246 The Farmer^s Business HandbooTi 



globe, his children blessed with phenomenal prof- 

 its, finds it necessary to take account of stock 

 once every decade. There is some excuse for 

 his taking an inventory only once in every ten 

 years, since the expense of taking such inven- 

 tory (census) and compiling and digesting the 

 facts is great. Two years since Congress appro- 

 priated $13,516,210 for doing this work. The 

 compilation of the results had not proceeded 

 far before "Uncle Sam" saw that he could well 

 afford to clean and disinfect the streets of Havana, 

 organize schools, reward General Gomez for 

 long- continued, courageous work for the cause 

 of liberty. He could do much for Porto Rico. 

 He could spend millions in the Philippines with 

 the hope and expectation of benefiting and en- 

 nobling six million people submerged for cen- 

 turies in semi-barbarism and groaning under the 

 incubus of despotism. 



As the profits and wealth of the nation were 

 revealed in the census footings, "Uncle Sam," 

 after he had counted cash on hand, had noted the 

 monthly receipts and computed assets, concluded, 

 that he was justified in making a little perma- 

 nent investment for his boys. Forty millions 

 were given for an unfinished ditch; then, in order 

 to complete the ditch that the stormy Atlantic 

 might be married to the placid Pacific, it was 

 decided to spend $144,233,358 more. Two hun- 



