Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-04
story Of American Advancement.

ISt. Louis SilODe-DelIoSide'I
Some figures relating to America are
coming from various quarters these
days which tell marvellous tale. Ac-
cording to a dispatch just received from
washington, the gold in the treasury at
the nresent moment is approximately
Sag. o0O. 900. which Is the highest point
aver. reached in this country. 1t is only
by comparing this with the stocks oil
gold in the repositories OF the other
great nations, however, that we can
grasp the magnitude of the united
States store. France. which STANDS
next in the extent of Its gold stock IN
the country at large and also In the
treasury, has $47S 100000 in the latter
at the present time. Russia's treasury
hoard of gold is s330,000,000. Austria
Hungary's is $225,000,000. Germany's is
1924 100000, and the amount in the
Bank of England is $173,000,00O. OF
course, the use of checks, drafts. bills
of exchange and other money-econo-
MIXING contrivances is greater in En-
gland than it is in any other country
except the United States, which VIII
account for the fact that England has
less gold on hand than has the other
great nations of Europe.
A few days ago London publication
presented some figures Of American SUI
periority to the rest of the world in
many fields which created surprise on
the other side of the water. The later
statistics would have been even more
favorable to this country. In the aggre-
gate amount of it's manufactures the
United States has long been ahead of
the United Kingdom, which stands sec
ond on the roll. Within the past year
or two the United States has gone to
the front in coal production, Its output
in 1901 being 26S.0O0,000 tons. The
United States is so far ahead in the
output of pig iron that virtually there
is no second, the production in the call
endar year 1901 being 15,S75.Sb4 tons,
AN increase of over 100000 tons over
19OO's record. This is much more than
double the output of 1894 In 1881
which is as far back as reliable hgures
go in the United States, the pig iron
production was 10000 tons. England
was so far ahead Of this country at that
time and for many years afterWard
that she was virtually without rival.
Even in aggregate exports on merchan-
disc which amounted to $1,465.OOO,O0O
in 1901. the United States has now
taken the first place.
The United States does far more
business, even in proportion to popula-
ton, than it has ever done before and
more, counting it's domestic and for
Eeign activities, than any other country
in the world, and it has more money to
do it with. Trustworthy figures for
national wealth do not go farther back
than 1850 at which time il amounted
to about s7.136,0O0.000. In 1900 it
reached s94,3OO.O0O,0OO. This expansion
is so far ahead of that of population,
rapid as the latter has been, that the
country's per capita wealth, which was
s30S at the earlier date, had advanced
to s1,236 at the latter time. Such an
expansion in half a century is mexam-
pied in the worlds history. The public
debt, less cash in the treasury, which
was SIT per capita in 1865, had been
reduced to $13.44 in 1901, and the ten
dency is still downward. The cash in
actual circulation, which was s13.S5 per
capita in the so-called flush" days of
1860, was SOS per capita at the close of
1901. In every particular the country
is richer and greater and the prosperity
of its people is higher at the present
moment than it has ever been before.
These are facts which ought to be con-
sidered when the advance In the cost of
government is mentioned. There has
been large increase in this item. and
the increase has grown faster than the
population. but the expansion in ma
uonal wealth has been vastly greater.
Ihe burden of government is far less at
the present time than it has ever been
before in this country, and 1t is i'm
measurably less than in any other great
nation of the world.