Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-04-10
Expansion of our Foreign Trade.

has passed when 65 millions can live
and prosper by agriculture. Had the
whole wheat crop of last year (47O, O0O,-
900 bushels) been evenly divided
among our people it would have {
yielded them less than 81 head
Nothing, therefore, can be more GER
tain than that, with the prevailing
low prices Of grain and cotton, the re-
vival of prosperity in the United States
can come only through an expansion
of its foreign commerce.
But if this is at present the chief
door of hope it is wide door, and may
be widened if our manufacturers and
merchants will have it SO. 1t would
seem that they ought by this time to
have learned by hard experience the
folly of depending upon the home
market alone and accepting the spe-
cious dogma attributed to the mer-
curial Governor Mckinley that 'the
foreign market is free-trade shadow
Dance" This was very fine piece OF
political buncombe, which thousands
of imbecile voters doubtless swallowed
with great gusto. But, it may be
hoped, not many leaders of American
manufacturing and commercial enter
prise were caught by this cry OF those
whose panacea for all the commercial
ills of the nation is protection-higher
protection. If anything has been made
clear during the recent tariff agitation
it is that protection is taxation of the
most exacting and the most burden
some type, and hence the absurdity of
any attempt to better the condition of
the country by increasing this kind of
taxation. Our shrewd mill-owners
might learn lesson from the English
textile manufacturers, who, after sup
plying their own home market, export
annually $1O5, 100000 worth of woollen
goods and 1880 million yards of cotton
piece goods-worth over 100000, 900,
and enough to go around the entire
globe at the equator 113 times--the ex-
port of all kinds of English cotton
fabrics being more than twice as great
as that of all cotton goods consumed in
the English home-market
Astounding as it seems, England was
soon enabled by her free trade policy
to extend the foreign market for her
cotton fabrics until it became more
profitable than her home market. As
early as 1860 her statistics show the
value of her cotton fabrics exported
was f49, 029, 900, and the value of her
cotton fabrics consumed at home was
f27, 971 900. In 1887 the cotton exports
were f70, 957, 600, and the home con-
sumption f30, 100000. We have reason
to believe that if our high tariff walls
were removed the foreign market for
American cotton-fabrics would in a
few years be worth to ou1 manufact-
urers more than our home-market.
Our manufacturers have now an OPP
portunity to push their commercial
conquests into regions which have
hitherto been closed to them. To give
one practical illustration of this, our
Southern iron products have already
won a distinct advantage over those
of England, not only in the American
market, but also in many foreign
markets. Alabama pig-iron is already
sold at figures which promise to intro.
duce it even in the great British iron
district of Manchester. The secretary
of a large Southern iron company
wrote last month to the Engineering
and Mining Journal that if his com
pany can arrange to secure ballastings
on cotton cargoes it Twill certainly
give some of the English consumers in
the Manchester district the oppor-
tunity of comparing our iron with
Cleveland pig" Cleveland pig is now
quoted at from So 80 to So 40 and
Scotch pig at $40 10, while the quota
tions at Birmingham, Ala, are from
Sc to 81 %.
American manufacturers have every
thing to gain by ceasing to stand on
the defensive and by carrying the
war into Africa" They can expand
their export-trade in many directions.
But to do this effectually they must
create a foreign prestige for their goods
by exporting fabrics of the best quality
and be content at first with small
profits, realizing that once they have
gained foothold large and quick sales
will eventually crown their enterprise
with abundant rewards.