River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-03-15
FOREIGN COMPETITION.
EI-speaker Reeds Figures on the Trade
situation.

The democrats say that the Wilson
bill will enable American manufacture
ers 70 compete successfully with other
manufacturing nations in foreign
markets. But that bill which is to
stimulate the expectation of American
goods will by the admission of the
democrats themselves stimulate the
importation of foreign goods II 1t is
TO produce the revenue which they say
il will the importations of COMPETE
tive goods will be so increased that
millions of dollars worth of Amer lean
made products will no longer find a
market here. IL one is to be found for
them il will have To be abroad. The
American manufacturers whipped in
their own country will have to defeat
their victors in some neutral country.
In order to reconcile the people to
this transfer of the home market from
Americans TO foreigners, the democrats
seek to minimize its value. They talk
of its limited power to consume, as
compared with that of the great out
side world. Is the American market
such a petty one, then? Read what
ex-Speaker Reed had to say on the sub
ject:
That in this country all the workers have
been getting better wages than elsewhere is
the very reason why our market is the best IN
the world and Why all NATIONS Of the world are
trying to break into It. We do not appreciate
the nature OF our market ourselves.
I'VE are nom inally 20. 600 coo people That Is
what we are in mere numbers. But as a market
for manufactures and choice foods we are poten-
Tally 10000 0oo as compared with the next best
nation on the globe Nor is this dificut TO
prove. Whenever an Eng shman earns 81 an
American earns 81 60 / speak within bounds
Both can get The food that Keeps body and soul
together and the shelter which the body must
have for ~ cents. Take o. cents from 81 and
you have 80 cents left Take that same 90 cents
from ii % and you have IL left, just two and a
half times much
THAT surplus can be spent in choice foods, in
house furnishings in fine clothes and all the
comforts or life-in word, in the products OF
our manufactures That makes our popula-
tion as consumers Of products, as compared
with the English population. 20, 100000 Their
population is 81 10000 as consumers OF prod
ucts which one century ago were pure Injuries.
while our population Is equivalent TO 200, 900
III this is our comparison with England.
what is the comparison with the rest OF the
world, whose markets our committee are so
eager 20 have in exchange for our ownf Null
hall gives certain statistics which will serve to
make the comparison clear. On page 3o5 OF his
Dictionary Of Statistics he says the total year
ly product OF the manufactures OF the world
are t,474. 600 600 pounds, OF which the United
States produces /, 1880 200 pounds.
I'VE produce one-third and the rest OF the
world. England included, two-thirds The pop
ulation of the world IS 1900 OOO.O00 OF which we
have 10 900 900. which leaves 430 000O for the
rest OF mankind We all our manufactures
or the equivalent of them. Hence we are equal
TO one half the whole globe outside OF ourselves.
England included. and compared as a market
with the rest OF the world our population is
equal to us 00o,U00.
Il repeat as compared with England itself as
q market our people are equivalent TO 100000 ?
600 AS compared with the rest OF the world,
England included, we are equal as a market to
us. OOO,O0o These figures more than Justify the
adiectives OF the Englishman, and the cold facts
Of mathematics sUrpass the spasms OF rhetoric"
No democrat has ventured to dispute
the accuracy of Mr.. Reeds figures or
to challenge the conclusions he draws
from them. All they do is to say stol-
idly that the American market does
not amount to much and that il will be
a stroke of good business to neglect il
to reach out after Asia, Africa and the
islands of the sea
But the business man, with Mr..
Reeds figures before him, will see that
common sense dictates first and fore
most the preservation of this great
American market for Americans While
it is theirs they cannot suffer, whatev-
err happens. If, retaining it, they can
also reach out and invade foreign mar
kets, so much the better. But the es-
sential point is to keep what we have
and not to throw away the meat we have,
no matter how attractive the shadow
may be. Americans, if wise, will not
sacrifice the custom of their own we'll
paid citizens to compete with the Eu-
ropeans for the poor trade of orientals
and Africans. Chicago Tribune