Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-02-18
ASTOUNDING FACTS.
0ne-Half Of Our Imports Are
Agricultural Products.
Talk With Secretary Norton Sena-
tor Chambers Memory.
The Ex- Queen Of the Hawaiian IsIand-The
Loss Of Her Throne.

rotary Morton, the retiring chief of the
agricultural department., has had many
hobbies, but none more valuable to the
country than his efforts to promote foreign
demand for the produce of American farms
In conversation today Secretary Nor
ton called my attention to remarkable
fact, one which caused me much SURPRISE
and which, doubt not, will surprise most
readers of this dispatch. Just about one
half Of all the imports to this country, !"
said Secretary Morton, ''are agricultural
products. This may appear incredible, but
it is true. Taking all the agricultural i'm
ports, including articles not grown on
American farms, the percentage of all
our agricultural imports in 1892 was
52, or little more than one-half; in 1898
it was As; in 1894, nearly 30; in 1895, SO,
and in 1896, 49,"
Sugar. Coffee and Wool.
"You do not mean to say that one-half
Of all the imports Of the greatest argicul-
tural country in the world are agricultural
products."
''That is just what do say. OF course
a large part of these importations is rep
resented by such articles as tea and coffee,
which we do not produce, but they are
agricultural products just the same. Let
me give you some interesting figures. Our
total imports in 1896 were in round num-
bers $3.50, 900, 600. More than $685., OOO, 900
Of these were agricultural products, or IS. so
for every man, woman and child in the
United States. The largest item was sug
ar, 800, 900, 600, and sugar is a farm prod.
uct in our country. The next largest item
was coffee, $S5, 900, 900. Next in order was
wool, to the amount Of $S2, 500, 900.
The fourth is hides and skins, which reach
the enoromus total of $50, ZOO, OOO Fifth
ia silk, with $4,000, 600. Sixth came
fruits and nuts, $4,000, 900; seventh, to-
bacco, el6, 500, 600; eighth, tea, 91S, O00,.
600. These are the large items, comprising
more than $500, 600, 900. 1t will be noticed
that only 312b, O00, 900 Of this total Is repre-
sented by articles which American farmers
do not produce.
''What was the remaining seventy odd
millions composed of:''
well, you will be surprised at some Of
the items. Cattle, live, u, sos, 900; horses,
$500, 900; sheep, 1858, 600; bristles, q, 4S6,.
600; cheese, S1,491 ,0OO; feathers and
down, 1850, 600; glue, e556, 200; grease,
&l,244 900; hair, tl,244,0 600; meat prod
ucts, 1859 900; sausages and sausage
skins, S669,00O; in all, animals and their
products, $4,000, 000.T Why, we imported
nearly 1000, 900 Of breadstuffs, including
$3l7 900 in barley, 81, 3S6, 900 in wheat
and 81 :, 050, 200 Of macaroni and other food
preparations Of wheat.
but this is not all, !" continued Secre.
tary Morton. 1--WE imported last year IS,
5000 worth of cotton and nearly $12,.
600, 600 of flax, hemp, jute, MANILA, sisal
grass and other fbers. Think of this coun.
try importing nearly $3, 00O, 900 worth OF
hay in d single year and over sc, 600, 600
worth of vegetable oils, Sc, 1S5, 900 worth
of plants, trees, shrubs and vines, nearly
$1,000, 900 worth of seeds, S31 900 worth OF
straw and So, 800, 900 worth of vegetables
With proper development and variation Of
our agricultural industry" concluded the
secretary, 1--WE ought to cut off large part
of this importation and supply the market
with home grown products.
A Good Memory.
Senator Chandler of New Hampshire is
said by his colleagues to have the best
memory of all the members of the upper
house. When he feels inclined to do so,
Mr.. Chandler can repeat almost word fol
word any speech which he may have heard
on the floor of the senate. He has re-
markablc faculty for this sort of thing,
and on tests has been known to reproduce
from memory a short speech made by some
other senator almost verbatim. Newspaper
correspondents have endeavored to utilize
the New Hampshire senator's extraordi
nary memory by getting him to tell them
what was said in executive session, but
Mr.. Chandler invariably declines. 81 ad
init am newspaper oditcr, he says,
''but l am not a correspondent. Mr.
Chandler owns a paper in his state, fol
which he writes when he gets time.
There has been q good deal of gossip here
about the efforts of certain friends of Gen
eral Miles to raise funds with which to
present him with house in Washington.
Senator Allen of Nebraska introduced a
resolution calling on the war department
for information as to what law there is on
the subject of army officers receiving gifts.
There is no such law. Generals Grant,
Sherman and Sheridan received gifts OF
homes from their admirers, and General
Grant was the recipient Of two such pres.
ents.
Specimens Of English.
Some fearful specimens of English find
their way into public documents, but prob
ably nothing worse than the following was
ever perpctrated: The other day Senator
Hill introduced u bill, the title of which
read, "a bill to authorize the public build
ing in tho city of Buffalo to be built an ad
ditional story, )" and in the body Of the bill
tits recited "that the public building now
being erected in the city Of Buffalo may b.
erected an additional story"
One Of the interesting subjects sure tt