Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-11-29
WORLDS WEALTHlEsT NATION.
United States Has . Long Lead Over
All Other Countries.

Dy Tue ulreClOT OIL Tue CELSIUS 1T w dSu-
ington, the aggregate value OF the real
and personal property of the United
States in 1904 was S106, ISL, AIS, 900. As
the wealth of the country In 1900 Is
here placed at fraction over SSS,50O.-
100000, the provisional statement OF
S93, 900, 100000, which had done duty
since that year, is now withdrawn. Ac-
cepting the $SS,OOO,OO0,0O0 as mark
which will stand, the growth in the
four years ending with 1904 was $751;
600, 00OO 900, or 20.7 per cent. This would
make the wealth in 1906 about $116.-
OOO,OOO,OO0. As set forth by the CEN
sus bureau, all the great sources OF
wealth expanded by large figures ia the
four years covered by the report. In
that time real estate taxed increased
over SS,000,0O0,00O, and the products
of agriculture grew $445, 100000. Real
property taxed still heads the list OF
the country's items of wealth, the ns'
ures for 1904 being over $55,Ooo,OOO,'
700. Second on the list stood railways
and their equipments, with a, value OF
S1,OO0,O00,000 This is a conservative
figure. Railway authorities in the past
few years placed the value as far back
as 1904 at a higher mark than the
census valuation here given.
The first year that the census bu.
reau attempted to make any computa'
ton Of the true value of the country's
property was i'll 1850 when the amount
was placed at $T,000,000,00O. The pop
ulation of 100000 then has expand.
ed to S5,00000O now, while the wealth
grew from $7,0O0.000,000 in that year
to $116OOO,0OO,0 in 1906. Population
increased In the fifty-six years little
over three and half times, while
wealth has expanded little more than
sixteen and half times. A create,
addition has been made to the wealth
of the country in the four years end
ing with 1904 than the country's entire
wealth amounted to in 1860, in the
year of Lincoln's first election, at @
time, too, when the 100000 of negro
slaves were counted in the property OF
their states. The per capita wealth
of the country was $30S in 1850. 1t Is
in the neighborhood of 81 400 in 1906.
The census bulletin, just issued, so far
as is indicated by the summary which
is sent out to the press, does not go
back beyond 1890. If it had taken a
little longer and little broader sur.
yey, it could have shown that between
1850 and 1900, while the country's pop.
ulation had been increasing three and
a half times, farm animals expanded
in value six times, wool five times, the
product of manufactures twelve times
pig iron production twenty five times
railway mileage twenty-one times, and
railway capital and activities grew at
a much higher ratio.
Manifestly, the United States has
long lead over all the other countries
in wealth. We have no figures for the
other great nations which make any
such pretensions to accuracy as ours,
but the best that we can CLEAN show
that they stand something like this:
The United Kingdom, $55,0O0,OO0, 900;
France, S5O,OOO,OOO,0OO; Germany, S45,-
100000 900; Russia, $35,000,000, 900;
Austria Hungary, $30,O00,0O0,0OO TIA
ly, $1S,OO0000,00O, and Spain $4,000
100000. The United States wealth IS
more than double that Of any other
country. 1t is increasing double as rap
idly as that of any other country. As
we have much greater natural re-
sources than any of them, our lead
must continue to lengthen for a CEN
fury or two. AS billion dollars Is
too great for the comprehension to
show what, at the present rate Of
growth, the wealth Of the United
States will be in 1856 or 2006. Tho
ratio of expansion In property values
and in extent of trade is several times
as great as that in population. Our re-
sources In coal, iron, lead, copper, zinc,
gold silver and other minerals are vast
ly beyond anything which has been re-
vealed in the work Of the miners thus
far. The time when these deposits will be
exhausted Is so far in the future that
we need exhibit no concern about them.
AS the bald summary of figures given
to the public by the census was defer
red until after the election. there Is no
chance to say that they were intended
as a campaign document for the benefit
of the party in power in the govern
ment. There is no partisanship in the
census bureau. The officials who are
inquiring into the sources and the ex-
tent of the country's wealth seek the
truth, and they give it to the public
as they find lt-St. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat