The morning call., 1891-04-20
GALYESTON'S GUEST.
The President Discusses I'm
pOrtant Topics
What The Administration Is Doing 10 Pro-
mote Trade and Commerce.
Manufactures In the SOuth-IlteTlal In
pTOVementS- Steamship Subsidies.
Cheap Postage.
sIecial 10 THE MORNING CALI.

Mayor, who was i'll. the President expressed
thanks for their cordial welcome, and, in
the course OF his remarks, said: 81 am
glad to have been able to traverse the harbor
and look upon the liberal work which the
Government has inaugurated for your bene-
fit, and for the benefit of the Southwest 1
have always believed that it was one of the
undisputed functions Of the General Govern
ment to make these great waterways and
harbors into which our shipping must come
fit TO receive the tribute Of rail and river,
safe and easy of access. l depre-
cate waste of the public money, but am
not an economist in the sense that l would
leave incomplete or suffer to lag any great
work tending highly to promote the
interests of our people," Referring to
RECIPROCITY
The President said: I'VE are great
enough and rich enough to reach forward to
grander conceptions than have entered the
minds Of some of cur statesmen in the past.
If you ale content l am not that nations OF
Europe shall absorb nearly the entire COM
merce Of near sister republics that lie south
of us, that is naturally in a large measure
ours-ours by negbborEood, ours by near
ness of access. ours by that sympathy that
binds the Hemispheres without a king
[Cheers.l The Inauguration of
TIE PAN-AMERICAN CONGRESS,
Or, more properly, the American Confer
ence. Was happy In the conduct of that
meeting, and in the wise and comprehensive
measures which were suggested by it. With
the fraternal and kindly spirit that was
manifested by our southern nelghborS there
has been stimulated a desire in them and in
our people for larger intercourse of COM
merce and of friendship. The provisions of
the bill passed at the last session of
Congress looking to reciprocity trade
not only met with my official approval.
when l signed the bill, but with my Jealous
promotion before the bill was reported.
Prolonged cheering.l Its provision con.
cerning reciprocity Is that We have placed
upon our free list sugar. tea, coffee and
hides, and have SAID to those nations from
hom we receive these great staples: Give
Us free access TO Your ports for an equivalent
amount OF our produce III exchange, or
We will reimpose duties upon the articles
named. The law leaves it wholly to the
Executive to negotiate these arrangements.
1t does not need that they shall take the
form of treaty. They need not be sub
mItted fOT tile concurrence OF the State, 1t
only needs that we, having made our offer,
shall receive tiieir offer in return and when
they have made up an acceptable schedule
OF the articles produced by US that shall
have free access 10 their ports, proclan1a-
tiou by the President closes the whole busl-
ness,
ALREADY ONE TREATY
With that youngest Of the South American
repubIies-the great republic of Brazil-has
been negotiated and proclaimed. / think,
without disclosing any Executive secrets,
that l may tell you that the arrangement
with Brazil is not likely TO abide in lone
someuess much longer. Loud cheering.I
That Others are to fellow, AID that as a
result Of these trade arrangements,
the products of the United States,
our meats, our breadstuffs and
certain lines of manufactured goods are TO
find free or favored access to the ports of
many OF these South and Central American
States. All OF the States Will share in these
benefits. We have had some analysis made
Of tie manifests Of some our steamers now
sailing to South American ports, and in
a single steamer it was found that twenty
five of cur States contributed to the
cargo. But we shall need something more.
We shall need American steamships to
carry American goods to these ports. lGreaJ
cheers. The last Congress passed a bill
appropriat!ng about 81, 5000 and author
iZing the Poetmaster-Generalt to
CONTRACT WITH STEAMSHIP COMPANIES
For period not exceeding ten years for
earring the United States mail. Foreign
mail service is the only mail service
making a net profit We d. not make
a profit out Of our land service. There is an
annual deficiency which my good friend the
Postma>teT-Gener has been trying very
hard TO reduce or wipe cut. The theory OF
Our mail service is that it is for the people
and that we are not to make any profit ont
of il; that we are to give them as cheap
postage as possible We are many OF
us looking forward to a time when
we shall have one-cent postage in
Ia how Ina
close and penurious in dealing with our
ships in carrying foreign mails that we have
actually made revenues out of that bust-
ness, nUthaYing spent for it what we have
received from it. Now We propose to
change this policy and make more liberal
contracts with steamship lines carrying
American mails. Some one may say We
ought not to 20 into this business; that is
a subsidy. But, my friends, every other
great nation of the world has been doing it,
and is doing it to-day.
GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE
Have built up their great steamship lines
by Government aid, and it seemed to me
that our attitude with reference to it is
aptly protected by an illustration | men,
toned the other day. In Olden tune 0
wholesale merchant sent out travelling men
to solicit custom, but he stood in his own
store and waited for his customers.
Presently some enterDrising merchant
began sending out men with their samples
to seek trade, in order to save the country
buyer the cost Of triptO New York or Phil
adelphia until finally that practice became
universal, and these active, intelligent tTav-
ellng-men are scurrying the country over,
pushing and soliciting in their several
lines OF business, Now, imagine some
conservative merchant in New York say
ing TO himself: "All this is wrong. Trade
ought to come TO me-" If he should refuse
to adopt these modern methods what would
be the result? He must adopt new methods
or go out of business. We have been re-
fusing to adopt the universal methods used
by our
COMPETITORS IN COMMERCE
To stimulate their shipping interests aud
have all bnt gone out OF business lCheers.I
Encouraged by what your spokesman has
said tonight l venture to declare that
l am in favor of going into business
again, and when it is re-established
/ hope that Galveston viii be in part
the careful study of the Postmaster
General in preparing to execute the law TO
which | have referred, to see how much In
crease in routes and ships we could secure
by it. We have said TO few existing
American lines: You must not treat this
divided and consumed by your spirit.
You must give US new lines Of
ships. increased trips and new ports
OF call. Already steamship lines are
loOkluR over routes 10 see what tDey can 10
with the law increasing their tonnage and
in establishing new lines. The Postmaster
General invited the attention and suggestion
to all Boards of Trade in all our cities. Un-
douotedly you received such letter. This
appropriation is for one year; wnat
the future is to be must depend
upon the deliberate judgment of
the people. II during my term Of Office they
shall strike down the law that | believe to
be beneficial, or destroy its energy by with
holding appropriations, / shall bow TO their
will, but shall feel great disappointment
If we do not make this an era for the
REVIVAL OF AMERICAN COMMERCE.
al do much want that the time shall come
when our citizens, living in temporary exile
In foreign ports, shall now and then see
steaming into those distant ports fine mod
ern man-of-war flying the United States