Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-04-01
THIS CoUNTRY's GREATFUTURE.

The United States Is, after all, a
thinly settled country, capable Of sus-
tanning many times the number OF its
present population. Mr. o. r. Austin,
chief Of the bureau Of statistics, in a
very interesting paper in the April
Forum, shows that II this country were
az densely occupied as Belgium. IL
would have 1.77G,O6O,OOO inhabitants
Great Britain, Italy Germany. Swift
zerland, France and even Spain, Portu-
gal. Greece and Turkey have more peo-
pie 70 the square mile than the United
states. There Is, then, no ground for
the fear sometimes expressed, that
there is no room here for much Increase
The United States should be capable Of
giving homes TO the entire population Of
the world and yet have no more than
800 people to the square mile, less than
the present proportion in Belgium.
The author argues that by properly
developing its resources and exohang-
ing It's products for foodstufrs from
other countries the United States
would probably be able to sustain more
than 1000 people to the square mile
Barbados, In the British West Indies,
has ll0O TO the square mile. England
and Germany, on combined area less
than that Of Texas, sustain popula-
ton greater than that Of the entire
United States and twenty-five times as
great as that which Texas now sup
ports with a great railway system
stretching from Patagonia TO Alaska,
and connecting across Boring Strait
with an Aslatie railway system; with
wireless telegraphy enabling lnstan
taneous communication from city to
city, and telephones so developed that
man may speak from continent to con-
tinent with the art Of ocean navlga-
zion much more highly developed. and
perhaps the navigation Of the air as
completely mastered as that OF the
ocean Is today the United States, with
its power TO interchange Its products,
will be Ia touch with those OF other
lands, and It's power to sustain pop
ulatlon Of 100000 COO--yes. even BIZ,
lion--will be greater than that by
which the prosperous nations Of Eu-
rope sustain their present population
Mr. Austin points out that we shall
not be required to produce within our
own boundaries, all the foodstuffs nee
essary Cor the maintenance Of the mil
lions that VIII live IN this country dur
lng the century that has just COM
menced. Canada, Africa and Australia
win be to us what this country now is
to the donsely populated Europe. We
win draw upon them for food, and eG-
change with such products as our man
ufacturing skill may produce.
The reasoning Is entirely sound, our
country Is endowed with all the re-
sources needed TO make II the greatest
and most powerful country In the
world, as well as the center Of the
highest type OF civilization, And this
seems to be its destiny, provided moth
ing Is permitted to interfere, to divert
It from the onward course set for IL
when II was first launched upon the
voyage Of independence
Americas history is most remarkable.
II was here that man first was intro
duced by the Creator AT one time, its
inhabitants were numerous and pros
porous They trayersed the oceans and
read the depths Of the universe. II is
believed that traces Of their clviiza-
ton are found IN nearly all parts Of
the world. But when they forgot the
Creator, or violated their covenants
with Him. they were swept from the
face Of the earth, and the very country
was hid from, the rest Of the world, as
IL II never had existed Pride. class dis
tinctions. strife, were the causes OF dis
aster The entire civilization was over
thrown, and only few monuments are
now left to bear witness Of glory
that lie past We read Of commissions
in nature which sunk continents and
buried millions of people In the deep,
Such lessons are OF Importance to the
present generation, They should re.
mind us that only by following the
paths OF Righteousness can nations OBJ
tain solblility and be assured Of ma
terial and spiritual progress.