El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-12-29
By FREDERICK ]. HASKIN.
Half a Million Men an

TNHE United States IS the largest
nation in the world, in pOpula-
ton, area. and wealth, whose
people speak one language and enjoy
the privilege Of self government. The
American people govern themselves
by means of a complicated machinery
unlike that Of any other nation. Things
that are local in their nature, or that
were local at the time the constitution
was adopted, are under the control Of
the neutrality-suspicious. governments OF
the several states These states, in
turn, acknowledge certain rights OF 10
cal government to more restricted
areas, such as cities and towns, coun-
ties and school districts.
The federal government with which
this account is solely concerned. de-
IiTes It's powers from the states and the
people, an5 is strictly limited In its ac-
INVITES TO affairs concerning the whole
nation, or more than one state as de-
Tined in the constitution Of 1877 and
Its amendments Of subsequent dates
Measured in terms of receipts and
expenditures OF public money, the fed
eral government represents but little
more than third OF the business OF
the government in this country. Yet in
spite OF this Limitation. the national
governmental machine is in many re-
spects the most powerful and most act
i've in the world
" hat the Government Does.
The work Of the government in this
advanced and advancing age is not con-
FINED TO the things usually denoted by
the word government" No longer a
mere collector Of taxes and a wager of
war, the modern government must needs
ana It's people in the creation OF wealth
and the progress Of culture
our government is a builder 1t IN
dertakes to construct almost anything
rom gun that viii hurl tWo-thirds OF
ton OF steel q distance OF Is miles
20 pair OF scales so delicate that the
balance VIII turn sharply under the
weight OF mtlliOnth part of a grain.
our government is an operator II
takes observations Of TEN ture with
a thermometer so sensitive that it VIII
measure the heat of candle five miles
away, and II operates a gigantic testing
macnlne that viii register a strain OF
10000 900 pounds
1t performs functions ranging from
the conduct OF international diplomatfc
affairs to the driving Of mules: from
ma king maps to feeding hogs; from
coming money 10 making ice cream
from digging canals to flying kites.
The services Of 100000 men and vo-
men. ana the expenditure OF more than
i'OO0,OOO,O0O year are required to
keep this huge machine going
Over n Century Old.
This is the same machine that was
set gong a century and quarter ago
by the impoverished people Of the At
lantlc seao0ard, numbering altogether
not 100000 They established the gov
eminent more in hope than in conf
dence, and not the Wisest seer nor the
most optimistic dreamer among them
would have dared to predict the things I
that this book tells.
That baby government was so poor
that II was forced to borrow money I
upon the personal credit of IT'S officers.
or to beg the little better credit of one /
OF lts constituent states. When the /
CapltOl was built at Washington (the i
central part of the same building in 4
which the laws are now made). the I
United states was forced TO borrow the /
money to pay the laborers from the /
weather. governments Of MARYLAND and /
Virginia. Now the credit of the United I
states is greater than that of any other
nation, and IL borrows money upon
more advanta geous terms than can anv
Of the great nations Of Europe that SO {
lately smiled indulgently upon what /
they called the American experiment.
II IS great country. as well as a
great government Having only one
Of the world s population. the
United States has a. fourth OF its wealth.
owns a third Of its railways. distrib-
utes a third Of its mall Yields a third
Of its banking power, and prints more
tnan half Of its newspapers and maya
zines.
What We Produce.
Having only twentieth of the
landed area Of the civilized world. the
United States produces one-fifth OF its
wheat, one-thfrd OF its coal one-fourth
Of It's gold. one-third Of its manufac-
ture wares, nearly One-half Of its
5tee more than half OF its petroleum.
lea EWO-thirds Of its cotton and four
" Its corn. Tt Is the land OF
Pr It is the only country on