The Washington times., 1903-01-01
GREATEST OF NATIONS HAPPY
NEW YEAR TO WORLD POWERS.
United States Starts 1908 With Largest Domestic
corded by Anu Nation

Uncle Sam bows to the world this
morning in new role-great in popula-
ton, the greatest in commerce, both do
nestle and foreign. of any country on the
globe. In bidding Happy New Year
to the powers across the big pond it is
with the feeling OF satisfaction that no
matter how prosperous has been the past
year for the United Kingdom, for Ger
many, France. or any of the others, this
country at last leads commercially. The
advancement has been steady in the last
decade. until now, for the first time, the
United States stands out boIdIy-fore-
most in trade.
It IS true figures for the year just
closed cannot be obtained with the Ger
tainty that they are accurate, but from
the best available it is evident that the
claim made in the foregoing paragraph
will not be contested. In round numbers,
the United States shipped TO other coun-
tries merchandise Of the value of s., 382,-
900 O0G, while the exports Of Great Britain
amounted to 81. 1863 900. 000; of Germany to
sI,113, 600 600, and Of France $500 600. 600.
And these figures, It may be said. are
! prophetic of a continuance Of this supre-
macy.
/ Feeling of Bigness.
In population that feeling Of 'bigness"
/ is not particularly strong, though the fig
ures for 1902, as well as they may be es-
timated, are of sufficient satisfaction to
make boasting excusabIe. The popula-
+ ton Of the United States is about 79. O0O,-
! 600, almost twice that of the United
j Kingdom, over 20oO0.GoO greater than
T that of Germany. and more than double
that Of France From the comparative
point Of view it may De said it has
/ been found in the last two decades the in
crease in population in America has been
more than 20 per cent for each decade.
while the figures in the United Kingdom
! for the same two decades. in round num-
/ bers, were and 10 per cent; in Ger
many. 10 and Il per cent. and in France
IL and less than per cent.
Unparalleled Prosperity.
1 A year of unparalleled prosperity in
/ the United States has been the record
/ for 1902, with the total wealth increas-
ing 50 rapidly that it could hardly be
/ counted. The rate of<growth has never
before been equaIed. The last statistics
/ of wealth were gathered with the census
/ Of 1900, but conservative estimates place
the total wealth of the country today at
Sl02, Geo 600 600. It is believed that even
these enormous figures are under the
/ true total.
The total wealth If divided equally
among all Of the people. would give to
each man, woman and child in the United
States $1.z75 1t is estimated that the
total wealth has increased. about. "a. 5e0.-
00o.000 during the year and the wealth
per capita has increased about $50 in
the same period. Comparisons show
rapidly increasing per capita inasmuch
as the total wealth in the race with pop
ulation is surprising the latter with
wonderful strides
Total Volume of Business.
But it is in the total volume Of bust
ness transacted in the United States dur
ing the year just closed that is the most
remarkable in the nations history. This
is shown by the fact that in every. part
Of the country, and practically through
out the entire year. the railways have
been unable TO handle the vast tonnage
Of freight which they have been called /
upon to transport. Freight cars of all !
kinds have been pressed into service and
the car factories and locomotive shops
have been working night and day In an
effort TO meet the urgent demands Of the
roads for more cars end additional mo-
tive power.
In the labor market the same excess
of demand over supply has Deen felt.
and instead of men walking about look
ing for work employers have been forced
to advertise. The natural result has
been that the wages Of labor have been
Increased in nearly every line of en-
pioyment. Strikes have forced these IN
Creases in some instances, but in gen
eraI they have been voluntarily conced-
ed by employers, who have recognized
the right of their employees to share in
the general prosperity and have realized
that with labor Of all kinds in demand
they could only keep their forces to-
gether by paying wages fixed by the
memorable laws Of supply and demand
American Producers Taxed.
Despite the fact that the unprece-
denied demands of the home market
have taxed American producers and
manufacturers to such an extent that
there has been less surplus that could
be shipped abroad than IN some pre-
vious years, the foreign commerce af-
fords additional evidences of general
pressing that. surprising as the state
ment viii be, many manufacturers in
stead of having a surplus that could
be exported have been compelled to
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