Omaha daily bee., 1888-04-29
international Expositions.

International Expositions.
The present year will be memorable
for international expositions, and rs
none of them would be regarded as
complete without an American exhibit,
il this country is represented in each q
considerable sum must be drawn for the
purpose from the national treasury.
Already bills have passed congress APP
propriating fifty thousand dollars for an
exhibit at Melbourne and thirty thous-
and dollars for an exhibit at Barcelona.
A bill appropriating thirty thousand
dollars for an American exhibit at
Brussels has been favorably reported
to the house, and it is proposed to
appropriate o quarter OF n
million for an exhibit of the man
ufactures and products of the
United States at the Paris exposi-
tion. These aggregate a sum Of
three hundred and sixty thousand dol
lars which it is proposed the govern
ment shall expend for display of the
nations products in the expositions Of
other lands. Besides this congress is
expected to make appropriations for
having the government represented at
the Ohio valley exposition and the uni
versal exposition OF 1892 to commemo-
rate the discovery OF America, while
the colored exposition proposed to be
held in Atlanta asks loan of four hun
dred thousand dollars that would doubt
less amount practically to a gift. 1t is
probable, therefore, that not less than
one million dollars will be appropriated
by the present congress for exhibits in
international and domestic expositions.
The practical question is whether
this method Of advertising the coun-
try's products will result in sufficient
benefit to repay the outlay. There is
no doubt that these expositions have a
measure of commercial value for those
who participate in them, and unques-
tionably it is the policy of great and
prosperous industrial nation to avail
itself of them to q certain extent. Our
government is happily in condition to
afford a liberal expenditure on this ac-
count, and if there was reasonable cer-
tainty of advantages equal to the outlay
the people would not disapprove of a
much larger sum to be expended than
is now proposed. But there can be nc
such certainty with respect at
least to some of these projected ex-
positions, and it may fairly be
doubted whether rs to these the sums
appropriated or proposed will not prove
to be wasteful extravaganza. There
are sound commercial reasons why the
United States should be well repre-.
| sented at Melbourne and Paris, but an
expenditure OF sixty thousand dollars al
| Brussels and Barcelona would probably
be nothing more than contribution tc
| international amity, and productive ot
no material benefits of consequence
We should cultivate the good will o.
| the nations, but only on such terms o.
fair reciprocity as will assure mutua
| advantages as nearly equal as possib BILE
| The duty of the government to aid the
people in bringing their products tt
the notice of the world is con
ceded on all hands, but this
should be done discreetly with
reference to the advantages to be de
rived. A reasonable estimate of thest
may be made IN connection with an ex
hibit in Belgium and Spain, and we d.
not think it would be such as to justif,
the proposed appropriations. The trutl
is that so long as the existing fisca
policy of the United States remains as
barrier between us and the markets o
the world for our manufactured pro
ducts, and we continue dependent upol
foreign ship owners for the transporta
tion of those products, our exhibits IL
foreign expositions, however creditable
cannot be counted upon to be largel,
profitable.