The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-02-23
FACTS AND FIGURES.

FALl0 ANU f|dURtS,
The Best Answers to Democratic
Croaking.
PROSPERITY Is PRESENT.
Secretary Lyman Gage Tells of Our In
dustrial Advancement and What
The Nation is Doing.
Secretary OF the Treasury Lyman j..
Gage drew Il glowing picture at the
Auditorium last night of the commerc.
ial ane industrial future OF the United
States. He was the guest of honor at
the banquet of the Nationul Associa-
ton of Merchants and Travellers, and
spoke on 1.-The Outlook" Over 800
members and guests were present, and
the facts presented and the conclusions
drawn met with frequent applause.
Mr.. Gage spoke in part as follows:
81 congratulate you that, whatever
may betlde tn future, the year just
closed has been ole frelghted with
blessings rich and manifold. 1t has
marked the full return of those actlv-
tiles without which an industrial people
/ cannot be happy. Everywhere, in all
sections and in all the fields of endeav-
or, there is vigorous energy without
parallel in this generation or in Our
history. The farms are putting forth a
full supply for the wants of the home
consumers and to minister to the needs
of those foreign peoples whose harvests
eau never be so bountiful as our own.
Factories and mills TEEN with millions
of operatives, h ppy now with an in.
crease of wages and the opportunity of
full employment. The farmer, the
laborer, the artisan, the manufacturer,
the merchant, the banker and the Cap
italist are all one. as 1 hope they ever
will be-, in the enjoyment of that rich
heritage yielded by conditions of su
preme confidence.
FIGURES ON DEVELOPMENT.
In the brief study which 1 beg to pre-
sent at this point shall institute a
comparison between 1870, 1880, 1890.
1895 and 1899. The compa. ison between
1870 and 1899 Will show the progress of
say, thirty years. select this period
because it was not until about 1870 that
the effects of the civil war began to dis.
appear and the country to advance nor.
mally. In. genera! then the figures will
show the history Of our development
from 1870 to 1899, period when condi
lions were fairly normal. They furnish
therefore, a substantial basis from
which to judge the future"
| Mr.. Gage gave figures to show the
increase in population and schools and
transportation facilities. Continuing
he said:
I'm agriculture the development has
been most gratifing. especially so when
we take into consideration the increas
ed varietysin production aud the grow.
ing production of many articles fol
when we were formerly dependent up
Oh other parts of the world. In the
great staples, wheat corn and cotton.
the increase has been such as to main
tam our supremacy as the greatest pro.
ducing nation OF the world.
GREATEST PRODUCING NATION.
| Corn production increased from / 600.
000,0O0 bushels in 1870 to more than @.
900, 100000 in 1899; wheat from 235.OOO..
| 600 bushels in 1870 547,0OO.OOO in 1899.
and cotton from ,451 100000 pounds in
1879 to 5,793,0OO 600 pounds in 1S99--an
increase IN This great staple, OF which
we supply three-tourths of the worlds
consumption, OF 300 per cent during the
period in which our population has in
creased 100 per cent.
70 measure acc1ately the growth in
our manufacturing is even more diff
cult than that relating to production
or transportation. Ii rs practicable.
however, to iudicatA in some degree its
development by comparing the quanti-
Ties OF material used in the great indu2-
tries at the yarioas dates under con
sldelation. Inc cotton mills of the
United States in 1870 used S57 600 bales
or domestic cotton for manufacturing
Whil6 10 1899 they look 1862, 900 bales
an increase of 434 pAr cent. Tne raw
SILK imported for use in our silk manu-.
featuring Establishments amounting i'm.
1870 10 but $50, $50 pounds. and by 1859
had grown 10 ,2246 $40 pounds-an In
crease OF 1925 per cent; whole the I'm
ports OF cru G rubber for use IN m8nu-
factoring increased from 9,624 O98
pounds in 1870 10 81 o63 066 pounds in
lS99-a grown OF 43l percent.
IN IRON AND STEEL.
"The production OF pig ror increas-
ed from 1868, l79 IONS in 1870 10 11,77S.
98A tons 1898 an iaereaee of 6}7 4la;,