The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-17
WHAT WE BUY FROM SPAIN.
And What the Spaniards, in Turn, Buy
from Us.
PHILADELPHIA Record.

Philadelphia Record.
Has it occurred to you to inquire just
what we get from and send to Spain, and,
therefore, just how inconvenient war would
be in that respect? OF course, one way to
get at the matter would be to look up the
statistics; another IS to pay a visit to our
scum down on South Fourth street and
hunt the matter out for ourselves. Once
up in the room where are shown the goods
Spain has to dispose of dt takes Scant time
to decide that we can manage to worry
along with none of her products at pinch.
First, there's a tall fiber called ramio; we
don't import q dollars worth. Then kind
of cress from which ropes and hammocks
are made and palm fiber which is con-
verified into fans. Sabots, too, and forty
seven sorts of wood, some for dyeing pur-
poses, but the sort that counts most is
cork oak, and the part of the bark that
makes the best corks is right here in full
view. We have corks from Spain to the
value. of $1S0659 year. Sounds convivial,
doesn't it? Wines make a pretty showing,
there being any number. of vintages, with
sherry and malaga, of course, leading.
Olive oil, too in every sort of bottle and
anniS in every state.
Licorice is the star importation. We are
1nsatiate licorice consumers, it seems, and
here one sees licorice tied up in bundles Of
faggotS and also in black pills of various
shapes There are nuts, too; almonds and
looks like onions. There's ST. Johns bread,
sesame, garbanZos-these are to Spain what
beans are to Boston, though they're said to
taste more like hard peas not we'll cooked
-macaroni, corn and sardines. We could get
along without these; it's only the corks that
in Catalania and Genoa, DR.. Wederlein
says, though we could probably get them
in Morocco and Algiers. TO come down to
figures, we import from the land of Isa-
bella about $4600,0O0 year; fruits to the
amount of $1,400,0O0; wines, 100000, and
you'll be glad to know that a good part of
the Bordeaux over which lips are smacked
is, in reality, Spanish wine; iron ore, $780,
0OO and chemicals, including drugs and
licorice, 100000
AS for Spain, that far-away land in which
are situated the castles of so many Of us,
she is one of the countries not dependent
on us for food products Altogether these
food products amount to only about SlOO,-
600. AS for slaves and headings for those
endless casks Of Wine. the lack of these
them at second hand from the other Euro
pean countries. If figures interest you,
you'll like to know that we export to Spain
to the value of 81 900: and Of this $4,000
is breadstuffs $4,000 chemicals, $S739,O0
manufactured cotton, $9SSOOO tobacco,
1904 goo oil mineraD, and shocks, slaves and
headings, $556000. which leaves very little
for the other exports. AS Mr.. Macfarland
pointed out, Spain could get the cotton from
The land I OFT of the CIV youthful King Alfonso
doesn't invite our trade, the chief obstacle
to American imports being the high and
discriminating tariff: the excessive freight
rates and the lack of direct steamship lines.
The SpaniardS have trade conventions with
England, France and Germany; but not
with us except as to Cuba, which puts us
at a disadvantage. They only take direct
cotton, petroleum. slaves, lumber and an
occasional cargo OF wheat in case of a short
harvest. Spanish merchants know little of
us. Our statesmen never visit them, and,
though in many cases their goods are much
inferior, they do not let it annoy them.
One of our consuls- in Interviewing a hard
ware merchant Ca peculiarly broad and
progressive onel learned that he kept
American chisels, saws, files, hammers,
locks and keys, which he bought in Ham
burg. He kept them because they were the
best though high priced, and even went SO
far as to say that if the conditions were
the same he would buy them here. So you
see, in case dread war should come neither
country boasts any product the other could
not do without.