The Portland daily press., 1882-09-16

Peace Congress- and as the attempt to restore
peace between Chill and Peru, fall within the
line of both duty and interest on the part of
the United Ststes. Nations like individuals
often require the aid of common friend to
restore relations of amity. Peru and Chill are
in deplorable need of wise and powerful
mediator. Thu ugh exhausted by war; they are
unable TO make peace, and, unless they shall
be aided by the Intervention Of friend polite ii
ansrchv and social disorder will come to the
conquered. and evils scarcely less serious to the
conqueroT. Our own government cannot take
the ground that it will not offer friendly inter
vention to settle troubles between American
countries, unless at the same time it freely
comedies to European Governments the right
OF such Intervention, and thus consents to a
practical destruction of the Monroe doctrine
and an unlimited increase of European and
Monarchical influence on this continent The
late special envoy to Peru and Chilli Mr. Tres
cot, gives it as his deliberate nd published
conclusion that ii the instructions under which
he set out upon his mission had not been re-
voked, peace between those angry belleersnts
would have been established as the resulG of
his labofs-necessarlly to the great benefit of
the United States. Ii our Government does
not resume its efforts to secure peace in South
American some European Government will be
forced to perform that friendly Office The
United States cannot play between nations the
part OF dog IN the mapger. We must perform
the DUTY OF humane Intervention ourselves, or
give way to foreign governments that are will
ing w dCcept Tue responsibility OF the great trust
ana secure the enhanced influence and num-
berless advantages resulting from such
phllanthropic and benehc5nt course.
A most significant and important result
would have followed the assembling of the
peace congress A friendship and an intimacy
would have been established between the
States OF North and South America, which
would have demanded and enforced q closer
commercial connection. A movement in the
near future, as the legitimate outgrowth of as
IL rod -AGnn xrs...II
been great commercial conference at the
City of Mexico or at Rio Janeiro, whose DELHI
eiations would be directed to a better system
ot-trade on tae two continents. To such a con-
terence the Dominion of Canada could proper
~ be asked to send representatives, as that
government is allowed by Greal Britain very
large liberty ia regulating its commercial re-
atoms. In the peace congress, to be COM
posed OF independent governments, the Do
minion could not have taken any part, aud was
coost quentlY not. invited. From this trade
conftrenc OF the two continents the United
States could hardly have failed to gain great
advantages. AT present the commercial re-
latlons OF this country with the Spanish Amer
lean countries, both continental and insular
are unsatisfactory and nproftable-indeed,
those relations absolutely oppressive to the
financial interests of he government and peo-
pie of the United States In our current ex-
changes it requires about one hundred and
twenty millions of dollars to pay the balance
which Spanish America brings against us ey-
cry year This amount is fifty per cent more
than the average annual product of the gold
and silver mines of the United States during
the past five years. THIS vast sum does not of
course go TO Spanish America in coin, but it
goss across the ocean in coin or its equivalent.
10 pay European countries for manufactured
articles which they furnish to Spanish Amer
lca-a large proportion of which should be-
furnished by the manufacturers of the United
States
A. Al; - ~
appears aud declares that our protective tariff
destroys our power of competition with Euro
pean countries, and that if we will abolish pro-
lection we shall soon have South American
trade. The answer IS not sufficient, for to-dav
there are many articles which we can send to
South America and sell as cheaply as Euro
pean manufacturers can furnish them. 1t is
idle. of course, to make this statement to the
genuine apostle of free trade and the implac-
able enemy of protection, for the great postu-
late OF his argument, the foundation of his
creed, is that nothing can be made as cheaply
in America as in Europe. Nevertheless facts
are stubborn and the hard figures of arithme-
NC cannot be satisfactorily answered by airy
hgurts OF speech The truth remains that the
coarSer descriptions of cottonS and cotton prints
boots and sho S, ordinary household furniture,
harness for draft animals, agricultural imDle-
ments of all kinds doors, sashes and blinds
locks, bolts and hinges silver ware, plated
ware, wooden ware, ordinary paper and paper
glass ana glass ware, rubber goods, coal oils
lard oils, kerosenes, white lead, lead pipe, and
articles IN which lead is chief component
can be and are produced as cheaply in the Uni
red States as IN any other part of the world
The list of such articles might be heightened
by the addition of those classed as motions"
but enough only ara given to show that this
country would, with proper commercial ar
fragments, export much more largely than
1t now does TO Spanish America
In the trade relations of the wor Id it does
noE follow that mere ability to produce as
cheaply as another nation insures a division of
an established market, or, indeed, any partici-
| patton in it. France manufactures many arti-
| Giles as cheaply as Engand-some articles at
| even less cost. Portugal lies nearer to France
than to England, and the expense OF transport
Ing the French fabric to the Portuguese mar
ket is therefore less than the transportation of
the English fabric. And yet Great Britain has
almost monopoly in the trade of Portugal.
