Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-08
STRUGGLE FOR TRADE.
HOW IT is ABSORBING THE ENERGIES
OF EUROPE.
The Industrial Expansion of Germany
Precautions That England Must
Take-How Russia Responds to the
New Impulse-1he Distress In
the Cars Empire.


1t is hard to realize, until one lives in
the midst of it, how the struggle for in
creasing trade absorbs the energies of all
the active nations of Europe says the
London Correspondent of the New York
Commercial Advertiser. He continues: In
the last two or three years, and especially
in the last eight months, Englishmen have
made much progress in the understanding
OF it; but they are still mcasurably sur
prised at the energy and the success of
their continental rivals. The notion that
Germans and Belgians and Frenchmen are
somehow untitled by racial traits to be-
come active and triumphant competitors
with Englishmen in industry and in COM
mcrce dies hard. While continental Europe
was readiustins itself politically from the
overthrow of Napoleon |. in 1915, to the
making OF the Triple and the Dual Allan
ces in our own time, and had neither dis
position nor strength for aught else. Eng
fish manufacturers and merchants quietly
went their prosperous and widening way
until they felt themselves secure against
all rivals. Between this long, unbroken
success and the ingraned belief that, as
buyers and sellers, Englishmen are much
more superior to the continental peoples
than in all probability they really are,
they scarcely regarded the latter as COM
petitors at all.
The awakening began with the indus.
trial expansion of Germany, after Bis
marck unified it and kept the peace of
Europe, and with the swift revival of
France from the exhaustion in which the
war of 1870 seemed to leave 1t. Then, very
slowly, Englishmen began to realize that
vast amount of wealth had acc1mu-
lated, in spite of wars and uncertainties
"A "a a IL
political tranquility was setting 1t and no
little energy free for the increase of
manufacturers and of commerce. Accus-
toned to free trade, they realized still
more slowly the official zeal of the con-
tnental powers in the encouragement of
this Industrial expansion and the motives
for their course. Not only the tranquility
but the very stability of the continental
Governments depends upon their ability
to keep their peoples employed and in
creasinsly prosperous. Far moro than
standing armies and stringent laws, in
dustrial expansion and consequent pros
perity arc their safeguard against the ad-
vance of socialism TO secure and to in
crease them have become more and more
the object for which they are charging
their navies, founding colonies, establish
ing protectorates, laying preferential
duties. and grasping points of support
in every corner of the earth: while their
industrial ambition is fast developing Il
new diplomacy commercial rather than
political.
Qpick- minded and far-sighted English
men, like Mr. Chamberlain, are recogni-
zing that England must take the same
precautions against the poverty and the
discomfort at home that serious CONNER
cial decline would sooner or later bring;
and that, if it would hold and increase its
trade, it's ruler must practice II similar
Il itNr,N ntnp nd mn nj
facturers show similar energy. ingenuity
and adaptablity. to those of their rivals.
The need, moreover. will be the greater
now that a commercially expanding
United States Is taking the field. II Amer
lean competition be more friendly. If 1t be
free from the jealous malignancy with
which the Continents regards the CONNER
cial strength of the two Anglo-Saxon
powers. If 1t resent equally certain con-
tinental methods. it may not. after all. be
less vigorous and acute. Full realization
of these new conditions has, however,
still to come both in the class that has
long governed England and among Eng
fish merchants and manufacturers Note
the remoteness, almost the implied indif-
ference to purely commercial consdera-
tons, alike in Lord Saisbury's and Sir
William IIarcourt's speeches on recent
events in China While Englishmen
grunble necessarily over German progress
in their markets. they refuse in stubborn
concert to follow the methods by which
their rivals have made their way.
Hitherto, in English eyes, Germany has
been the incarnation of the indus
trial expansion and the new commercial
policy of the Continent France, Belgium
and Austria share in both; but have not
made such inroads into British trade that
was once thought secure. Now, English
men are beginning to understand that
oil ie nd ri al i'm.
pulse, and that the fostering of it, quite
as much as desire for an outlet in the
Pacific of supremacy in Asia or advance
toward India. lies al the back of its policy
in China. Russia, to most Englishmen. has
been purely an agricultural country. Now
they are learning that, with every en-
coura cement from the Government. II Is
also becoming industrial. The motives OF
the men in black coats that behind the
Car rule Russia Though they are not
nearly so picturesque and figure much
less in new agency telegrams) are akin
to those of the black-coated men that
similarity rule in other European capitals
The tranquility. the stability, the revenue
the power of Russian depends on the con-
tent of the millions of peasants, whom
prosperity confirms in an almost innate
conservatism. When they were cmancpa-
ted, thirty-seven years ago, and re-
oeived lands that they could ultimately
redeem by their labor. the belief in the
councils of the Gear was that they would
become a prosperous agricultural folk
making Russia the grainary and the pro-
vision shop of Europe. The expectation
has not altogether been fulfilled. The de-
mand for agricultural labor has not grown
with the numerical increase of prolific
peasantry. The value of agricultural pro-
duce has declined. bringing with 1t II de
cline in tho wages or In the income of the
peasant. Capital has gradually turned
from the land to manufacturing enter.
prises
For years past, consequently, poverty
acute distress and discomfort of which
the world at large has heard echoes In
occasional reports of famine, have in
creased among the Russian peasantry
The Government is far-seeng, and, as a
stable despotism, 1t can enter upon q
policy that looks to the future with full
faith in the continuance of the deter
mined course. Accordingly, 1t has beer
endeavorng for years to lessen the excess
of agricultural labor by a diversion of the
more intelligent part of it to manufac'
turers, and to restore prosperity and con-
tent to the peasantry by the encourage
ment of trades in the districts that suf
fered most from agricultural depression
The result has been the swift development
of village industries, called In Russia the
Kustari trades. The Times has lately sem
a correspondent to examine them, and he
reports in substance as follows:
1.-THE Russians firmly believe that they
are destined to occupy the first plact
among these Kustari villages serve as ex
| cellent the manufacturing nations Of
Europe, and nurseries for the vast horde
of workers for whose products In the
| future Russia Is so actively securing new
markets In the Eastern world Alread!
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