Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-03-21

cOnultlOn. England recognized tnls,
and while we slept, believing in our
home strength, she acted. India's hot
sands were dyed with crimson blood
from the flowers of her army. She
conquered. Calcutta, draining the
Indies, was made tributary to London.
The islands of the Pacific bowed to
English energy; China found her
boasted wall rent in fragments, and
when she awoke from her slumbers,
she found the Union Jack flying over
Hong Kong, aud the nations Of the
world progressing, while she was just
throwing off the mantle of slumber.
The great trade OF these countries
finds its way past our doors, because
we sit idle and make no effort to be
benefited by our natural advantages.
Washington proposes to act Here is
a trade aggregating 5000, 100000 that
can be made tributary to us. There is
no reason why this vast stream of COM
mercial wealth should pass overland
through Siberia and India; it should
be brought to the coast and shipped
East. There is no reason why the
sleeping trade OF Mongolia, the north
ern part of China, Siberia, Corea, and
Japan, should not be diverted to the
United States by way of. Puget Sound.
The advance of the army of progress
makes this imperative. Before the
babe of to-day has reached maturity,
there will be but little of the traffic of
these countries carried overland by any
other than steam transportation, and
when railroads penetrate the great
domain of Siberia and China, then the
products of these countries can be
brought to the coast and shipped to
America by way of Washington. Al
ready the Russian Government is tax
ing steps to construct road from
Baikal Lake, in its Siberian posses
sions, to the Great Amoor river, that
drains all of Northern China and
Southern Siberia; this mighty river,
with its tributary, the Songaree, is
navigable for over 1000 miles, and by
its means cur new State will control
the larger part of the trade of those
countries. The ports of Seattle and
Tacoma are only 5000 miles from the
mouth of this water artery that will
yet drain the valley Of the Euphrates
and the Caucasian country OF their
products, while boastful England is
fully $4,000 miles away. The laws of
nature seem to. plead the cause OF
Washington; it is inevitable this must
be the trade of America. [Applause. !
The manufacturers of Pennsylvania
have to face many obstacles in their
efforts to gain access to the channels
of trade flowing in foreign countries.
If they send their surplus products to
England, France, Germany, or Spain,
it is something like q" sending Goals to
Newcastle" for those countries are
producers as we'll as consumers, and
they produce equally as cheap the ar
ticles the American manufacturer ex.
GELS in, and our merchant is simply
Offering them that of which they have
an abundance. Consequently, compe-
tition is sharper and the profits small
er. The most successful trader
is the one who supplies country, not
with what that country produces itself,
but with which it actually needs and
cannot make. Therefore, the future
section in which to pour our surplus
products is not to the east, but to the
west. China, Japan, Siberia, and
Australia are our fields. China has
500, 100000 of inhabitants, each of
whom can be created into consumer
of articles that he does not make or
grow, and which will be necessarily
furnished by the people who can sup
ply the cheapest. Japan, a growing
power, with 100000 of the most in
telligent population, is exactly in the
same position; likewise Siberia. In
fact, the lOO,OOO,OOO of people under
Russia's rule can be made to feel the
effect OF the resources of America.
Consequently, it only rests with Amer
leans to enter the list with Britannia
for this enormous trade that must
surely be built up in the near future.
Then will come the. advantages of
shorter distance, the advantage OF less
handling.
1t is here that Washington will be
able to utilize her geographical posi-
ton, her wonderful resources, and, in
measure, assist America to control
the commerce of the Asiatic countries.
Puget Sound is 5000 miles nearer
Hong Kong than is Liverpool, an ad-
vantage that will soon be felt. We
are $500 miles nearer to Shanghai,
and, in my judgment, this will be the
greatest port in China-the one that
will be used by the Americans in their
trade with the Mongolians.
In addition to the many other nat
ural advantages, we have the great
Japan Current" in our favor, by the
aid OF which we can sail twenty miles
a day farther than can be sailed in any
other stream on the globe. Then our
merchants will not have to go East
for the products with which to trade :;
we can save the haul.of the iron and
coal from Pennsylvania to the fur
naces and rolling mills, and the cost
of handling; also the heavy expenses
OF shipment from the East 1900 miles
to the West, for in our State we have
our raw material within ten miles of
coal and within fifteen miles of tide
water. We have almost every neces-
sity required in a great manufacture
ing State. 1t is for this reason we