The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-23
Why Expansion
Was Foreordained
and Inevitable

N dS UrCUFudIuSU
and Inevitable
From an Address Delivered at St. Louis
Last Week by Postmaster General
Charles Emory Smith.
THE OvERMAsTERING fact in the
material development of the world
i during the past quarter of a century
is the marvellous industrial expan.
sion of the United States. The moment
our manufactured exports exceeded our
manufactured imports, that moment we
passed beyond the possession or our 90
mestic field to the demand or foreign
morkets The pregnant hour when our Cx-
ports of manufactures passed our I'M
ports came in 1898, and In the striking
march of events that are not ruled by any
mere CHARGE. that very year witnessed the
war with Spain, which. as it's unexpected
and unavoidable result, brought us tine
great opportunity of commercial outlet
for which the princes of business had al
ready begun to look. but which the keen.
and paramount obligation connected with
the war is the moral duty growing out
| of it. Above all other considerations are
the moral responsibilities OF our new
position. But when we have met the
highest rquirement of the moral stand
ard, there is no code of ethics and no
rule of statemanship which excludes con-
| sideratiOn of the commercial interests
| involved in our public policy.
o.
| Let me ask your attention to our re-
markahle position of economic superior
! ity and to the imperative demands which
grow out of It, Familiar as We are with
| the legend of our national growth, We
| do not realize its stupendous proportions
until we analyze and measure it by COM
parison. In 1870 the annual value of our
manufactures was $500, 100000; now 1t IS
| about $4,000. .0OO,0 600. For half a century
! England had been the workshop of the
| world, and We had only just begun. Still
we had got such start that in 1870 the
manufactures of the United States Just
about equaled those of Great Britain. But
since then our growth has been so pro-
amount to two and a half times the total
volume of Britains manufactures and
equal those of Great Britain, Germany
and France put together. The increase
| In the annual market product within
thirty years has been double the COM
bined increase of those three great ma
| tions of Europe. In other words, If you
match the United States against Great
| our 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 $50. 0O0U
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. trans
portaton and even commerce. wherein
alone We are behind the proportions stand
about the same The aggregate value OF
all American industries Is more than dou-
BILE that of Great Britain, three times
that of Germany. 1t is one-half that of
all Europe combined. With this enor-
nous industrial expansion the national
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 EN-
pire. Now it is third greater than
Great Britains. double Germany's and
nearly double that of France. Within
over $4,000, 100000 in wealth. while Great
Britain, France and Germany together
have gained less than $6O,OOO,oo 100000.
| The figures of our national earnings
earned about $14, 500, 900 coo, of which more
than one.half was the wages Of labor
The earnings Of labor in the United
bined earnings of capital and labor to-
getker in Great Britain. Labor was
never so we'll rewarded as in this pros
porous year, AS compared with thu
ings of labor now are In the ratio of ~
to 81. That is, they are nearly go pei
cent greet than they were five year:
ago II The whole IS country is strding dSH for
900 granted to Spain in connection with
the Philippines was paid by what tn,
country earns in half a day. The ma
tion's earnings in q single year like tn,
half its entire accumulated wealth II
1870: that Is, to more than one-half of al
, that 1t had saved ard put into all form
of property during the first eighty year
of its, existence as q nation. Our annua
gain Is about $4,000. 600. 600, and every sue
ceeding working day sees the United
States over $6 900. .0M better off than 1t wa
the day before. We have multiplied ou
capital more than threefold since 1870 an,
to its present vast proportions we shall u
! the next ten years add as much as the en-
, tire capital of the nation was In 1870. Wit
this rapid and tremendous expansion O
capital and of the product Of labor. I
there to be no expansion Of its oppor
, tunity and its outlets?
When we -pass from these broad out
lines to the particular factors, the aston
ishing growth and the superior positio
Of the United States are emphasized. Iro
and steel are everywhere recognized a
; the basic fabrics and the surest index G
industrial pSw,r. Ffteen years ag
much pig iron as Great Britain. and onl
r a little more than Germany. With
e | that short period our gain has been equs
to the combined gain Of the two grea
iron nations Of Europe; we now make
Z per cent more than either; and we hay
> leaped SO far to the front that we max
! moro than one-third of all the iron tina
is made in the world. The same thin
n Is true of steel. Last year we produce
twice as much steel as Great Britain
0 though fifteen years ago our product wa
h less than hers; and. while Germany ha
outstripped Great Britain. we are 90 pc
' cent. ahead of Germany. We make ha
s as much steel as all ether nations pu
6 | together.
n Not only do We hold the present ma!
g terry, but we command the future. b,
cause we possess the elements of contir
y ued industrial supremacy. Our unuse
e | resources are even more remarkable an
:, significant than our present achieve
. ments. Coal and iron ore are the ra
: material and the foundation of iron an
| steel production. The coal fields Of Gre,
Britain embrace $500 square miles. ar
8 those Of Germany 5000 square miles. b.