Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-06

opportune at this time when taken into
| &C nsideration with his appointment to
| Canton.
The nerican manufacturers" said Dr.
| Bedloe, have built up our foreign COM
/ merce until it is row officially estimated to
| be two billions year, while our home
/, Any one who has studied the statistics can
! not help being impressed with the great
| increase of American industry in the re-
! cert past. We have entered the arena of
| commercial competition with nearly every
| product made IN European countries, and
we are exporting many products formerly
| impossible to make in this country. Under
| the present favorable tariff regulations
| there Will be more active rivalry.
| A Golden Future in the East
| There is golden future" he contin-
| ued, lin our commerce in manufactured
goods in the far east. / believe that our
| best and most profitable markets in the
| future will be found there. Japan with
her 40,00O,o00 of people, Corea with 12,OOO,-
600. the vast empire of China with more
| than 400, 000,0O and Siam and the Span isa,
| Portuguese and French Indies with an
other 4O0.00o,000 comprise the territory in
| which our American merchants and man.
! ufacturers should and must compete with
| those of England, Belgium, France and
! Germany The difficulties and obstacles
| are .erous, but the national trait of
Americans is to overcome such things, and
| by wise foresight of our Legislators and
| diplomats and a study Of conditions by our
boards of trade and chambers of conf
merce 1t can be accomplished We are
| bound to encounter the jealousy and hos
| tilty of the European trade interest al
ready established in those distant lands.
| The Great Britain houses the Germany
| companies the Belgium and French firms
| leave no stone unturned to hinder or in
| jure us and to kill or hurt our American
| trade to the promotion of their own. Some
| foreign firms, indeed, go to lengths which
| In land would he rdpI g.
| tionable at law and even punishable by our
| criminal courts.
| Some Fraudulent Practices.
Much of my consular work while in
China" continued DR.. Bedloe, consisted
| In exposing and checking these Infamous
| frauds. One example was an imitation
Winchester rifle made in Belgium by
English firm CT the lowest grade materials.
which was as liable to kill the man who
! fired 1t as the man or animal it was fired
| at. Another instance was the dangerous
| imitation Of American-made cartridges for
| Winchesters, Colts. Remingtons, Smith 4
Wessons and other first-class firearms.
| which were manufactured near Birming
ham. England, by cheap labor and of poor
| materials which were worse than worth
| less. 1t is not surprising in the face Of
such manifest and glaring frauds practiced
by the British that our gallant Admiral
Belknap when commanding our Asiatic
squadron, in his official report to Secretary
| Tracy referred to Great Britain as the
rich robber of the universe
Other Glaring ImpOsltions.
Among other frauds that 1 remember to
| have seen practiced." continued DIR. Bed
| loe. were the filling of American flour
bags with poor imitation British flour; fill
| ing canvas covers of Chicago ham and ba-
con with really unmarketable pork; putting
up Siberian salmon in exact imitation of
m IN md
Oregon, and selling cheap limitations of
Ames' axes and shovels, McCormick's
farming implements. Disston's saws, Ro-
chester lamps and American student lamps.
Worst of all. 1 have seen the trashiest
barytes- filled English cotton cloth stamped
with counterfeit labels of the Fall River,
Taunton. Willamantic and other high
class American trade marks. American
kerosene tins are filled with the lowest
grade of Russian Oil and even with the
kerosene from the new petroleum discov-
American sewing machines and American
clocks are all initiated in the manner that
1 have described"
What is the reason for such widespread
imitation?' DIR. Bedloe was asked.
Because American goods have such a
high reputation In all eastern markets. he
replied. They are universally recognized
as the best. To the orientals the mere
| fact that an article is American is a guar
antee Of its worth and value. The condi-
ton that [ have described that exists to-
uay Is what we may expect to have con-
tinued until treaties shall be enacted which
shall put an end to this style Of swindling
and robbery.
Suggestions Of Value.
ITO promote and extend our foreign
| trade" said he in conclusion I'VE should
have keen business men and practical arti-
sans at the principal points in the far east
| to learn what the people want. to ascertain
how they make their own goods and the
designs and patterns Of goods which are
most in demand in the different districts,
and thus practically learn what Is neces-
sary to meet the requirements. have al
ways thought that a permanent exhibi-
ton Of American products should be estab-
lished in China, to which constituents of
American-made goods could be sent and
every article in which there is a profit for
| the manufacturer. the merchant and the
| exporter displayed for the instruction OF
| the oriental purchasers