The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-01
The dingo Scheme
OF Foreign Policy

From a Speech by Senator Frye, of
Maine, Delivered Before the Manufac-
turers' Association.
m LADSTONE, a quarter of n CEN
u tury ago, said: "Our daughter be-
III n yond the seas may some time or
\OI other overtake her mother. Sup
pose he should speak today, what
would he say? our daughter beyond
seas has overtaken her mother, as she
has distanced her in the race, and can
only see her now by looking backward
from the dust raised by the winds of
our magnificent industries. tremendous
applause) We have the best home mar
ket in all the world, our people consum-
ing per capita at least one-third more
than any others. You are trying to
reach another market The first market
you are trying to reach is the market of
the Orient. You don't purpose to leave
that to be closed against you. Is there
any way you can shorten distance, re-
duce freight, lessen time in your search
for the Orient market? Let the Mica
ragua canal be constructed by the Unit
ed States and you have got it. (Ap-
plause) 1 say by the United States. be-
cause the government can construct that
canal for one-half what any private cor
poration could do it for unaided. (Ap-
plause)
How far are you from the Orient to-
day as compared with your competitors?
You are from 5000 to 1000 miles further
off from Japan, from China, from India,
from the southwest coast of South
America, New York is--than Liverpool,
your great competitor. The moment that
the Nicaragua canal has been construct
ed New York Is as near Hong Kong s
Liverpool is (applause), 1900 miles nearer
the nearest ports of China, 1900 miles
nearer Japan. 1000 miles nearer Aus
trala, nearer British India, and 200
miles nearer the western coast of South
America. (Applause) / think Yankees
can take advantage of all such things
as these. Applause and iaughter)
%
There is treaty pending in the United
States senate today for the annexation
of the Hawaiian Islands. (Applause.)
You are business men and l am not go
ing to sentimentalae with you. You are
hunting for markets? Do you want to
lose that one? Well, If the United States
senate does not give a two-thirds vote
in favor of annexation you have lost It,.
Why do I say that? / say that if the
treaty is not ratified by the United States
senate in less than a year the Hawaiian
islands will be under the protection of
Great Britain. Your Nicaragua canal,
which is certain to be built, would more
than ten-fold increase the value of those
islands. They look right exactly into it's
western mouth. In the hands OF an enc
my, your canal would not be worth a
cent; would be utterly useless to us. In
our hands, with a naval and coaling sta
tion there, we could protect that canal
and our entire western coast against the
world.
Gentlemen, If / were dictator with
absolute power in this republic / would
mex the Hawaiian Islands. L would aid in
Southern border down to Terre del Fue-
so, L would establish swift steamship
lines to China and Japan, to. Australia,
and to every commercial port in South
America, and then, by reciprocal treaty
or in any other lawful way in which it
could be done. would participate largely
in the trade of the Orient and l would
take entirely the trade of Mexico, of
South America, and of the Central Ameri-
can states by the free admission of all
our goods into them. (Applause.) Cost
ly, say you? Yes, costly. There was
never anything worth purchasing yet
that does not have its price. Costly ?
Not so costly as to find yourself decreas-
ing in profit from year to year and de-
creasng in demand at home from year
to year; cutting down wages of your in
telligent workmen from year to year and
finally degrading and reducing them to
the condition Of the worlimen of Eu-
rope. Why gentlemen. that is so costly
that it might-it might, L say-risk the
life of the republic itself.