The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-10-10

oil and the gas and the timber have
always been here. and why, therefore.
should the optimIst be anticipating
any marvellous change from the con.
ditions of former times. 1t Is for his
enlightenment and that we may all
better measure the potsndalities OF
the future that / want to burden you
with few facts about he material ad.
vance Of the country.
AS late as 1880 the total wealth Of
the United States was s48,6OO,OOO. 900;
to-day It is largely over 100000, 0OO,.
900. The increase Of our wealth in
a quarter of a century far exceeds the
total of all that we had accomplished
up to 1880. At this time we had a
population of 100000 people; today
we have about S5.OOO,OO0, increasing
at the rate Of about 100000 in the
next ten years and probably 25,00O..
COO in the succeeding ten. In less than
25 years the increase in population
will nearly equal the total population
of 1890. By 1880, against the 5O.OOO,.
900 people Of 1880 and the S5O00,OOO
people Of to-day; we shall have 145,-
100000. AS business expansion is far
more rapid than in crease in popula-
ton, as improved machinery, the tele.
phone and the telegraph, the electric
line and other modern methods are
doubling and quadrupling the produc,
tive power Of man, It is not unreason-
able to say that the 145,OOO,OOO people
who will inhabit this country IS years
hence will in potentiality in business
very nearly, If not quite, equal what
double that number or nearly O,000,'
900 people would have today. In
1890. but 16 years ago. the total value
of the agriculture products of the coun'
try was $500, 100000; this year 1t will
be about $7,O0O,0O00O0. Then the val
ue of the manufactured products Of
the country was $4,000, 100000; this
year It will be fully $1S,OOO,OOO, 900
In 1880 the average value of manufac
tured products was $1O7 per capita
increasing to s14S in 1890, to $40 Ii
1900 and to 5000 in 1905. Thus the
average value per capita has nearly
doubled in twenty-five years, and abou
tcne.third of that gain has been within
the last five years. The same rate O
Increase in the future would give II:
by 1880 total of nearly 100000 900,
900 of manufactured products agains
ISIS, 900, 100000 this year. twenty-five
ago our foreign trade aggregated 81,
COO, 100000; it is now in excess Of So,
OOO, 100000. The 14O,0O0.O0O tons o
coal mined in 1890, only 16 years ago
has grown to 100000 tons, while thu
production Of pig iron in the same pc
riod advanced from 100000 tons to {
total this year of about 25,0UO.0OO tons
The manufacture of Portland cement
an industry so small in 1890 that the
total output was $4,000 barrels, has
jumped to over 100000 barrels. The
output of petroleum has increased from
45, 100000 barrels in 1890 to about 100,
O0e, 900 barrels. In the same periot
the total mile tons of railroad freigh
has grown from 79,000,000,O00 to 173,
O0O, 900, 900 tons, our national banking
capital has advanced from $650,OOO,
900 in 1890 to SS0S 100000 and the as
sets of national banks from $S,141,,
OOO, 900 to 1856, 100000, while the say
ings deposits of $3,261, 100000 las
year were almost exactly double thu
total of 1890. If we would attempt t.
measure the future by the percentage
of increase in production and consump
ton per capita, in the light Of wha
has ben accomplished in the past, thu
figures would be so startling that few
men would believe their realization
possible. Ignoring the percentages o
Increase and taking only the average
annual gain in the last six years ant
projecting 1t forward for the next ter
years and in 1916 we would have
total output of G5O,OOO,OOO tons of coal
over 44,OOO.OOO tons of iron, over 80,
900 900 barrels Of cement, and the val
lie of manufactures would reach $2G,
500 100000. Within that period OIL
total railroad traffic would increase
from the 7S,OOO,OOO,OCO tons moved ii
1904 to $4,000, 100000 tons. Regard
less of any possible temporary reaction