The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-01-18
THE#WESTWARDICOUR,S;,Et

or Tradc.-Its $DeycIopment in Asia
has far Greater Fossil ilities In tho
VI Immediate Future than any offered
by South. America. x z "A ~
New York Journal & OF Commerce:
Successive generations 81 Americans
( have grown UP with theJ idea that
South America is very near and Asia
very far from the commercial centres
ofthe Union. There Is supposed to be
{ q natural fellowship in trnde between
the two Americas, and very llttlelb
tween either continent and tho western
shores OF the Pacific. Yet4hel distance
from San Francisco to Yokohama
4.79o milcs-is about the game as the
y distance from New York 10 Rio dc. ia
metro. and tho Q. $50 miles which divide
San Francisco from Hong Kong Is only
; about fve hundred miles more than
!, that$between New York and Buenos
1Ayres, while San Francisco is three
hundred and ilfty5 miles f,earcr shang-
/ hal than New York Is to fNIontevIdco.
i Taking no account OF the changes TO be
effected by the construction OF n canal
across the Isthmus, tho western ports
OF this continent 'staDd today in a re-
iation as intimate to the trade of East
ern Asia as do the ports OF the Atlantic
coast to- that OF South America. In
point Of fact the British ports are near
! erito those of South AincrIcn than our
{ own, eastern ports, while the Pacific
ports OF the United States have an ad-
+ vantage tof from $500 to $500 miles
I nearer to those OF Eastern Asia than
) any$of the ports Of Western Europe.
Fort5example,. It is 400 miles; from San
Franclscojto Yokohama. against an nv-
crage lot Il, $50 miles from the ports OF
Northwestern, Europe; 1t Is $3.50 miles
from San Francisco to Hong Kong
against the Western European average
of $500 miles, and 1t is 5,4oo miles from
San Francisco to Shanghai against the
English and German average Of 10000
miles. y
Trade, like other forces, advances In
the line of least resistance, and It's de-
yelopment in Asia has far greater pos
! sibilities in the immediate future than
any, offered by South America. There
IS, OF course, every reason why VIC
! should not neglect the field south OF Us
/! in deyoting our attention TO that In the
I Far East. The more asslduously and
! successfully VIC cultivate the one the
!; better we shall succeed in the other
! foreign trade being n form OF CONNER
I cial activity which has the greater
possibility of Expansion the more num-
erous aud diversified Its markets. But
the fact should not be forgotten that
the. struggle for the commercial su-
premacy OF theworld Is TO be wnged in
Eastern Asia and not In South Amerl-
ca. The price to be contcndcd for Is
tenfold greater in the one case than in
the other. In South America there Is Il
continent where there Gamble no great |
progress without q considerable innux |
of Industrious population; in Asia there |
ure the most .densely peopled regions OF
the carth's surface, whose tecmfns mil
lions only require Intelligent direction
TO enable them to take FROM the soil Its |
vast hoard OF undevelopcd riches and |
add,i 10 the wealth OF natioRs. II Is q
suggestive thought Of Mr.. BENJAMIN. |
Taylor'a that the future progress OF !!
South America may come from a re-
fluent wave Of Influence from Asia. He |
asks: What II Asia stretches over to
America. and creates a new, world there |
as ~ sequel to the new world which |
Europe is steadily creating In Asia?
Here, at any rate, is n partially occu-
pied and imperfcctly utilized continent.
with iILtmitabtc resources, situated mid
way between the two worlds, on which.
in the generations to come, the over
flowing races Of the cast will cast lorss-
ing eyes" Be that as It may, the part
which the American people is most i'm
peratlvely called on TO play at the pres
cnt juncture is to bel in that work OF
creating a new world In Asia. The work
will be done without our aid IL we
stand back afraid of new responsibility
les. 1t can be most effectively done
with our, cooperation, were It for no
other. reason than that we have the ad-
vantage of ncarncss, OF industrial ca
pacity.sand OF ability to turn the scale
against all projects of military agrees
sion and Old World coionialista.
The cutting OF q canal be It Mt Near !
aqua or Panama, would of course enor-
mously increase the advantages Of our
position in regard to Asiatic trade. New
York would then be 5000 miles nearer
by sea to Yokohama tharit Is to-day.
1870 miles nearer TO Shanghai and 1870
miles nearer to Hong Kong. 1t would
be nearer Yokohama than the English
or German ports by 1900 miles. to
Shanghai, by 9.4oo miles. and to Hong
Kong by 1900 miles. 1t is two hundred
Years since Robert Paterson. the father
OF the ili-starrcd Dariea expedition. but
also the founder OF the Bank OF Eng
land, Ventured TO phophesy: "If neither
Britain sinGly, nor the maritime pow
ers OF Europe, will treat for Darlcn, the
period is not far distant when, instead
OF waiting for the slow returns OF
trade. America will seize the pass OF
Darlcn. Their next move will be; to
hold the Sandwich Islands. Stationed
thus In the middle Of the cast and on