THE ECONOMIC DISTURBANCES SINCE 1873. 44 1 



railways for a distance of one mile, for a sum so small, that outside of 

 China it would be difficult to find a coin of equivalent value to give 

 to a boy as a reward for carrying an ounce package across a street, 

 even if a man or boy could be found in Europe or the United States 

 willing to give or accept so small a compensation for such a service. 



The following ingenious method of illustrating the same results 

 has been also suggested : The number of miles of railroad in opera- 

 tion in various parts of the world in 1885 was probably about 300,000. 

 Reckoning their capacity for transportation at a rate not greater 

 than the results actually achieved in that same year in the United 

 States, it would appear that the aggregate railroad system of the 

 world could easily have performed work in 1885 equivalent to trans- 

 porting 120,000,000,000 tons one mile. " But if it is next considered 

 that it is a fair day's work for an ordinary horse to haul a ton 6*7 

 miles, year in and year out, it further appears that the railways have 

 added to the power of the human race, for the satisfaction of its 

 desires by the cheapening of products, a force somewhat greater than 

 that of a horse working twelve days yearly for every inhabitant of 

 the globe." Less than a half a century ago, the railroad was practi- 

 cally unknown.* It is, therefore, within that short period that this 

 enormous power has been placed at the disposal of every inhabitant 

 of the globe for the cheapening of transportation to him of the prod- 

 ucts of other people and countries, and for enabling him to market 

 or exchange to better advantage the results of his own labor or 

 services. As the extension of the railway system has, however, not 

 been equal in all parts of the world less than 25,000 miles existing, 

 at the close of 1884, in Asia, Africa, and Australia combined its 

 accruing benefits have not, of course, been equal. And while all the 

 inhabitants of the globe have undoubtedly been profited in a degree, 

 by far the greater part of the enormous additions that have been made 

 to the world's working force through the railroad since 1840, have 

 accrued to the benefit of the people of the United States, and of Eu- 

 rope exclusive of Russia, Turkey, and the former Turkish provinces 

 of Southeastern Europe a number not much exceeding two hun- 

 dred millions, or not a quarter part of the entire population of the 

 globe. The result of this economic change has therefore been to 

 broaden and deepen rather than diminish the line of separation, be- 

 tween the civilized and the semi-civilized and barbarous nations. 



Now, while a multiplicity of inventions and of experiences have 

 contributed to the attainment of such results under this railroad system 

 of transportation, the discovery of a method of making steel cheap 



* As late as 1840 there were in operation only about 2,860 miles of railway in 

 America, and 2,130 in Europe, or a total of 4,990 miles. For practical purposes, it may 

 therefore be said that the world's railway system did not then exist ; while its organiza- 

 tion and correspondence for doing full and efficient work must be referred to a much 

 later period. 



