The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-01-21
OUR COMMERCIAL DANGER.

oeES SohM9.kG1aL
Great as is the loss to our farmers and
merchants by the unhisndly action of the
German and other Governments in excluding
our pork products, the evil does not end
there. There are consequences even more
serious than the loss to our people Of more
than 81 100000 week. 1t is true that SO
| severe blow as this to our producing inter
ests might well derange-as it has done
our whole business and industrial system
and completely paralyze many important
branches of trade. Bat this is only the be-
ginning.
The trade of the world rests on mutual
agreements between Nations, in which each
protects the interests of its own people by
stipulations in regard to fayors to be ex-
tended to the other. With such an arrange
ment as this, and a reasonable certainty that
it will be carried out, merchants, manufac-
turers and agricultural producers can go
forward with confidence to extend their
business operations. So vital is this arrange
ment deemed that commercial Nations have
ever been ready to go to war to punish any
failure to carry out agreements entered into
for this purpose. Ninety-eight out of hun
dred of England's wars have been fought to
protect her merchants against some discrimi-
nation against them, or some serious in
faction of commercial treaty. She has
never hesitated at any expenditure of treas
ure or blood to protect her foreign markets,
and do all that was possible to insure the
security and profit of any branch of business
in which her people were engaged. There
was sound policy in this. 1t was better even
to go to war occasionally than to have great
interests, upon which Che livelihood of tens
of thousands depended, wantonly interfered
with by ignor. Mt or malicious rulers.
To-day the competition of the nations of
the world for trade is sharper than it ever has
been before since Rome and Carthage were
This is because there are more nations now
struggling for a share of foreign markets for
their people and their capital The time has
been when the lions share of the trade of
the world was done by England and France
with this country, Spain and Holland con-
tent to pick up such crumbs as might fall to
their share. Now, in addition to France and
to the rank of great nations, and infamed
with desire to have the same commercial
and French have long enjoyed Every nerve
is being strained by every power to get the
must suffer enormously unless their Gov
eminent is keenly alive to the needs of the
hour, and watches their interests with as
much vigilance as the other Governments
watch their peoples.
II we lift no hand to protect our people
when tens of millions of dollars are taken
from them by a single stroke of the pen, we
simply invite other nations of the earth to
rob us of the whole of our commerce to their
own enrichment. There is just as good
reason for foreign Governments cutting off
all our exports of cattle, horses sheep, bread
stuffs, fruits, kerosene, beet, cheese, etc, as
there existed for the prohibition of our pork
products. The moment they find they can
do this with impunity, unless Con-
gress does something without further delay,
they have already found it out, all of our
trade in which there is any profit will be
swept away, and our industries be still
more demoraiized than they now are.