The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1910-06-30
cSfnce the Sfrst &ou9th

lish cousins. In which
they casually referred
10 the fact that they owned a territory
OF W 297.O00 square miles. OF some
i've times as large as all England and
Wales, neither Poor Richard nor my
Of the other dear old chroniclers
made note Of the fact
But inasmuch az the oolonists felt
big enough and strong enough and rich
enough 70 pitch into Great Britain,
and. not only did pitch into her. but
beat her after a fair fight. II would
look to ar unbiased person today as
n the forefatherB OF the lrecrackers
had a pretty good opinion OF them
selves and Of what they bad In hand.
II Is quite likely that after the un.
-pleasnntneas known as the Revolution.
when the country was striding ahead
with its commerce, was selling its
cotton and its tobacco TO every one
that wore clothes or used the weed,
they felt they had more reason TO a
themselves on the back for the mar
yelous growth they showed before the
eighteenth century was done.
But just supposing one OF the
trainers Of the Declaration could read
over a few statistics and observe a few
events that that are at hand today!
II you told him that since his day the
eountry-his country-has increased
more than ten times in area. more
han 80 times In population, and more
than a thousand times in wealth. how
would he take the news7 Would be
stu assert, az some Of our friends
among the Oldest inhabitants are
prone 20 DO. that the good old days
were best or would he not be more
likely 20 sally forth IN search Of the
beadle and make a peremptory de-
mand for your Incarceration as a dan
gerous lunaucI
Surely II truth is stranger than fc-
ton figures ? . stranger still when
measuring the vas strides that our
country has taken since the Fourth Of
July. i7T6 What one OF the signers
dreamed that In 1903. or less than 30
years after hih Ink dried Upon that
historic document the United States
would acquire a territory OF $4,000
square miles. or nearly three times the
sire Of all the - original states put
together. But that was what We got
when we bought Louisiana for $4,000
600. In 1918. when we took IN Florida,
We added mor than 10000 square
miles TO our area IN Is45 we took IN
Texas with ita vast domain Of $4,000
square miles: and within three years
thereafter had absorbed Oregon and
the Mexican concession. adding IN
round numbers 10000 square miles
more.
Every once In a little while Uncle
Sam seemed 20 grow territurially hun.
cry. and would lunch on a promising
fragment OF tho continent The Gads-
den purchase OF $4,000 square miles
was made Ia 1853: Alaska was bought
for S7.so0.00o IN 1867. adding nearly
100000 square miles 20 our map, and
IN 1897 We took IN the Hawaiian is.
lands TO prove that we were no dis
eliminating against the Pacific ocean
In the matter OF our favor. Then an
In a bunch. during the days OF 1898
and 1899 We took IN Porto Rico. Guam
and the Philippines. and a few OF the
Samoan islanda The Sandwich g.
lands we're scarcely worth mentioning
for they added only a wee mite 70 our
real estate holdingn-6.7t0 square
miles. b. be eXAet-Rnd Porto Rico
with liza $500, and little Guam with
It's G5 might be left out altogether
and we'd hardly notice that va lad
ioet them
The Philippines totaled about itA.
600 square miles. and youn hardly be
able TO suppress a smile when you are
Informed that the Samoan islands"
that We took over IN 1899 had the
enormous area OF "a square mllea. But
even u that there's plenty OF room
upon those little ocean dots for ca.
Bile houses. dry dOcka and coalinE sta.
uonB. A few thousand iona OF coal
stored AZ any one OF those places may
az some time IN the future save the
American o~attl0ship fleet and give Il
the power 60 overcome a foe IN the
far east Thus. al told. when you ada
up the various breakfasts. lunchoona.
t"A NtAAeAA 81 new lNnu thhA our
uncle has enjoyed since i5T6 wo get
the tidy showing az a.9S6. fsi square
miles.
This new territory cost the United
States treasury exactly ~sSG.03976S. or
about $50 a square mile. Add what
we've bought 60 what we had during
the Revolution. and you get a total OF
a little moro than 5000. 900 square
miles OF territory.
The government hgure experts. who
ought 20 be the best on earth. for they
get more pay than n other statIsti.
clans on the globe, calculate that the
total wealth OF the United States TO
day is over siiO.0 00. 00O. 1000 They have
come TO the conclusion, after going
acres and acres Of numerals that
every maa. woman and child IN the
United States has SSt.72. II you have
not a. much a that you should 20 TO
Washington and demand tho difference
from Maj. o. y. Austin, chief OF the
Of st0tistica II every one
QUhn han us.u. akaw anN - -