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Show NATIONAL PROSPERITY. The aggregate wealth of the United States, real and personal, according to figures recently given out at Washington, is so enormous that it staggers belief. It reaches a total, in round numbers, of $100,000,000,000 the few odd billions added more i than this being hardly needed to confuse and confound con-found the mind. Xo other nation even approximates approxi-mates so large a figure, the highest being about half that of the United States. Great Britain, Fraoice, Germany, Russia. Austria-Hungary, Italy and Spain this is the order in which the other nations na-tions come when compared as to wealth. Great Britain with nearly sixty billions, Spain with twelve' billions. The resources of the United States aggregate more than any other two nations of the world, and, besides, they are increasing far more rapidly than those of any other. Just as long as the vast empires em-pires of the west offer opportunities for profitable development, and the mines of metals and coal pour forth their riches, the wealth of the nation will increase. in-crease. Today we stand the richest, the proudest, nation that the world has ever known. Probably never before in the history of the world have the conveniences, the-comforts and the luxuries been so widely distributed among any people as they are . in the United States today. Yet we are not satisfied. sat-isfied. Like the s.mall boy the day after Christmas Christ-mas who has eaten more candy than is good for him and yet cannot bear to have it. taken from his sight, we scramble for more. v Our prosperity has outgrown our facilities for handling it. Throughout the intermountain region and the northwest, a shortage of cars has resulted in a serious coal famine. Call money on Wall street goes up to 50 or 100 per cent, which shows clever manipulation or a shortage of money with which to do the enormous business of the country. America today is in the height of her prosperity ji |