The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-07-07
ENORMOUS PROFITS
FOR THE RAILROADS
Pennsylvania System Had Gross
Earnings Last Year Amount
ing to ST. 49, 600, 600.
Ut BEATS SOME NATIONS
Revenue Of Mexico and ssvera, Other
Comparatively Important Nations
ls Far Less Than That of
Some Railways.

A nbRS bNukIVU0
Is Far Less Than That Of
Some Railways.
BY Charles M. Harvey in Pearson's.
h gross earnings Of the Pennsyl-
Nania railroad In the calendar year 1904
were Sis. 600. 900. This sum is too great
to be grasped by h ordinary compre-
hension. Only by comparison with 9TH
or concrete things can we get an ade-
Quate idea of its magnitude.
Mexico has a population of $4,000, 900.
It covers an area equal to that of the
United States east Of the Mississippi.
Mexico's annual revenue is SIS. 900, 900.
The next largest and richest OF the
1atin-American countries, except Bra
Eli, is Argentina, which has q revenue
Just half OF that Of the Pennsylvania
road. In the past ear or two Vene-
suela has stood off, the United States.
England, Germany, France. Italy and
other countries. sometimes successfully,
but oftener simultaneously. The Penn
sylvania railroads. income for two
weeks equals mat OF Venezuela for
twelve months. II we bulk the indie
pendent countries Of the Caribbean and
Of Central America-Cuba, Hayti. santo
Domingo, Panama, Guatemala, Hon
duras. Costa Rica. Nicaragua and Sal
Hador. n add to them Diaz's coun-
try and Castro's, we get a population
OF $4,000, 900 and a event only equal
to that OF the Pennsylvania railroad.
That corporation has twice the income
OF the Dominion OF Canada, which has
1000, 900 Inhabitants and an area greater
than that of the United States. Except
h United States, the only country in
h western hemisphere which has
as large a revenue as h Pennsylvania
railroad is Brazil.
Belgium fills an important place on
Europe's map. but that country's in
come, dollar for dollar, is only about
the same as Mr.. Cassatt's road. Por-
tugal's income is only about half as
great. h Netherlands, with It's Hague
conferences. past and projected. has
filled much space in the newspapers re-
Gently. Sweden-Norway's internal trou-
bles, threatening the secession Of Nor
way n q civil war which might in
Nolve great nations. have aroused some
concern in the world. The Pennsylvania
railroads earnings are greater than the
treasury receipts Of the Netherlands
are much greater than the revenue of
Turkey n its old enemy Greece. They
are greater h that of all the Balkan
states-Roumania, Servia, Bulgaria and
Montenegro-taken together.
Sapan's army and navy have been
AllIlIl6 lue trump Ol 1bIue 1OT over a
year; yet the income of the government
Of the 49, 900, 600 Japanese. in the fiscal
year 10000, was approximately the
same as that Of the Pennsylvania rail-
road. Only the large nations exceed in
revenue h a roads earnings. Para
phrasing Bonaparte's tribute to the
London Times the Pennsylvania roa
is one of the worlds greatest powers.
About the middle of Jefferson's SER
vice he called congress attention to the
big treasury surplus accumulated from
h large revenues, and he urged that
1t be applied to the extension of the
public schools, to the Improvement Of
rivers. and to the construction of ca
nails and roads. The Pennsylvania rail-
roads income in 1904 equaled that Of
the United States government through
h sixteen years extending from Wash
angton's Inauguration as president to
h end of Jefferson's first term. In
Folks term we annexed Texas, Oregon,
Washington and Idaho, fought the war
with Mexico, and gained, through con
quest and purchase, California, Nevada,
Utah, most of Arizona, New Mexico,
and parts Of Colorado and Wyoming.
The ven of the Pennsylvania road
United States government in Folks
M years. Last years income of that
road was double h e of the gov
eminent when Lincoln entered office in
1851.
And this is but one OF the United
States railway lines. II the entire
American railway system be taken into
consideration it would be hard to find
any basis OF comparison with it. The
Income OF the 215, 900 miles of railway
in the United States in 1904 was $780,
000 ,0oo. This is only a small fraction
short of the combined governmental
revenues of the United States, Great
Britain and France in that year. 1t
was equal to the revenues OF Germany,
Russia, Austria and Italy.
The Income of the railroads for a year
equals the entire capital and surplus
funds of all the national, state and pri-
vate banks. and Of all the loan and
tEust companies in the United States.
1t would pay the United States govern
ment!s bonded debt twice over, and
leave enough to run Spain's govern
ment for a year..
England had railways earlier than
the United States, but the mileage Of
main track in this country today is ten
times greater than the United King
dom's- lit fs ;as great as that of all Eu-
rope. Africa and Australia. 1t ds MO-
hfths of THAT of the entire world. The
American railways employ more men
1850, OO9-tnan were in the union armies
at the time of Lees surrender. Their
main track-215, 900 miles on July 1, 1905
-Would go an0und the globe at the
equator more than eight and a half
times. 1t would reach SO near the
moon that 81 person at the outer end
Of the line might. with wireless tel
egraphy, be able to open comlnunica-
ton with the Lunarians. IL there are
any.
Mileage of Railways in 1905.
United States, 215, 600.
Europe, 10000. '"
World, $4,000.
The assets OF the American railways,
SIG, 600, 000, 600, exceed the capital and
property of any other of the great ac-
tivities Of the country except agricul-
'ture. They are a seventh of the wealth
of the country in 1905. They equal the
entire country's wealth at Lincoln's in
au.uration.
Assets ia 1905.
Railways, &c. 600, 600 1000.
Manufactures, $11, coo, 000,O 900.
Agriculture, $24,0 00. 000. 00o.
n yet the birth and evolution OF
tile American railway system has come
within The lifetime of many men who,