The same condition applies, though in a less
degree, IN the trade of Turkey, Syria and
Egypt which England holds to much greater
extent than any f the other European nations
that are able to produce the same fabrics as
cheaply. Ii it be said in answer that England
has special trade relations by treaty with Por-
tugal and special obligations binding the other
countries, the ready answer is that she has 10
more favorable position with regard to these
countries, than can he readily and easily ac-
qnred by the United States with respect to all
TEE countries OF America. Inat end Will De
reached whenever the United States desires it
and wills it, and is ready to take the steps nee
ssary tosecure IL. AT present the trade with
Spanish America runs strongly in channels
adverse to us, that, beside our inability to fur
nish manufactured articles, we do not get the
profit own products that are
shipped there Our petroleum reaches most
of the Spanish Anne rcap ports after twice
crossing he Atlantic, paying often better
profit to the European middle man who han
dies it than it does to the producer of the oil in
The northwestern counties of Pennsylvania
Flour and pork from the West reach Cuba by
way of Spain, aud though we buy and consume
ninety per cent of the total prod cts of Cuba.
almost that proportion of her purchases are
made in Europe-made, of course, with money
furnished directly from our pockets.
AS our exports to Spanish America grow less
as European exports constantly grow larger,
the balance against will show an annual in
crease, and will continue 10 exhaust our sup
ply of the precious metals. We are increasing
oGr imports from South America, and the mill
lions we annually pay for coffee, wool, hides,
guauo, einchona, eaoutchouc, cabinet woods
dye woods and other articles go for the ulti-
mate benefit Of European manufacturers who
take the god from us and send their fabrics
TO Spanish America. Ii we could send our
tabrlcs. our gold would stay at home, and our
general prosperity would be seusibly increased
But SO long as we repe Spanish America, so
long as We eave her to cultivate intimate rela
lations will remain unsatisfactory, and even
embarra spg.. Those countries sell to us very
heavily. They nuy from us very lightly. And
the amount they bring us in debt each year is
larger than the heaviest aggregate balance of
trade we ever have ag ainst US in The worst of
times. TIE average balance against us for the
whole world in the five most adverse years we
ever experienced was about one hundred mil
lions OF dollars. This plainly shows that in
our Eurogean exchanges there is always a bal
auce in our favor, aud that our chief deficien-
cy arises from cur NAL adjusted commercial
relations with Spanish America. IL follows
that if our Spanish American trade were
placed on better and more equitable founda-
ton, it would be almost impossible, even in
years most unfavorable to us, 10 bring us in
debt TO The world.
With such heavy purchases as we are COM
PEELED to make from Spanish America, it could
hardly be expected that should be- able to
adjust the entire account by exports. But the
balance against us OF one hundred aud twenty
millions 10 gold coin IL far too large and in
time of stringency is a standing menace of
financial disaster. 1t should not BIZ forgotten
that every million dollars of products or fab
res that Q sell III Spanish America is mil
lion OF dollars in gold saved to our own coun-
try. The immediate pref is to the producer
aud the exporter, but the eltre country real
izes gain ia the ease aud sffiuence of the
money market which Is insured by Keeping our
gold at home. The question involved is so