Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-01-10
OUR CONNIE ERCE
And the Causes Which Tend TO
Retard 1t.
TIE SITUATION REVIEWED IN DETAIL.
Ex-senator McDOnald's Comprehensive
Discussion Of Commerce with FcI-
eign Nations and Its Rea-
ton TO Indiana.

1NDIANAPoLIs, IND, January 9.-Follow-
ing is synopsis o; Senator McDonald's re-.
cent address 10 the Indiana State Demo
cratic Editorial Convention
Gentlemen Of lie paOcrdti2 Ed;torig! .i5s0-
ciatiou Of h,diano:-In responding to the
invitation to address you have selected as
the subject OF my remarks, "Our Commerce
with Foreign Nations, and Its Relations to
the Productive Industries of Indiana"
The imports into England exceed by
more than four hundred million Of dollars
our entire foreign commerce. We about
equal France and Germany as tc quan. .ity,
but the quality Of our exports differ very
materially from those OF our great rivals.
Taking the analysis of our exports for the
last fiscal year, as given i'll the report Of
the Bureau Of Statistics, we find that $Gl9,
2G9,4l9 are the products # dOmestic agri.
culture, $lll $4,000 are the products OF
domestic manufacture, and 81, ,4H, Sj7 are
the products OF mining; or agricultural
products Z. per cent manufactures II per
merchandise We receive n exchange for
this, except sugar, coffee, tea and certain
drugs and u!CtiC.uCs, is almost wholly
made up OF the products oi manufacture;
goods, wares and merchandise, which have
received all the lshOr of which they are
spGble, and every value that man can be
stow upon them. our exports are chiefly
raw material; the products OF the soil in
the crude state. Our imports
Ihe Products of Slilici labor.
some of it bestowed upon that which We
have sent abroad, and which is returned 10
us greatly enhanced in price. Last year
our imports of cotton goods amounted to
$4,000 600. The least price per pound OF
tie cheapest article was not lass than wen.
ty one cents, the raw material i'll II not
costing half that suw. Wien VIC follow
cur exports to their dest,nation, We find
hey are mostly taken by EnSlund, Ger
m&ny and few Other OF the European ma.
Ons. our exports 10 South America,
A Sia and Africa are DOI Important. Eng
land is our chez consumer, receiving from
Ia curing 'hC last ieCal year St25, Az, Ia,
taiDg largely more than half OF all We sent
abroad. Nearly all Of this vast sum was
law cotton, breadstu!5 aud provisions
food for her people and material FOR her
/ CtOriIs. From an examination Ut these
f.cts it is quite apparent that the burden
% our toreiln commerce falls too heavily
upon the productions of our soil. IL is
GOOD thing to have a mar ket fOr our surplus
products OF agriculture, but ii il not safe TO
rest our trade with foreign nations upon
one branch of our productive Industry, eS-
ilcial when competition Is
Constantly oil III" Increase
England to day is our Lest customer, be-
cause bcr nscesSii.cs compel her TO pur-
cuase Of us, but the time my come, and
that before many yc.rs, wHcH her own col.
O7ies will iurpi.h her With breadstuir and
PROVISIONS. As TO cotton, which is our
chief article Of export, it is not likely that
re factories OF Europe will ever refuse
To- receive from US ell we may be willing to
"XpCrt, but Il is TO cur interest 20 make
ih6t rs smaM rs POSSIBLE by using more Of
II al home. AZ present we manEiactur"
but 50 per cent. OF our cotton crop und
send 20 per q mt. abroad. But the time is
not very far CISt.nt wren the Or3er OF
things in this respect will &c reversed.
When the manufacturing centres IOr cotton
goods rhGll br established, as ,hpy will be,
tcrial at home and send the Manufactured
article TO other countries; not, Perhaps, TO
kurOpp, but To those countries ~iiu wH.ch
at present we carry IN but little commerce
aad that C.rtiIy con n.iuCd 10 the purchase
from ,LCi. r such article ae are inii-
sreDSah.r 20 us. ~ - now The raS" II our
trade with Rrtz'l, our Las. wears pIgsnt,eS
from her rriEc 3iliSSij9, AVID our sales
1925 600. 1t is true the ratio Of our cx
ports Of GCriCu ItuCal products, as compared
Wilh all others, Gliding tie proiucts OF
mining, hH' not UlH 'rsnuA u'u"h rlHlIc
for the last - years, but when wc take INTO
consideration
;he snrgc IucrPnar iu Binc rr"duc;s
end particularly III petroleum, which
now one Of our chief articles of export,
there has been . decrease IL TIE r'''H 81
manufactured articles exported that Is not
very assuring These inirmjtlC, IL the
COMPOSITION and makeup Of CIR foreign
trade are attracting more or jCss ,i'a atleI.
lion Of the public and nf our uunt' men,
, specially ih.g1 VITO hriiov" IH' i!m" !,
fast approaching when We uiU SIam" our
vU,iC.ts - t.r as 10 meet ihe Changes
which u.Hs; Ccyar in our tur''@I tra'.~ D"r
latural nuSlu arne rhus ia :. ."' r"aH.-o
rs to Cur.rrip 81 other mai ns IN tho
uatural PRODUCTS and tD cI'or 20 ln--
eign markets orvl, to such prOt""'i"' With
every adyanrase on oar size. ln ,.is wn
nave been Greatly sirPd hy th" enterprise
and industry Of CO. farmers MT T'rurers
Ivy improved imlI"mrnts ard m!cliG"-y
ana by rur Iaii;O.I system, by which "ur
prOGnci, can hr brought to lhe ssabOard
rom anv part Of our EXTENSIVE country.
our natural advantages for engaging in
mai uiacturing successfully, at least in the
leadlrg branches, is equally great. And
"ei II is manifest the expansion oil our
industries has been to NEE.
the dt mands OF home market, and II ior
my cause our agricultural products
should Fail 10 Meet
he demands OF our foreign COM
me-ce, we have nothing to take their
place. In our present condition two short
c:upA, Cr y, rhaps one, with the Competi'
tion vr ave to meet from other countries
would b. INK on .iIanCja. plric oi the
most serious character. II Will De renIem'
her,d = mt in Il { nsr.y Part vi lNo- We were
IN he verge al >uru II panic, aud the ap
pieleH-i,I G created in our commercial cen
Tres by the expOr'HtiOns OF gold 10 settle
our balances abroad did not pass away un-
Ill the crop OF that year had been assured
The danger we were then exposed TO must
continue until We are prepared to enter
foreign markets with the Protuc's Of oar
factories as well as the pro ir,rts OF oar
farms, and in quantities sufficient TO sup
ply sny deficiency in our farm prod lets
arising from any cause whatever.
II bias been insisted that TO compete With
for.igp manufactures and foreign marKrtN.
if viii REQUIRE n reduction oi wages ~ r"r|
conntry 10 reduce the cost Of manufaCt -
ing This might be true OF such articles -
derive their chief value from the labor -
slowed and where the rsS material costs
but lii;le: in most OF this Class OF g'D's
France las taken the lead, and it Is no
likeIv thatwe. or any other people. vi
enter into serious rivalry with her, eEt IL
is not true in respect 10
The Great Bulk ot Manufactured Ar
ffCIeS