The Washington herald., 1907-01-14
GREAT WEALTH OF
THE UNITED STATES
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

BY FREDERI
The United States is the wealthiest
country in the world. In the brief span
OF its young life this infant nation OF
ours has broken all records relating TO
the accumulation of riches, and We are
beginning TO think In billions instead OF
millions, Take it any way you like. and
the measure of our afluence Outstrips
anything that has ever been known be
fore.
Our country has more actual money
more gold. a larger volume of exports,
greater banking facilities. richer farms,
more productive mines, more railroads.
more internal commerce, more million
aires, more well-to-do tradesmen, more
independent farmers. more highly-paid
laborers, and a greater distribution of the
luxuries which riches bring than any
other nation has ever enjoyed since time
began.
One day last October Uncle sam had
. gathered into his money storehouse iE
ever collected at one place in the history
of the world-gold representing $S71, ,S93,-
500 This was indeed a high-water mark
We had there in one little room more
gold than was in circulation in Great
Britain, that purse-proud mistress of the
seas, who boasts much OF the sun never
setting on her domains. What thoughts
this statement must have raised in the
mind Of the self-opiniOnated Britisher?
The largest receipt ever given, the
greatest money trust ever undertaken IN
history vas when the present Treasurer
of the United States, Charles H. Treat,
went into Office. He receipted to Elias H
Roberts, the retiring Treasurer, for al
the money and securities in the vaults
of the Treasury. a total of $1,259.59S,-
27S.5S It required from July / to Sep
tember 5 to count the money, and at the
completion of the task the accounts bal
anced TO a fraction.
The costliest governmental establish
ment in the world is the British navy,
upon which a billion and a half have been
expended within the last ten years, vet
three individual AmeTicans-Rockefelle
Carnegie. and Clark-could have paid the
whole bin and stin have some pocket
money left. The United States is now
spending about a hundred millions a year
on its navy. and we are new at this kind
Of expenditure. The extravaganza of ii.
so-called has been the subject Of much
oratOTy- That we are not investing more
than we can afford is shown by the fact
that our display-lOving women spent
hundred million dollars for diamonds pur-
chased in foreign lands during the last
two years. In fact, we are so rich that
the sales OF produce and manufactured
articles that we are sending abroad each
year are equal to a sum sufficient 10 sup
port all the navies in the world
When it comes 10 Individual wealth we
have a dozen citizens who are worth
more than all the kings and rulers of the
world. taken collectively or severally.
The Car Of Russia is reputed to have a
greater income than any other living man,
but his private fortune is so mixed up
with the governmental revenues that it
is impossible to separate them. If a dis
tinction could be made our pious uncle,
John d. Rockefeller, could undoubtedly
make a comparison with the -splned
Nicholas, and show the biggest pile The
Russian mOnarch's wealth is the accu-
mutation OF an empire. centuries old in
the making, while the Ohio oil magnate
can remember when he had nothing.
Leopold. King Of the Belgians, is the
richest monarch in Europe, after the
Car. Although his income from the
state is but $1.7O0,O0O a year his business
interests are SO large, and his income
from the Congo Free State is so great
that it is estimated he gathers in quite
five Millions annually.
Senator Clark has an income that is at
least three times as great. The Montana
copper kings New York residence Will
cost more than the Belgian sovereign will
take in during the next twelve months.
Edward VII receives e470,0OO a year, and
the entire royal family of England is
provided for in the civil lists with in
comes aggregating $4,000.
Mr.. Carnegie spends more money for
the founding of institutions and the en-
dowment of libraries and schools each
year than the whole royal family of Eng
land can command.
The King Of Italy is well provided for
with 5000 O0O a year. but he is poor COM
pared with J. Pierpont Morgan. Alfonso
XIII. King of decadent Spain, is given
81, 10000 year TO provide the style that
should surround a king, but Col John
Jacob Astor could easily outsquander this
youthful monarch if he felt so disposed.
The Kaiser receives a small annual al
lowance, only $3.50 600. so that either Will
lam X Vanderbilt or August Belmont
has more ready money at his disposal
than Germany's Emperor.
Any one Of dozen more Of our multi
millionaires are wealthier than any Of the
remaining rulers Of the world who might
be named.
When IL comes 10 comparing our total
wealth with that of the Oldest and rich
est of nations. the measure OF our afTiu-
ence is so excessive that there really
isn't any comparison. No wonder for
eigners think that money grows on trees
in America We have 1.00O millionaires.
New York alone has more wealthy citi-
zens than London. Paris, Berlin, and St
Petersburg combined
Fully one-half Of the railway mileage
of the world is in the United States, and
we possess one-third of all the worlds
banking power. An accurate measurement
of cur monetary strength shows that we
are really in class by ourselves, and
in many respects actually assuming the
proportions of a worthy rival Of all the
rest of Christendom combined No
wonder Europe views our growth with
alarm, and would Ike 10 talk us into a