Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1911-10-18
A CRYING PUBLIC DUTY.

Some of the "Mark Tapleys" in this blooming
country Of ours--and it requires rather eXtraor-
binary effort to be even an everyday Optimist III
these imes-are drawing considerable lot of
comfort out of the fact of our size wealth, won
derlul growth, vast natural resources industrial
and commercial expansion, the unreasonable pos
Sibilites that go with all these things our spirit
Of progress, our indomitable courage and our long
record in the overcoming Of all obstacles in the
path to national Importance and power. And in
order to give physical emphasis to their cOnten-
ton that the American people We're to "wn out
and ought not to get 'rattled' over merely tenn
porary setbacks adverse factors in a given
situation they quote the following summary from
Of the latest bulletins of the bureau of sta
tistcs at Washington
The area Of the continental United states
was S43,255 square miles in 1900 advancing to
l,7346 $50 square miles in 1910; to 1905 $50 square
miles in 1850; and 3026 536 square miles in 1858
since which date no change in area is shown. The
populations which was five and oncthird millions
in 1900, was nnety-three and three -fourths mil
lions in l9ll Public debt, which was eighty three
r'lllion dollars i'll 1900 reached two thousand six
hundred and seventy-ive million dollars less cash
II treasury in 1865, the figures of 1911 being one
thousand and fifteen million dollars. The per
capita debt which 1858 in 1900 and in
lSi %76,9S, is in 1911 $10S3 The interest
charge per capita which amounted to sixty-four
cents in 500 and %412 in 1866 was in 1911
nniy % cents; and the total annual interest
.harge, which was in 1866 one hundred and forty
six million dollars, was in 1911 twcnty-one and
enc-thrd million dollars. Money in circulation,
which was in 1900 1870 was in 1911 $3435 De
poSits in all banks i'll the country cannot be
shown earlier than 1875 at which date they are
set down as little over two billion dollars, and
III 1910 they were over fifteen billion dollars
The number Of depositors in savings banks in
1920. the earliest year for which figures can be
shown, was little less than nine thousand, and
in 1910 over nine million Government receipts
which amounted to 1904 per capita in 1900 were
IN 1866 $l465( and in 1911 81 Is or about one
llif what they We're III 1866. Exports of domestic
merchandise which amounted to thirty-two mil
lion dollars in value in 1900 were over two bill
lion dollars in 1911; and Imports which amount
ed to ninety one million dollars in 1900 were one
ami ane-half billion in 1911"
There is a heap Of satisfaction saws the New
York Comm, rcial, in all these figures, surely. A
country tina, go ahead like that in the first
century or 50 of its eXistence-with three or four
imporerishing wars on its hands meantime-can
rot easily go to the devil thus early in its see
ond century SO there is the very best reason
possible why we should Chang our banners on
the outer walls, set up shout for a forward
march and reegate all the pessimsts and the lag
CARDS to the rear. But at the same time we must
their right names There is mighty host of
reformers, progressives, up-lifters, savationists
and political nondescripts stalking up and down
the country with long faces and longer tongues
preaching new doctrine Of economic and bust
ness ethics-that all Of our tremendous achieve
ments OF a century and a quarter has been
wrought by essentially wrong methods and by
thoroughly vicious practices, that the time has
come to destroy the whole perncious system
that they are the chosen leaders to conduct the
masses into the right path and thu
they have scheme of legislation already mapped
out for doing it.
The country is big and rich and prosperous
and promising, but it cannot afford TO sit idly
down and rest on its laurels while that gang
of would-be destrCFers is in the saddle It would
pc fool not to recognize the national disaster
hat they are capable of creating It would be
coward not to seek to throttle them wherever they
lppcar
Times may be good or times may be bad But
here is public duty calling loudly Just now to
Il good citizens