The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-08-14
The Situation In Wisconsin.

VT HAS BEEN said and repeated
many times that Americans
Il. should not pay the attention
which they do to what Is said OF
them by visitors and commentators
from afar. They should, we are told,
be serenely Indifferent to foreign GEN.
sure and above having their heads
but that is not human nature. ITO
see ourselves as others see us" Is not
an unmiXed evil. 1t has its useful
points, especially when the Others
are honest, discriminating and intelli-
gent.
requirements and who Is now telling
the world what he saw in the United
States is Ludwig Max Goldberger,
German writer of repute. In the main,
he Is cordially complimentary. Ours
is the land of "unbounded possibili-
ties" and the average American is both
proud of the fact and anxious to inn
part knowledge Of it to the guest with
in his gate. Says Mr.. Goldberger:
Everybody seems filled with the
idea that the stranger should see how
great and how strong the country Is.
In the course of my eight months Of
study throughout the Union l found
open doors everywhere inviting investi-
CATION, and nowhere did I meet the
contrary. On all sides l saw unusual
but not unseemly activity industrious
and ambitious men. 1T is a big coun-
try'-that is the designation which the
citizen of the United States applies
with respectful admiration to his fa-
therland, for great, estimated by
measure, weight and numbers, i'm
presses him. But even our cooler judg-
ment must concede greatness to the
United States, because of the nations
accomplishments"
The great results are not lookedtupon
as chance or luck, and Mr.. Goldberger
points to the year 1901. The assassina- =
ton of the president, poor crops, fall
in the metal market, the Northern Pa
| citic corner and it's effect on the ex-
| changes, strikes and falling off in pro-
| duction were "events," he says, (Which,
sngly or collectively, would have
worked to the detriment of the cOun-
| try if the economic foundation were
| less strong. l do not deny that in the
United States, as we'll as in every 9TH
| er country where high stute of pros
perity has been reached. a reaction
must come. Such winter storms are as
| unavoidable over there as they were
| elsewhere, and some indications are
already to be seen in the magic gar
den of the Union. But the country is
| so blessed with earth's treasures, it is
equipped with such inexhaustible re-
sources, it's industries are equipped
with such wonderful and complete ma
chinery, that the worst winter storms
can be weathered."
In proof of this optimistic view the
writer calls attention to the revival af-
ter the panics in "the nineties." With
the Philippine Islands the population
of the United States Is put down at SS,-
900, ,OOO "hardly more than per cent
of the populate of the earth, accord
ing to the latest estimate. This per
cent. has, however, possession of % per
cent. of all the cultivated land of the
EARTH" The writer then gives the sta
| tistics showing the product of wheat
corn, iron, copper, petroleum, etc.
showing the percentage contributed to
the worlds markets by the United
States. 1t is shown that the United
States furnished S4,5 per cent of the
cotton manufactured between 1895 and
1900, that the increase in the produc-
ton of wheat from 1870 to 1901 was 217
per cent. and of cotton in the same
time 2S6 per cent. In 1870 100000 tons
of coal were mined. The amount in
1901 was 900, ,O00.0 tons, an increase OF
SO6 per cent. the increase in iron ore
was SS7.5 per cent, and in steel 1915,
per cent.
But the possibilities have not yet
been reached" says Mr.. Goldberger
"and one only realizes that fact wiIer
one makes the tour of the land from
the Atlantic to the Pacific; when one
visits the workshops, comes in toucf
with the commercial machinery anG
the men through whose management
which may at times have been reck'
less, the United States reaches It's
commercial greatness" His trip tt
the far West, his observations in tht
factories. mines, workshops and on tn,
railroads, disclosed TO the tourist "tht
giant strength of the nation" Tht
hazardous point seen by the writer lie.
In the fact that the new industries
with their many ramifcations. are 81
closely associated with powerful indi
viduals that the withdrawal of the lat
ter would lead to embarrassment fo
considerable time. 1.-The creates
powers of the Old World" he says
"were allowed to develop, and suffered
no shock when citizens We're force,
out of the line of activity. But If ]
Pierpont Morgan should be called ava.
today the values of all the great crea
tions whose intellectual head ant
financial prop he had been would b,
thrown into confusion, Then ii ma!
be demonstrated whether there is suf
fcient commercial energy left 10 con
tinue, and IL the financial foundation
of the industries In their present gigan
tic proportions are worthy of exist
ence."
The writer thinks Il wrong to con