The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-02-12
The Commercial Aspect of the Franco
Mexican QuestfOn-Our Commercial RE
latiOns with France.

The Commercial Aspect of the Franco
Mexican QuesttOn-Our Commercial RE-
latiOns with France.
From the Herald.
The announcement that the French troops are
to leave Mexico will be received with more
satisfaction throughout the country than any
other piece of European news has been in a
great while, for, as the troops go, no one can
doubt that Maximi,ian must follow closely, and
that thus we will be entirely rid of this Euro
pean attempt to control the destinies of an
American State. France, in thus withdrawing
her forces, though late, acts wisely, and tho
more wisely because the only legitimate or
profitable object that she could have in Mexico
can be better secured by the establishment OF
more intimate commercial relations with the
United States.
There was but one practical permanent adj
vantage that France could have hoped to secure
IN the appropriation of Mexico In every res oect
except commercial one that colonial empire
would have been burden and an evil; more a
burden than Canada is to Great Britain and as
much an evil to the French people as the origi-
nal possession OF the same country and OF Peru
was to the people of Spain. Mexico would have
made her appearance on the wrong side of the
Government accounts annually, and her mines
would have proved delusion to the people
would have demoralized the industrious la.
borers at the loom and delivers in the vineyard
resources of France, have caused reduction in
her national wealth greater than all the gold
and silver would supply.
But, commercially, the venture might per-
maps, nave been good one, and more than have
restored the balance. Napoleon points to the
TACT that already the commerce between France
and Mexico had been raised from twenty to over
seventy millions OF francs. That is, Derhaps
only an indication OF the direction that the
change in the commercial relations of the two
countries would take. 1t would have gone a
great deal higher, and France, keeping to her
self the exclusive trade with her extensive and
naturally rich dependency, would hove found
IN it by that means greater wealth than its
Spanish conquerors ever dreamed of in their
most golden visions.
Indeed, there is in the present age no other
tenable purpose for the maintenance of vast
foreign pendencies-whethert they are colonies
in TACT or in name-than the extension of the
trade OF the mother country. Nations hold their
colonies purely and simply as customers, and
regard tnelr political relations principally as
they entitle them to especial privileges and
fayors. And the question of colonies is as to
whether or no the trade gained by such peculiar
privileges Is sufficient 10 pay the necessary eX-
penses that the mother country is put to. That
would have become very important question
as between Mexico and France. High as the
trade been the two countries would probably
have gone, there would always have been, from
many influences, heavy score on the other
| SIDE.
Why, then, should France build up a trade
| with Mexico, having always such heavy pos
| slbllity against 1t, when she could build up q
better and larger trade unembarrassed by any
such doubts or difhculties, but possessing on the
| contrary double benefits, and, while giving a
market for her own commodities, supplying her
on advantageous terms with those OF which she
stands IN need? Why should she seek by diff
| cult and dangerous paths, and by armies, to
! open way for her merchants in Mexico when
| she can put them in relation with a richer
people, without difficulty or danger at all, by
| commercial treaty.
hatu
| States, though assuredly great, has probably
| not reached fraction of the development of
| which 1t is capable. The annual gain of French
| agriculture, manufactures, and business activity
| generally reaches in all probability two thou
! sand million dollars. One-quarter of this-fve
! hundred million dollars-is in wines cotton
| Woolen and silk manufactures, ewelry, bronzes,
! porcelain leather, and gloves; and though ali OF
/ these are articles that we constantly buy from
! France, and many OF them that we can get better
! there than elsewhere, yet the average annual
trade nom France to this country,sin all articles
! together, ranges below forty millions. OF the
! peculiar products OF France we buy very great
| deal less than we might be induced TO buy, ana
! a great deal less also than there is demand Tor
! supply IN TINS place only meeting demand by
| excessively high and torbidding prices.
OF one hundred and sixty million dollars worth
| OF VINE annually made in France, about three
million dollars worth comes to the United States
| IN an acnYe year. lt Is certain that this trade
! alone might be developed with benefit on every
! hand TO an incalculable extent, and we mipht
| become not only Frances best customer tor
wine, but customer Better than all Others
| together. And, as it is estimated that France
could actually produce a great deal more wine
than she now does, this increase OF the American
| demand by stimulating that latent power,
! would be a real and positive source of wealth.
1t Is the same with all other French products.
| The real extent OF the trade in them that might
! be developed here is az present hardly ouessed
| at even by the merchants who reap q continual
| harvest OF eXorbitant profits. On the other
hand France has an equal need of our products
especially OF such staples as cotton and tobacco
The full exploration OF the possibilities of a mar
! ket in this direction would stimulate in France
| both the plough and the loom, and would Give
that thrifty people good reason to rejoice that
the Mexican expedition had been both under
taken and given up. Since the Emperor cannot
| give France new colonial customer on this
side the Atlantic, he may find great deal better.
| richer, and less troublesome one in the United
| States. Congress should for little while give
up its partisan, contemplate quarrels. and turn
its attention to this fertile subject. The present
is for all reasons a most favorable juncture for
securing good commercial treaty between
rance and the United States.