Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1898-08-26
Our Chance for Expansion.

Our Chance for Expansion.
The United States is now the leading
agricultural country of the world
Our primacy comprehends mainly tn,
staples natural to the temperate zone
We lead, however, in one tropical pro
duction, and only one-cotton. Will
the annexation of Cuba, Porto Rico
and the Philippines two other grea'
tropical staples, cane sugar and tobacco
would be at once in our hands, as
cotton now is.
Although the United States is MOI
within the cotton belt of nature it pro
duces four-ffths of the total cotton sup
ply of the world. England controls the
price, and bears it tothe point of down
right robbery. This it is able to do
Notwithstanding our virtual monopoly
of production, because it has substan
tial control of the trade of the tropical
countries which furnish the best mar
kets for cotton goods. Under the new
impulse that would be given to Ameri-
can commerce in the Orient by our an
nexation of the Philippines, that con
troll would be broken, to the incalcul
able advantage of the cotton states
The area in this country which car
raise cane at all is small, and the limits
Of production we're reached long ago
In the case of tobacco, the area of pro-
duction is large, but not an acre is
really tobacco land. There are three
countries which are natural producer:
of both cane and tobacco -Cuba, the
Philippines, and Porto Rico. Witt
them added to our area, and given the
benefits of that security in the rights
of property enjoyed under flag, the
United States would lead the trade Of
the world in both of these tropical
staples, as it now does in cotton.
Early in the century hemp was an
important American product. The
farmers of several states cultivated il
extensively. Today its production in
this country has been narrowed down
to Kentucky, and it does not flourish
properly there. The truth is that
while it is largely raised in Europe
hemp really needs, for both quality
and quantity, the heat and humidity Of
a tropical summer. 1t has long been
conceded in the cordage trade that
there is no hemp like "Manila." In
making ropes and the Irvine of the
harvester and binder, the hemp of the
Philippines is given the preference
Our manufacturers make it a point to
get it, albeit under great disadvantages,
Once let the United States control the
city of Manila and the hemp-raisine
country tributary to it and it will not
be long before that entire network of
manufactures coming under the head
of cordage will be in American hands.
There r many other tropical pro-
ducts which would come within our
control, largely if not absolutely, if only
these three acquisitions of tropical ter
ritory were actually made, supplement-
ed, as they surely would be, by Ameri-
can enterprise. The raw material of
drugs and dyes comes mainly from the
tropics. The same is true of gums, the
choicest variety of timber, and many
delicious fruits and nuts. It is hardly
too much to say that we get our neces.
saries of life from the temperate belt,
our luxuries in the raw from the tropi-
cal belt.
And the best of it all is that the
peoples of all tropical countries en-
change their raw products for the
manufactured goods of the temperate
zone. England has grown rich beyond
all comparison or preconception by
exchanging the manufactures of a
small island for whatever the tropics
had to offer in any line, from the great
staples to the smallest side product.
Her era of prosperity began with the
actual possession of tropical countries
India and a long list of other colo
MES along or near the equator.
Dewey at Manila has placed within
this country's reach what Give in
India grasped for England. The door
of untold wealth which he opened did
not yield to the battering of brute
force, but to a genius of war so con-
summate in its attainment that lock
and bolt gave way without the horrors
of ordinary conquest. For three long
months the hero of Manila bay kept
that door ajar, allowing no other ma
ton to SO much as cast a shadow upon
the threshold. To shut it against our
selves by the terms of peace would be
the most %stupendous blunder ::of all
diplomacy.-Chicago Inter Ocean.
More Telephones.
The following new telephones have
been put in this week by Manager
Tompkins:
SIC. D. White, residence.
53-Frank Carnathan, residence.