Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-09-18


| intervention to settle troubles between American
countries unless at the time il freely comedies
| to European Governments the right of such inter
vention, and thus consents a practical destruc-
tion of the Monroe doctrine and an unlimited in-
crease of European and Monsrchical influence on
this continent. The late special envoy to Peru
and Chilli Mr.. Trescot, gives it as his deliberate
and published conclusion that if the instructions
under which he set out upon his mission had net
been revoked, peace between those angry belliger-
ents would have been established as the result Of
his labors-necessarily TO the great benefit of
| the United States. Ii our Government does not
resume its efforts TO secure peace in South
America some European Government will be forced
to perform that friendly office The United States
cannot play between nations the part of dog IN
the manger. Wemust perform the duty of humane
Intervention ourselves, or give way to foreign
governments that are willing to accept the respon-
>ibilty of the great trust and the enhanced
influence and numberless advantages resulting
from such philanthropic and bene6cent course.
mos, significant and important result would
have followed the assembling of the Peace Congress
friendship and an intimacy would have been
esta ablshod between the states of North and South
America which would have demanded and en-
forced closer commercial connection \ move
ment in the future, the legitimate out
grow III oi assured peace, would, in all probabili
ty, have been great commercial conference at
the City of Mexico or at Rio Janeiro, whose de-
iberations would be directed TO better system Of
trade on the two continents. To such a conference
the Dominion Of Canada could properly be
asked to send representatives, as that government
is allowed by Great Britain a very large liberty
in regulating its commercial relations. In the
Peace Congress, to be composed of independent
governments, the Dominion could not have taken
any part and was consequently not invited. From
this trade conference of the two continents the
United States could hardly have failed to gain
great advantages At present the commerciaI
relations OF this country with the Spanish Ameri-
can countries, both continental and insular, are
unsatisfactory and unprohtable-indeed, those
relations absolutely oppressive to the financial
interests Of the government and people OF the
United States. In our current exchanges it re-
quires about one hundred and twenty millions of
dollars to pay the balance which Spanish America
brings against us every year. This amount is
fifty per cent more than the average annual pro-
duct Of the gold and silver mines of the United
states during the past five years. This vast sum
does not of course 60 to Spanish America in coin,
but 1t goes across the ocean in coin or its equiva
lent, to pay European countries for manufactured
articles which they furnish to Spanish America
"A large proportion of which should be furnished
by the manufacturers of the United States.
At this point of the argument the free trader
appears and declares that our protective tariff
destroys power of competition with European
countries and that if we will abolish protection
we shall soon have South American trade. The
answer is not sufficient, for today there are many
articles which We can send to South America and
sell as cheapIy as European manufacturers can
furnish them it is idle, of course, to make this
statement to the genuine apostle of free trade and
the mpacabe enemy of protection, for the great
postulate Of his argument, the foundation OF his
creed, is that nothing can be made as cheaply in
America in Europe. Nevertheless facts are
stubborn and the hard figures of arithmetic can
lxo .;sga. t.r,l, h. airyf n
speech The truth remains that the coarser
descriptions of cottoDs and cotton prints, boots
and shoes, ordinary household furniture, harness
for draft animals, agricultural implements of all
kinds, doors, sasbes and blinds, locks bolts and
hinges, silver ware, plated ware, wooden ware,
ordinary papers and paper hangings, common
vehicles, ordinary window glass and glass ware,
rubber goods coal oils lard oils, kerosenes, white
lead, lead pipe and articles in which lead is a
chief component be and are produced as
cheaply in the United States as in any other part
of the world. The list of such articles might
be heightened by the addition of those classed
As " notions" but enough only given to show
that this country would, with proper commercial
arrangements export much more largely than it
now does to Spanish America.
In the trade relations OF the world ii does not
follow that mere ability to produce cheaply as
another nation usures division Of an established
market or, indeed, any participation in it.
France manufactures many articles as cheaply as
England-some articles at even less cost Portu-
gal lies nearer to France than to England, and
the expense Of Transporting the French fabric to
the Portuguese market isthereiore less than the
transportation of the English fabric. And yet
Great Britain has almost a monopoly in the trade
Of Portugal. The same condition applies, though
in less degree, in the trade Of Turkey, Syria and
Egypt, which Eugland holds to much greater
extent than any Of the other Europe natious
fhatu nble t,,n nr.,ups the fabric : chpa
y. II it be said in answer that England has
special trade relation. by treaty with Portugal
and special obi igations binding the other eoun-
tries the ready answer is that she has more
favorable position with regard to those countries
.han be readily and easily acquired by the
United States with respect to all the countries Of
America. That end will be reached whenever
the United States desires it and wills it, and is
ready to take the steps necessary to secure il.
At present the trade with Spanish America runs
strongly in channels adverse to US, that beside
inability TO furnish manufactured articles, we
do not get the profit on own raw products
that are shipped there. Our petroleum reaches
most Of the Spanish American ports after twice
crossing the Atlantic, paying often better profit
to the European middle man who handles il than
it does to the producer Of the oil in the norhwes
! ern counties of Pennsylvania. Flour and pork
from the West reach Cuba by way Of Spain, and
though we buy and consume ninety per cent Of
Of her purchases 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 us will show an annual increase,
and will continue to exhaust our supply Of the
precious metals. We are increasing our imports
from South America and the millions we annually
pay for coffee, wool, hides, guano, cinchona,
| caoutchouc, cabinet woods, dye woods and other
articles go for the ultimate benefit Of European
manufacturers who take the gold from and
send their fabrics to Spanish America. II we
could send our fabrics, gold would stay at
home and orr general prosperity would be
sensib'y increased. But long repel
Spanish America, so long we leave her to culti-
vate intimate relations with Europe alone, so long
our trade relations will remain unsatifsctory and
even embarrassing Those countries sell to us
very heavily. They buy 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 against in the worst Of
| times. The average balance against us for the
ever experienced, was about one hundred millions
Of dollars. This plainly shows that in our Euro
pean exchanges there il always balance in our
favor and that chief deficiency arises from
our msl-adjusted commercial relations with Span
ish America. 1t follows that if our Spanish
American trade we're placed on a better and more
equitable foundation, il would be almost i'm mpossi-
kta e.. Il -.