The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1909-08-06
BILLION DOLLAR
CONGRESS MT
Things That VIII Happen within
the Next Ten Years With
Foundation asLan.

Unless the unforeseen occur. the
decade upon. which the United
States is now entering promises
to be one of unexampled prosperi-
ty. It will in reality be a decade
in which the country must learn
to think in billions, for if the. rate
of increase of ths.ten years past is
maintained, as it is probable, the
STATISTICAL; totals, most of them.
will be. found rapidly ascending
the billion column.
Naturally. when that occurs, the
odium. of billion dollar congress
will disappear. The fact is the
United States is rapidly growing
giant among the nations, and it is
still far from having attained the
size to which it is. destined.
The statistical expert Of the
Manufacturers record has been
figuring out what is going to hap
pen, within the next ten years Of
the nations progress, and the very
vastness of the conclusions he
reaches makes startling exhibit
of the. eountry's financial and in
dustrial power. He estimates
that in 1918 the total wealth Of
the country will be the enormous
sum Of $2O0,OOO, 100000. In 1890
it was $65, ,00O,OOO,OOO, and the
estimate for 1918 is based upon
the the average annual rate Of in
crease 1890 to 1908. OF course
the human mind can grasp this
huge total only In the vaguest
way. To the ordinary man it is
superlative vastnass; it is an gx-
clamation, not a clearly defined
idea.
The population for 1918 is esti-
mated at LOG, 600, ,OOO, 600, bank de.
posits $3O,OOOy 5000, 600, value Of
agricultural products SIG, 5000, 600
COO capital and products of manu-
facturers $62,O ,OW,OOO,OO gross
earnings of railroads $4,OOO,000,
600, with mileage Of 284,O0O, and
freight mileage 422,O ,OOO, ,OOO,O 600.
Commenting on these colossal
figures the Record says:
As q matter of fact all that this
country has done is to lay the
foundation for a broad expansion
of industry and agriculture and
Overwhelming prosperity which
shall be seen in the coming years
in the marvellous growth and i'm
provement of the cities and de-
velopement Of good roads through
out the whole land at an expendi-
ture of hundreds of millions of
dollars and an increase in farm
values many, many times the cost
of roads; the building Of better
houses on the farm regions, as
we'll as in congested oity districts;
expansion Of railroads, the de-
velopement Of water powers, and
the utilization Of all the limitless
resources with which nature has
crowded our land. As a country
we have only commenced to grow.
We have only here and there
scratched the surface of our
coal mines. We. have only COM
menced to learn how to improve
our soil so that it's fertility may
steadily increase while giving us
annually larger and larger crops.
We have learned how to begin
the work Of reforestation. Of how
to terrace our hillsides and bring
back the fertility Of thousands Of
barren acres. We have only
learned how in chemistry and
metallurgy and concrete constructs
ion to get ready to work. We
have very much more to learn
il. all of these things than We
have acquired Our knowledge
is limited, while almost infinite
possibilities remain for study and
requirement. darvelous; beyond
the dreams of the present are the
posntialit tiles 'of the future. &.