Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-04-30

| or iron, and therefore lays no duty upon for
| eicn corn or iron. That Is free trade.
| On all hands We hear that America is making
! giant strides in manufacture and commerce. and
that England is losing her commercial supreme
/ cy. Without the slightest i'll will to England,
we should be glad II this were true--thatis that
| the rate Of progress in America should exceed
| the rate in England. But is it truel
1t is certainly not true Of the shipping inter.
| ests of the two nations. Twenty years ago We
almost led the world. Our ships were nearly as
| numerous as those OF England and were even
more numerous in proportion to population
Since then England has enormously increased
| her shipping, while our has enormously decreas.
| ed Well it is said, that is because OF the dep
| relations of the Alabama But this too childish
an argument to be seriously dealt with. Nearly
sixteen years have passed since the Alabama
committed her last depreciation. The whole
wealth Of the world is replaced every three years
| We might as well say that the decline of our
commerce was caused by the war of 1912.
| 1t is not true of our foreign commerce gener
! ally We know that comparisons have lately
been published which seem to indicate the con
trary. But this is done by giving only the sta
tistics for the three years ending in 1879 during
| which the commerce OF England decreased
thing which never happened for three years
continuously in nearly forty years. England
| present year, and has resumed her forward prog
ress, though not quite at the old rate. Let us
| however, compare the progress OF the two cOun
| tries not for three years but for twenty. VIZ
compare 1850 and 1870, because the returns fol
| 1880 are not complete. In 1859 the foreign com
merce of Great Britain amounted tosl ,622 600 00(
| In 1879 it amounted to about $4,000, 100000. II
1859 the commerce of the United States amount
cd to s695 900 900, and in 1879 to Sl,222, 600
fa fbx,1. 81 f},t,
foreign commerce has increased at the rate OF u
! per cent. in twenty years. England's at the rate
of S5 per cent. The mere increase of British
commerce in that time is more than the whole Of
our foreign commerce for the year. We started
| twenty years ago, 1927, 00O behind England
and We are now more than -l,700, 000, 600 behind
her. Yet the population of England has in
creased only % per cent. in twenty years. while
ours has increased 80 per cent. Great Britain
and Ireland have q population of less than 81,
600, 600. We have more than 45, 900, 600. Yet Oul
| foreign commerce is only twoffths of Great
Britain's In 1859 British commerce arnoueted
to $50 per head in 1879 to $3.50. In 1859 our
commerce amounted to $50 per head; i'll 1879 t.
| $50 per head.
1t win be said, of course, that England starts
with the advantage of large capital True; but
We started with a smaller business, and ought to
increase at Il much greater rate per cent than
centaGe is reckoned is smaller. 1t is great deal
easier to double business of 500 than of 000
A nation that does not increase a small com
meree at ratio larger than that by which an
other nation increases a very large commerce is
falling behind in the race for wealth. Many pa.
trietic Americans have been exlilting over sta
tisics which led them to believe that our com
merCe was growing at the rate of 100 per cent
in twenty years, while England was only grow.
-. Al q I'll, !
fact is not so but what ifit had been true? Even
at that rate, we should need two centuries to
catch up with England.
Let us tell a little tale.
a dry goods peddlar sold 81 300 worth OF goods
i'll 1878 and 1000 worth in 1879. He learned
that II. g. Claiiin 8; Co, had sold $40, 600 600 of
goods in 187s and SO 5000, COO 600 in 1870. Where.
upon our peddlar roioiced, and said to all of his
friends: See how rapidly / I'm supplanting
that etfete Clatlin. My sales are increasing at
the rate of 100 per cent year. while his are only
increasing 80 per cent. Rejoice with me my
friends for at this rate ] shall soon be at the
head of the trade Indeed, am already think,
ing that it will be my duty TO be charitable to
poor Clahin in his OLD age.
That Is the fashion after which we are gain.
ing upon British commerce.
But was it always so In 1850 our foreign
commerce stood al $4,000 900 and in 1860 at
SI52 600 coo, an advance of III per cent. III ten
years. British commerce gained only 40 per
cent. in the same period. If we had continued
to cain between 1860 and 1880 at the same rate
as from 1850 to 1850, our commerce would have
amounted to 81, 74O 0O0.00O in 1870 and $4,000
0G0, GOO III 1850. Thus we should have far out
stripped England, and have stood today at the
head of the worlds commerce.
But it will be said no allowance is made for
the effect of the war Very well; we started
from the first year after the war--the year end.
inc June 30th ls66-as the basis. But our com.
MERGE even then was S0O,0OO,0 600 and therefore
should have been $3.50, 600, 900 in 1870 and
S2a5 COO 600 i'll 1850 whereas it is only half that
amount.
What is the matter No assumptions for we
have gained more rapidly under resumption
than We did before. Not especially imitation
, for the wretche1 system of state banks which
existed in 1860 was about as injurious as any
imitation we have had since the war. Defective
as is our present currency basis, it is the best
we have ever had. Not the lack of protection
to American industry for we have never had SO
much of it for fifty years past as we nave had
since 1880. Between 1850 and 1860 we suffered
from all the disastrous effects of the low tariff
1t was far from being free trade tariff, but
cave protection of 90 to 80 per cent to our
leading manufactures. we increased ourpro
lection to 80, 60 and even 100 per cent, on the
same goods between 1860 and 1867. England
took Off the last shred of protection between
1886 and 1850. The result OF each system Is
shown in this comparison of the commerce of the
two nations. Illinois TradeSman and Manutac
| turer
We acknowledge a pleasant call Oh
yesterday, from Judge T. B. Lyons and
Mr.. Pipes. owners of the Clinton and
Port Hudson Railroad. These gentle
men recognizing the fact that Baton
Pouge will soon. rim the n. O. Pacific