Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-01-10
William E. Curtis Says Croesus
Was Pauper Beside Our
' Uncle Sam.
FIGURES SHOW BIG GROWTH.
Per Capita Wealth in 1870 Was
$779.S3; in 1907 It Was +
$1,31o.11.

dEe some uSureS IldC every DOdy SHOULD
read, because they mean so much. They
measure our greatness as a nation and
our prosperity as a people, and al
though they are so s~tupendouS that the
human mind almost refuses to compre-
bend them. they carry a lesson that ev-
cry citizen and every school boy should
learn. Uncle San is richer than IN
other nation that exists or ever has
existed. Crsesus, King of Lydia, whose
name has been a synonym for wealth
for ages, vas a pauper compared to
him.
From the reports of the bureau of
statistics, the census bureau, the Treas
ury and Agricultural Department Will
liam p. Curtis, the Washington CORE
spodent, has compiled 4 few significant
figures showing the material develop
ment of the United States within the
last thirty-seven years. He has select
ed the year 1870 as a basis of compari-
son, because that was the beginning of
8 new era in American and
industry that followed the Civil War.
Although the panic of '73 arrested the
growth of the country for a time, the
present period OF development began
then.
The population of the country in 1870
was 3S,55S,371, or 1874 to the square
mile; the population on the 3Oth of June,
1907, according to the estimates Of the
census bureau. was 3, 900, 3O3, or 1928
per square mile.
The tangible wealth Of the country, the
true valuation of real and personal prop
erty, according to the census of 1870, was
$30,O6S,51S,OeO while in 1907 it is esti-
mated at more than three times that
amount, or $1O7, 104,211,9 17.
AS far back as 1850 the per capita
wealth of the United States was csti-
mated at $3n!. 6 o In 1870 it had more
than doubled and vas estimated at
SI79.S3 Ia 1907 it had almost doubled
again, and has reached the sum of ST.
BlO.ll per capita, which proves that we
are the richest people that ever existed.
in other words. if the real and personal
property belonging to the inhabitants of
the United States could be equally dis
trlbuted among them, each man, woman
and child living on the 30th of June last
would have been entitled to S1.31O.11.
In 1870 the deposits in national banks
" ~ IOlc OI1ileu States amounted TO
e542, 261, 1868, while on the Both of Sep
TENDER last they were 1892, $50, 141.
In 1870 the deposits in savings banks
were $549,S74,95S. while on the 3oth of
September, 1907, they were $3,690,O7S,-
945.
Taking the two together and including
all the banks-national, State, private
and savings-the deposits nave increased
eightfold during the last thirty-seven
years-from $1,O92, 135 1921 in 1870 to
fS,O23,2SS,SS6 in 1907.
The bank clearings for the entire coun-
try are not given for 1870. The earliest
available figures are for 1890, when the
total for the United States was SIS, 1915
E79,5O5, which has increased to S157,-
749.32S,913 for the last fiscal year.
The national bank circulation in 1870
was 'S2SS.64S,oS1, while on Dec. ID last
It was $675,231,3o5. ....
In 1870 we had only S25,0OO,OOO silver
and gold coin. To-day we have S. 233-
705,S69, of which S756,6 ,S69 is gold
and the remainder silver.
The Understanding debt of the United
States has been reduced from 81
522, or S6O.46 per capita of population,
In 1870 to 1858, O3,O1O, or S1O.26 per
capita, in 1907. The annual interest
charges on the public debt have been re-
duced from Sis, $4,000, or So per cap
ita of population, to S21, 62S,914, or %
cents per capita of population.
Notwithstanding the reductions in war
taxes since 1870, the ordinary revenues
of the government have increased from
$395,959,S34, in that year to $663, 14O,434
in 1907, and the ordinary. expenditures
have increased from $164, ALLISON to
$554,422, $50. This does not include the
receipts or expenses of the postal service,
which Is almost self-sustaining. Last
year the receipts from postage were $780,
6S5,0O5 and the expenses $19l,214,3S7,
leaving a deficit of $7,629,3S7 to be paid
out of the treasury.
The total revenues of the government
in 1907 were $s46, 1889 and the total
expenses $50, $40, $50.
The increase in the pension roll has
been enormous. The total in 1870 was
S2S,340,202, and in 1907 it is $139 .3O9,-
b14. The cost of the army in 1870 was
$57,566,675, and in 1907 S122,576,465.
The cost of the navy during tile same pc
riod has increased from $21, 7SO,23O, to.
$97,12S,469.
The imports of merchandise in 1870
amounted to S435.91S,4 OS, and our ex-
ports were 1892, I'll, 76S that year, while
in 1907 the imports were S1.434, 421 ,425
and the exports $~1.SSo,S51,OTs., In 1870
the exports per capita of population were
SOFT, and, notwithstanding the enormous
increase in population, the per capita in
; 1907 was S21.66.
The foreign of the United
States for the calendar year Of 1907 has
been larger than in any previous year in
the history of the country, both in i'm
ports and exports, and our trade with
every grand division of the world is in ex-
cess of any previous year. The imports
during the eleven months ending Nov. 80
exceeded s., 330,0 O,00O, while the exports
were worth $1,716,000, OOO. If the in
crease has continued during December the
total of exports will reach nearly two
billions of dollars. The exports for No
venfber were the largest for any single
month on record and reached $2O4,44,-
ego. which was nearly seven millions a
day. Our exports to Europe were $4O,-
10000 more than in 1906, when they
were larger than for any other year. Our
exports to North American countries also
gained S40.000,O00. Our exports to South
America gained S7,Oae.0o0, to Asia SILL
100000 md to Porto Rico, the Hawaiian
Islands and the Philippines more than