The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-10-28
AMERICAN COMPETITION.
European Producers Driven from
Their Own Markets-An In
teresting Problem.

From the st. Petersburg Zagranichny Vest''tk'
The competition of the United States in
the grain trade and in other agricultural
products is now rightfully regarded as q
general European question OF the greatest
Importance. Learned men have always
wondered at the rapid and unprecedented
development of that country; but lately
even practical men, European farmers, have
begun to study it, for American gram,
meat and cattle fill the European markets,
and threaten the farmers with ruin, or at
least impoverishment. They are anxious
to know under what circumstances Amerl-
can farmers have become such dangerous
competitors, and what the results OF that
competition will be. With the object OF
solving this important problem veritable
shower of articles, pamphlets and voluml-
nous books is being poured forth in Eng
lish, German, French and Russian. Here,
for instance, are the most noted German
works on the subject: 'The Agricultural
Products of the United States of America
and their Influence on our Farming by
Mendel; "The Causes Of Competition In
Agricultural Products between the United
States and Western Europe" by Prof.
Heitz: aGerman Exports and American
Competition" by Prof. Pallmann; "The
Influence of American Products on Farm
ing in General" by Blum; 'The True
Meaning and Real Causes of American
Competition in Agricultural Products, by
Semler; "The Growing Competition Of the
United States in Agricultural Products
with Middle Europe" by Prof. Paasehe;
"American Competition" by Peez; "The
Crisis in Agriculture and the Remedies for
It. by Max Wirth; ''The Transatlantic
Competition in Provisions" by Kantsky.
During the last ten years, when the
grain-producing countries of Europe have
had short crops. American competition
in the grain trade had been strongly felt In
Europe. Throughout the whole of Europe
have been heard demands for protective
tariff for agricultural products. These de-
mands have been partially satisfied in Eng
land, France and Germany. The different
countries of Europe will not suffer equally
from American competition in grain. Eng
land, France and Germany have for years
imported grain, and their inhabitants have
necessarily turned their attention to other
branches of agriculture and industry. But
Russia, Austria, and the other countries on
the Danube which used to supply western
Europe with grain, now find themselves in
a verv serious position. Formerly these
countries paid for the goods they imported
with their grain, cattle and raw materials.
But what will they do now in view OF the
American competition in these articles
How will Russia, for instance, now pay the
percentage on her immense foreign loans ?
And what will become of her seventy mil
lion farmers in case the European markets
are closed to their products by American
competition? We Russians, too, must
study the agriculture of our TRANSATLANTIC
friends. ...,....
Nature has endowed the country Of the
Yankees with the choicest gifts. Her soil,
climate, mineral wealth and natural means
of communication are unsurpassed by those
of any other country. The Old World has
peopled that country with freedom-lovine
citizens. The various hardships of Euro
pean countries have caused an unprece
dented migration to the hospitable shores
of the United States. Agriculture and In
dustry being highly developed there have
induced large European capitalists to invest
their money beyond the Atlantic.
DIR. Young has calculated that every EN-
igrant coming to America is equal to &
capital of $500, and DIR. Engel puts hi
worth at $1,129. Even taking the former
figure, we will find that during the last ter
wears 197O-8O) the United States has ac
auired in this way about $1,000, ,OOO, 900
Since 1850 the population of the United
States has doubled, but its production Of
wheat and corn has increased five times
Their surplus of grain they have sent te
Europe. The grain market of England is
now in the hands of the Americans. They
send their grain also to France and Ger
many. Even at Fiume, the Austrian grain
exporting port, American grain has ap
reared. Our own alcohol distillers are be-
ginning to import American corn. 1t is
evident that the Americans are step BY
step driving their competitors from the Eu'
ropean grain market. The Americans have
a perfect system of transportation. To
their lakes and rivers they have added nu
merous canals and numberless railroads
The grain freight from Chicago to Ham
burg is lower than from Pesth Austria,
to Hamburg! The grain market Of oul
neighbor, Germany, is more and more oc
cupied by our transatlantic friends. Ii
1880 we furnished to Germany "a pc
cent of wheat, and the Americans "a PEI
cent; of barley, we furnished 10 per cent.
and the Americans % per cent; Of corn
we furnished per cent, and the Ameri
cans % per cent.
Now, what are the particular circum
stances which enable the Americans tt
drive away European grain producers from
European markets? 1t would be quit
wrong to attribute their success chiefly II
the natural qualities of the country OF tn
Yankees. In our opinion the free Amer
can citizen of free country has done NOR
for his own welfare than nature has done
for him. The Americans hold their des
TIMES in their own hands. Their Govern
ment costs them very little. Their sol
tillers can get plenty of good land. The.
are educated, all of them. They have NJ
huge standing army to consume their sub
stance. They save mans labor by substi
tuting for it the forces of nature and ma
chinery, thus preserving him for the iel'
of labor in which there can be no substl
tute-mentaI work. This is the pictur
that the country of the Yankees presents
and the European countries are on tn
other side of the medal.
Young America is going, in good earnest
to thrash old Europe. Have we any mean
of defence? Some say the American com
petition cannot continue long, for the pop
ulation of the United States is rapidly in
creasing, and before long the American
will need all the grain they produce 70
their own use. But we believe that Eu
rome can be bankrupted ten times befor