The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-08-14

George w. Bell, United States Consul
to Sydney, delivered before the San
Francisco Chamber of Commerce. He
was frequently applauded and at the
a vote of thanks on the motion of R. G.
Sheath. Among those who listened
were ex-President Barillos of Guate-
mala and his suite.
Colonel Bell attributed to commerce
and the commercial spirit the progress
OF the world in civilization. This gen
Grafton was better than any that had
preceded it, because it was the greatest
commercial generation the world had
seen. From Constantine to Gladstone
practically nothing was done for the
amelioration of the masses. From Yes
pasian to Victoria the advance in all
those material matters which improve
the condition of the body of the people
was slight But in this century and-in
this age commerce had brought the
world together and the greatest adj
vances in civilization had been made.
Commerce has ever been the ally
of freedom" said Colonel Bell. Going
back to the commercial cities of Asia
Minor, they were free cities. The golden
age of Greece was the age when she
was supreme in commerce. Rome led
the world when she built roads connect
ing with the provinces sne conquered
or stole, and when these roads were de-
stroyed by the incursion of a non
commercial people, Europe went to
sleep for thousand years.
Venice was the queen of the Adri-
attic and the most enlightened city in
the world when she had 5000 ships and
$4,000 sailors. Genoa was her rival I'M
til she lost the spirit of adventurous
commerce and drove Columbus from
her gates.
Commerce has been the inspiration
of discovery. 1t was not conquest that
led to the shores of America 1t was
not to carry the gospel. 1t was to carry
the sample case. 1t was the stimulus
to commerce this discovery gave that
aroused the activity of Europe; for she
had not doubled her population in
thousand years.
THE commerce of a country is the
index of the condition of it's people.
Tell me what country imports and ex-
ports, and can tell you what kind of
houses the people live in and what
kind of clothes they wear. The COM
mercial statistics of a country repre-
sent pretty closely the sum total of
that country's intellectual life. To take
an extreme case, Russia with 125 ,000,-
600 has almost exactly the same for
eign commerce that Australia with
4 100000 people has, and each has 800
newspapers and periodicals Counting !
Interstate commerce, we are the great
est commercial people on earth.
I'VE have reached that development
when most people are required in the |
and exchange of com |
modities than in their original produc- |
ton. Some people have been led to |
talk of overproduction. But to nv
thought there can be no overproduction
of any good thing until all Gods chill /
dren have all they want. The trouble I
IS not that too much has been produced |
but that transportation and exchange
have not kept pace always and in all |
directions with production. What we
need is more perfect commerce, better
distribution. We need not fear over
for our wants grow faster
than our ability to supply them. That
IS what distinguishes us primarily from
the animal and in another way from
The savage. The desire is both natural
and universal to seek to get the best
possible living with the least possible
work. This is the inspiration of COM
nerce and the source of civilization.
"The prophecy of Seward, made when
some of US were still reading Marco
Polo for our information about China
and Japan, has almost come true. The
Pacific will soon become the center of
The commerce of the world. One-third
The population of the world is clustered
around it. China and Japan have been
shocked by new ideas. But whether
they will awake from their sleep which
we have thought must be oblivion, or
not, | do not know. Japan is showing
signs OF it. But do know that the (
richest people are the best customers. {
We sell England as much as we sell the
rest of the world. And in Australia are