National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-05-08
UE1TID sTATEs AEp eREAT BR1rA1E,

Bearing in mind the observations and
data submitted on this subject on Thursday
it may be further remarked that the present
stsgnation IN our commercial, manufactur-
ing and agricultural industries finds no part
of its cause in any lack of natural resources
On the contrary, it is disgrace to any ma
ton occupying the political position that
the United States at present maintains, and
possessing the unbOunded resources that
she can boast Of that it can truthfully be
said that her industries lie dormant or that
able-bodied workingmen suffer for want of
employment Great Britain may not to-
day stand in any great need of any develop
ment of the resources of the United States
But let q general European war, such as is
being predicted and the indications of which
are daily growing more and more threat
ening, be once inaugurated, and how soon
would Great Britain, with her powerful
navy and merchant marine, become the
great commissariat of EuropeH
Then let general blockade of the Medi-
terranean and of the northern seas ensue,
as would inevitably follow general Euro
pean war, and it can be readily conceived of
how great importance would be an American
commercial alliance. In such an event, with
the proffer of British patronage and British
gold, how quickly would spring into action
all branches of American industries, in ex-,
tent and with an energy commensurate with
any such demand For supply of bread
stuffs and other provisions for armies, Eu-
rope would be compelled to look to this
side Of the Atlantic. How soon would
American farmers make provision for sup
plying such demands2 When the armies
of Europe should become unable to find
supplies of arms and munitions of war on
that side of the ocean, how quickly would
the mechanical skill of this country, with
the manufactures and materials at hand,
spring into action to make up the defcien-
cies7
The immense demands which such war
would create for clothing and camp and
garrison eqGipage for armies and uavies,
and the Gripping of home manufactures,
would necessitate the seeking of those sup
plies in the United States More especially,
should Great Britain herself become in
volved in a general war, how extensive
and almost universal would be the assist
ance of the manufactures of the United
States to supply the demand which even
she, in her neutral relations, would be able
TO supply and control. Such q prospect
would almost lead Americans to pray for
the advent of a European war. But it is
not necessary that such a war should occur
TO demonstrate how important is a firm
commercial alliance with our mother eoun-
try. Great Britain to-day is the great man
ufactoTy and commercial centre of Euro
pean nations. With all her varied manu-
featuring and commercial enterprise, with
her extensive foreign relations, her wars
and other sources Of expense, she has in
berprivate Cnot NATIONALLY repositories many
millions of surplus capital seeking invest
meut abroad. She has also large surplus
p of population looking for broader fields of
labor. That population is annually in
creasipg and that capital yearly accumulat-
inc An this capital and population could
1e nroftably employed in the United States;
nd II lis a source of great wonder that
lille our industries Lie idle and the world
demands 90 on IS if no such nation as Amer
ica exists, British..capitailsts 90 not transfer