The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-04

WITH LOUIS AlN, OF france, Delng deserted bS
their allies. and greatly overmatched on the
land, they seriously contemplated abandoning
their country altogether and embarklng upon
their ships with the purpose Of making nome
among their colonies. This desperate purpose
born of herOiSm and despair. was only abandoned
to form another equally heroic, which was to
open their dykes and let in the seas to drown
out their enemies, which they carried into effect
ual execution.
When the proprietary rights of European
powers to the western hemisphere came to be
settled, England was found to be in possession OF
the eastern coasts of the North American con
tinent, from New Brunswick to the peninsula of
Florida, and soon that entire sea front was set
tied by hardy emigrants from that country,
bringing with them the language, the laws, and
the civilization of the mother country ana
these men laid the foundation of that new
power so well known as the United States
of America 1t is not possible to calcu-
late the effect produced by the develop
ment of the resources of a great con
tinent on the trade and commerce of the world
new quarter of the globe was opened up to the
enterprise of the old world, and since then each
new development has added to the volume Of its
trade.
The increase in our own day has been so great
that statisticians have failed to keep pace with IT.
and their reports are but approximations The re
port of the State Department FOR the year 1881
places the aggregate commerce of the world for
the year 1880, including imports and exports. at
over sixteen billions. OF this Europe furnished
el6NPn DllODS ana America, NOfln anu foOulili
two and half. From this you will see that the
continent of Europe. which is least in territorial
extent of any of the great divisions of the earth,
furnishes nearly three-fourths of the whole
amount.
THE GROWTH OF COMMERCE
This commerce, which for single year is
measured by these vast sums-so great that we
fail to have any just conception of them-has
been the growth of years. but the part which the
!.
said to date from the adoption of the federal
constitution and the organization Of the federal
government under it. Before that time the sew
eral States, each for itself, carried on commerce
with each other and with foreign states under
certain restrictions imposed by the articles of
confederation; but it was not until the federal
constitution went into effect with the express
power therein granted to the government of
the United States to regulate commerce with for
egn nations and among the States, that the sub
1ect OF our commerce at home as well as abroad
became matter of national concern and under
national control l have no data to determine
the amount or character of our commerce at that
time, but from our tonnage then engaged in for
eign trade as registered for the years 1890 and
1871, it must have been an important item in the
worlds trade. 1t was a subject which always
gagged the earnest attention Ofthe colonists from
the time of their settlement on this continent
1t is not my purpose to trace its progress year
by year, as to do so would require time
than could be allotted to an occasion like this
And then, it is with the present, rather than the
past, that propose to engage your attention
In the official figures of the year ending June
30, 1888, it may be stated as follows t<"'
Exports of domestic merchandise. -. 1904 223. $50
Imports of foreign merehandise.--..- 723 l80,914
Total 81 ,547, 02O, 316
Large as this aggregate is it falls far short of the
of tbaNr
1880 at:
Imports 81 99s. ST., 600
Exports 1891, 922, 900
Total. .$3, 800 400, 600
The imports into England exceed by more than
four hundred millions of dollars our entire for
eign commerce. We about equal France and
Germany to quantity, but the quality of our
exports differs very materially from those of our
great rivals. Taking the analysis Of our exports
for the fiscal year as given in the report of the
Bureau of Statistics we find that $619, 269 449
the products of domestic agriculture. 81 800 900
the products of domestic manufacture, and SOL,
444357 the products of mining; or agricultural
products n per cent, manufactures IA per cent,
and mines per cent The foreign merchandise
we receive in exchange for this. except sugar.
coffee tea and certain drugs and medicines, is
almost wholly made up of the products Of man
ufacture-goods, wares and merchandise which
have received all the labor of which they are ca
pable and every value that man can bestow upon
the products of the soil in the crude state Our
imports are the products of skilled labor some Of
it bestowed upon products which we have sent
abroad and which is returned to us greatly EN-
HANGED in price Last year our imports of cotton
goods amounted to $S8000 900. The least
price per pound of the cheapest article
was not less than 81 cents the raw
material in it not costing half that
to their destination find they are mostly
taken by England, France, Germany, and few
others of the European nations. Our exports to
South America, Asia, and Africa are not i'm
portant. England is our chief customer rccev-
ing from us during the last fiscal year 1928, 424,
ia, being largely more than half Of all we sent
abroad. Nearly all Of this vast sum raw
cotton breadstuffs and provisions. Food for
her people and material for her factories. From
an examination of these facts it is quite appar-
ent that the burden of our foreign commerce
falls too heavily upon the productions of our
soil. 1t is good thing to have market for our
surplus products of agriculture, but it is not safe
to rest our trade with foreign nations upon one
branch of productive industry, especially
when competition is constantly on the increase.
England to-day is our best customer, because
her necessities compel her to purchase of us, but
the time may come, and that before many years,
when her colonies will furnish her with
breadstuff and provisions. AS to cotton, which
is our chief article of export, it is not likely
that the factories of Europe will ever refuse to
receive from all we may be willing to export,
but it is to interest to make that as
small as possible by using more of it at home.
At present we manufacture but 30 per
cent. of our cotton crop and send 20 per
cent. abroad. But the time is not very far
distant when the order of things in this respect
will be reversed. When themanufacturing centers
for cotton goods shall be established, as they will
be, in the cotton belt, will the raw mate
rial at home and ship the manufactured article
to other countries, not, perhaps, to Europe, but
to those countries with which at present we carry
on but little commerce. and that chiefly confined
to the purchase from them of such articles as
are indispensable to us, as is now the case in
our trade with Brazil our last years purchases
from her being $44 488 459, and our sales So 252
600 1t is true the ratio of our exports of agr-
cultural products, as compared with all others
including the products of mining, has not under
gone much change for the last fifty years, but