Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-10-27
ONE HUNDRED BILLIONS TIE
WEALTH OF OUR COUNTRY
From the Denver Times

Is it possible for the human to conceive 100000,
100000? Yet the report of the director of the census to
be made early in December will tell us that this is the
total wealth of the United States. 1t will also show that
the annual increase in wealth amounts to S2,5OO,OOO,OOO,
an amount greater than the wealth of the entire country
at the time of the signing of the Declaration of indie
pendence. From a country with less than 2%5,OOO,O0O peo-
pie in 1850. this report will show that we are now a ma
ton of %S5.000,000 souls.
In 1850 there were 1,449,O73 farms in the country,
representing a total value of 1885,, 1917 $50. During the
fifty years following there were %5,739.657 farms settled.
These farms today aggregate a total value of $2O.5l4,OOlr
S3S, and produce crops and live stock annually over So
600, 100000.
The greatest money producers among the products
of the farm are corn, wheat, cotton, hay, rye, oats and
barley. The production and revenue from the corn crop
heads the list. In 1850 this crop amounted to 5920n, lO4
bushels, and produced a revenue of sS76,45O,SSO. The
enormous production of 2,476, 4S0,934 bushels was reach
ed in 1904, the record mark in the history of this crop.
The revenue amounted to s~1,Os7461,4 1O, or enough TO
enable the farmers to pay the national debt and interest
thereon for one year.
The total mineral production of the country, includ-
ing precious stones, increased from $21S,5sS,s94 in 1860
to slab, 721, 500 in 1904.
From an agricultural country of fifty years ago,
when our manufactures were almost entirely isolated, we
have become foremost among the modern manufacturing
nations. Today we produce more manufactured. articles
than any country in Europe, and these articles are worth
more than half asAauch as those of all our manufacturing
rivals combined.
The census indicates that from 1860 to 1870 the value
vi aaAhAa $1,000 a~tS18
in 1860 to $4,232, 1925, 442 in 1870. In the decade covered
by the census of 1900 the absolute increase in gross value
of products was 1854 .S50,215. The net value of our
manufactures as computed by the census is $S,S7O,595,l76,
a sum more than double the net value of the products
of the farm.
In 1850 there were 9,021 miles of railroad operated In
the United States. The mileage now exceeds that of all
Europe combined, with 205,237 miles in operation, valued
at $685. 7O2. 1886, and annual gross earnings amounting
Ito 81 ,9OS, S57,S26.
The coal produced in the country has a greater value
than gold, silver, copper and lead combined. There were
mined in 1850 3,35S,S99 tons of coal. This supply increas-
ed to SOI, $50, 439 tons in 1902, 80 per cent of the worlds
supply, and had a total value of 367,O32,O69
More than 100000 tons of iron ore were mined IN
1850, while the production of copper amounted to only
$50 tons. The production of iron ore increased in 1904
ito 27,553,161 tons, representing a value of $66,59O,5 O4
while the copper mined in the same year amounted to
639,033, 1892 pounds and was worth S7l,l92,Ol4.
Thus it will be seen that the progress of the United
States in point of increase of wealth alone has been
greater than that of any other country during a similar
period in human history. 1t would be interesting, could
the information be obtained from this forthcoming re
port. to know what proportion of the ~S5,OOO,OOO popula
ton owns the bulk of the $10OO 900, 900 1000. This, howev
err, is a matter which this report will not indicate,