The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-23
RIVER AT 8 A. M.
CULTIvATTNG THE ~ABRoAD.-

Time was, anu not very IOHS dSO,
when the entire manufacturing inter
ests of the country entertained the
sentiment expressed a couple of years
ago by paternalist congressman who
asked: What do we care for abroad?"
If foreign orders came they were filled,
of course, but with an air Of indiffer-
ence, mingled with condescension. The
old ante-bellum spirit of enterprise that
sent cargoes of the products of our
mills and factories in American ships,
under "Old Glory" into every open
port of the world in search of trade,
had died out under the enervating, hot
house effects of protection. The i'm
mense increase of domestic consumers,
from the torrent of immigration follow
ing the war, due largely to railroad
expansion under the stimulus of land
grants to dispose of which railway COM
pantes and states maintained immigra-
ton agents abroad and bureaus at
home, made a home market whose de-
mands at first exceeded the productive
capacity of the factories. But, aided
by inventions that quickened produc-
ton while dispensing with manual
labor, the factories soon caught up and
passed the demand. Fifteen years ago
the longer-headed manufacturers saw
that the home market was being work.
ed to death and that they must either
get out into the worlds markets or be
smothered in their own competition.
This gospel was preached unavail-
ingly by such men as Sergeant and
Hazard and Quincy. asking only for
free raw materials and waving all pro-
lection. But, welded to their habits of
dependence, they preached to the deaf
ears Of their fellow manufacturers.
Later, after experimenting with COM
binations and trusts to restrict home
competition, and seeing their arrange
ments crumble under the force Of the
very conditions out of which they grew,
the conviction became general that
there must be either a reduction of
production or an enlargement of mar
kets. This took form in the organiza-
ton over a year ago of the National
Association of Manufa cturers, which be-
gan a systematic investigation of
foreign markets, especially those of
the countries of South America. the
conditions of trade, articles needed, ex-
changes, communications, the idiosyn-
crasies of localities as to goods pack
ages, qualities, and the various details
that affect trade. Representatives were
sent to the commercial cities of those
countries to study conditions on the
ground, where concessions could be OBJ
tanned and what must be done by our
manufacturers to meet the competition
of English, German, French and other
traders, already firmly established
there and naturally hostile to the in
vasion Of the Yankees.
In addition to establishing a museum
In Philadelphia, in which were gath
cred the samples of foreign goods sold
in the countries visited, with state
ments of their cost, price, the tariffs
on them, freight rates and other data
essential to our manufacturers desir-
ing to enter the lists, the association
publishes circulars of information from
time to time, several of which we
have received and read with interest.
1t is curious to note how, in this purely
lndividualistic enterprise, there is min
gled the old idea of governmental ini-
tiative and support. 1t is curious, but
not surprising that a generate of
business men, educated to the belief
that the government must do for them
what it is inconvenient for them to do
for themselves, should still call upon it
to cooperate in this purely individual
movement. They cannot realize that
they can walk alone, so habituated are
they to the supporting crutch. But no
more significant or hopeful sign has
appeared to cheer individualists than is
this compelled Independent, self-reIiant
movement among class trained to re-
gard themselves as detectives whom
the remaining classes must support
Out OF it will come many good things.