Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-10-20
OUR EXPORT TRADE.

II.
OUR EXPORT TRADE.
LIS Rapid Advance-Comp arison with
British Trade.
1t has been shown that DoliticaI and
strateglcal considerations tend to give the
American people livelier interest in the
countries that fringe the Pacific ocean
ana III the geography, natural and arti-
heal, OF that body of salt water Com
merce points the same way as politics and
strategy. | doubt whether many Eng
lfshmen are even yet alive to the unparal-
!eled progress OF American industry dur
ing the last few years, or have any real
conception of the rapidity with which the
manufacturing capacity of the country is
growing.
We have alarmed ourselves a good deal
over the increase of German trade; but it
is the United States, not Germany,
winch VIII really challenge our lead as
the FIRST manufacturing nation of the
world. The exporting trade of the union
is advancing by breatheSs strides The
vigorous efforts which the Americans
have lately made, alike by the individual
energy OF their capitalists and men of
business and the direct assistance Of their
government. to encoura ge production have
had astounding results. The United States
is no longer merely an exporter of food
stutfs and raw materials, for which it re-
celves IN return the finished products Of
European factories and workshops. 1t is
ceasing to be q buyer, and entering the
markets of the world as a seller of these
commodities. In less than four years its
export of iron and steel goods has more
than doubled. In the fiscal year that
closed in June last the American exports
of manufactured articles for the first time
exceeded the imports In 1897 the manu-
featured imports had exceeded the exports
Tin round fgures) $270O0,OOO, in 1896
by $1O4, 100000, in 1895 by S121 .OOO.-
GOO, and SO on the further we 60 back.
Taking the trade as a whole, we find an
astounding change in the relative posi-
tons Of the inward and outward flowing
stream of commodities. Here are the fig
ures Gin millions of dollars for 1889 and
1898:
,ooo Imports. Exports. Total
!Coo 40 az 1,4SI
1898 .............. GIG 1921 1,S47
Thus the whole value of American for
elgn commerce has grown by $3.50. GO0-
wv, but the expansion is entirely due to
the increase on one side of the account
The imports have fallen heavily: but, on
the other hand, the exports have in
creased SO enormously that instead of
being slightly behind the imports, rs they
were only nine years ago, they are now
over $6OO,OOO.OOO ahead. Incidentally
the following figures, which are given by
J. w. Cross in letter to the Times. pub
lished on August 16, are extremely in
structiHe:
Exports of Exports of
goods and goods and
Annual average for
seven years ending
Annual average for
seven years ending
June, 1898 -. 226,O0o, 600 196, oOo, 900
lei is equal to So.
The United States. then, is no longer
as it used to be. and as the founders Of
the republic apparently hoped it would be,
self-contained country. 1t cannot re-
gard the politics and economics of foreign
states with Indifference, secure in the pos
session of its -'home market" The home
market no longer suffices. The nation has
now become q great dealer in manufac-
tured goods, and it requires varied and
abundant customers. Where is it TO find
them: There are the civilized nations of
the European continent to deal with. of
course, and American manufa ctureIS
are pushing their way into these terri
tories with immense energy. with the re-
suit that they take 500 OOO, 900 less from
this quarter of the globe and sell us $780,
100000 worth more than they did only
two years ago. But in Europe the United
States must always be exposed to the
competition of such rivals as Germany.
England and Belgium, and it cannot COM
pete with them on quite equal terms
since it is 1000 miles further away from
the scene of operations. There is, how
ever, one market where America has
magnificent opportunities if she takes
care to keep them open; and that is East
ern Asia. When the Nicaragua canal is
completed her manufacturing states of
the Atlantic seaboard will be put into n
most favorable position as compared with
their European competitors to trade in the
Chinese market. At present. owing to
the Suez canal Liverpool is 1891 miles
nearer Hong Kong than New York is.
and 3549 miles nearer Yokohama The
Nicaraguan canal will redress the bal
ance. The superiority in favor of Liver
pool in southern China will be reduced by
two-thirds: it will disappear altogether in
northern China and Japan. New York
will be 1000 miles near Yokohama than
Liverpool, and will be able to send the
products of the New England and Penn
sylvania mills and foundries direct by sea
to Asia, instead of shipping them to Eng
land to avoid the cost of railway haulage
across the continent of America. Except
Japan. no manufacturing nation will be
so well situated as the United States for
supplying the vast population of the Chi
nese empire. The prospect that opens be-
fore the eyes of American capitalists and
producers is almost intoxicating in its eX-
tent.-Pall Mall Gazette of September IL
A leading Democrat of Wisconsin has
written the La Crosse Chronicle. a Demo
cratic journal of the sound money sort, in
these brave and hopeful words: II am
glad indeed that there are still a few
Democrats who refuse to bow the knee to
Baal: few who believe that a party is a
medium for expressing. not for prostitut-
ing personal convictions; few whose love
for party is not greater than their love
for country, and who refuse to sanction a
great wrong fer party advantage Let us
stand firmly where we are. sooner or later
the will suing hoc "a h.