenship and
its manhood lag behind. Emersons words
were and are true, that the real test of q na-
tons greatness is not found in the census nor
In the crops. but in the kind of man IL turns
out. The kind Of man this Nation must have
TO be worthy of its material rank is the man
who does not hate his fellow as BRYAN would
have him do; who believes in and maintains n
just measure and an honest weight. as Brvan
would not have him do. and who will at al,
ilf,es and in all places uphold the honor of the
nag as Bryan would not have him do. Under
me repudiation and anarchy of Organism the
Chnea states would never have attained its
present populous and material -o.,
those same Dnslign influences IT would never