Evening star., 1917-05-06
Uncle Sann's Big Balance Sheet at BEGINNING of War

Copyright, 1917, by Frank G. Carpenter.l
TT thrills me when l think of my job.
/ am to write a series of letters
about our new industrial empire
q from the standpoint of national pre-
paredness. 1 have agreed to travel over
the United States and make on-the-
ground studies of the revolution that is
going on in our farms, factories and
mines ! want to show their Importance
: in this critical stage of our history. l
want to investigate their wonderful re-
sources, and how they may best be de-
veloped in view of the enormous de-
mands that have arisen in connection
with our great war with Germany and
with the trade war that will probably
result when peace comes
wonder If you realize what n great
possession the United States is? 1t is
the best business proposition in the as
sets of the nations. II is by far and
large the richest country on the face Of
the globe and it's possibilities are beyond
the dreams of national avarice.
Suppose we take look at the globe
and see what have. Pick the conti-
nents and islands out of the oceans and
crowd the land together into one block.
Measure it and you will find that. all
told, II Is just ABOUT 5g,UUU,UuO square
miles, and that the United states owns
more than one-Sixteenth of the whole.
That means that If all the land upon
earth could be Joined in one farm and
that farm divided into Sixteen-acre
fields, one acre in every field would be-
long to us If IL were punched into
farms of $50 acres each, Uncle Sam
would own a ten-acre field in every one
OF those farms.
Now cast You eve once more at the
globe and see where our land lies. 1t is
at Just the right angle in the face of the
sun to give us a climate that will pro-
Cuce everything that man wants. and. at
the same time, the ozone to supply the
ambition and energy to drag the prod
ucts from the soil. We raise so much
that we feed not only ourselves. but
large part of the rest of the world. and
our country is so situated that we have
the best place from which to trade with
the whole human race. Lying in the
middle of the North American continent,
we have water highways which connect
us with the millions of Europe and the
millions of Asia. 1t is the best trading
stand in the market place of this big
round world.
4
Our soil is so good. our mineral re-
sources SO great and our position fit
ted for the accumulation of wealth that
we have already become the richest peo
pie of the whole human race. Our wealth
is of enormous account as a war asset.
II Is now estimated at 220 thousand mill
Hons of dollars The amount is
enormous that the human mind cannot
comprehend II. 1t is equal to one-fourth
of all the wealth of all the world. This
.ineans that if all the assets of all the
earth coulo be turned into cash. and from
the mines could be dragged enough ore to
make sufficient twenty dollar gold pieces
10 represent that cash, one-fourth of all
those gold pieces would belong to us. II
the golden eagles could be loaded into
bushtl baskets: we would own a peck OF
gold of every basket.
| II We could separate our share of the
golden eagles and contrive way to count
them they would be 1000 millions in
number. If we could divide them evenly
among our population. there would he
about $500 for every one of us. AT five
TO the family, there would be more than
| and red - of the whole United States !;
enough, if invested at SO. to bring in
$500 a year. enough TO give every family
sn income of $50 month for all time
10 come. We are so rich that our new
war Indebtedness is bagatellc in COM
garrison with our national income. Even
II four per cen cent; ooo the heo annual interest
$l-40 for each OF US. or only $500 per
Annum per family.
We have accumulated this great wealth
although We have just begun to develop
our resources and are still prospecting
the country to find out what they are and
how they may best be brought forth for
the use Of mankind. Let us stop and look
Et few of our assets. We have now to
make a cost efficiency sheet as a military
necessity. and, like Germany must make
every atom of material, industry and
energy tell. The purpose of my travels
will be to learn something of where our
wealth lies, to investigate our resources
and find how they may be developed pro
tected and made most efficient for the
present and future 1t is my plan to visit
our chief food producing centers. and show
something of what part each has in the
nations prosperity. i want to go down
into the mines. and find out their place in
Uncle Sans account sheet I want to take
UP the chief industries. and especially the
new industries which the troubles in Eu-
rope have made so necessary to our in
dustrial independence.
A large part of my travels will re-
late to the farms. We need these to
supply our own wants and to aid In
-&eeding our allies in Europe. The farms