The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-27
A MOST POTENT VOICE
Americas Position in the Com
merce of the World.
IMMENSE EASTERN TRADE
The Strategic Advantage of the Philip
pines-A Tremendous Moral Forca.
Islands Will Be Turned
Loose Eventually.

New York. April Ex-senator William
P. Frye of Maine. chairman of the SEN
ate committee on commerce., was Civ
en- dinner tonight at the Waldorf
Astoria as testimonial for his efforts
in obtaining for New York city the i'm
| provements allowed in the recent river
and harbor bill passed by congress. The
| dinner was given by the leading COM
mercial organizations of New York.
| Nearly 600 guests sat down to the ta-
| bles in the grand banquet hall. The
room was resplendent with flags and
| flowers
! The guests marched to the banquet
room at half past : o'clock. Governor
Roosevelt was chairman. Others pres
ent at the guests of honor table, seated
on either side of Governor Roosevelt
and Senator Frye. We're Abner McKin-
| ley. Former Governor Morton. General
| Merritt, Senator Depew. Senator Pasco,
| Senator German. Senator Platt Charles
A. Schieren, William \. Strong and
| Congressman Cummings.
| While the dinner was in progress Mr..
| and Mrs. George e. Bold entertained a.
| their home in honor of Mrs. Senator
| Frye and her two granddaueh the
| Misses White and Briggs. After dinner
| the party went into the hotel to listen
| to the speeches.
| A letter of regret from President Nc
kinley was read, in which the president
| said: Il beg you will convey to the
| guest of honor of the evening, Senator
! Frye, my congratulations upon this
splendid recognition of his devotion to
the commercial and industrial interests
of the country
Senator Frye spoke of the vast re-
sources of America. its wonderful pro-
| gress in the line OF production, Of the
| r-production which has ensued and
| the necessity for the development of
foreign commerce. He recited the brave
| efforts in this line and the measure of
| success met with. He continued:
Fierce CONNER DIAL War.
"The commercial war upon which the
| world has entered will become tiereer
and fiercer. Germany will be our most
| dangerous rival.
Germany is our most formidable com
| mercial enemy. She is skilled in the
| arts of commerce and mechanics: she is
| persistent, aggressive annoying and in
| domitable-1 tell you. gentlemen. that
| We have more to fear from Germany
than from any ether nation on earth
| But despite all her efforts. we will sur
| pass her and be more successful than
her in the contest for prestige in for
eign commerce. Her wages paid are
not one-half ours. Shall we reduce ours
to the plane of hers? That might breed
a discomfort which would endanger the
republics; would certainly reduce the
purchasing power of our people and
still more increase the surplus. Shall
we run our mills on one-third or one
half time? That would reduce our pur-
chasing power and largely increase the
| n RI l,Tlir
our railroads can reduce freights much
unless new motive power is found.
| But our water carriers can and prOba-
bly, will. Freight ships will be increased
in carrying capacity and rates still fur
ther reduced. Let me Illustrate the
| effect of such increased capacity.
| when the large freighter was 5000
tons, the rate across the Atlantic was
$3.50 a ton: when 5000 tons. Sc a ton:
when 5000 tons. $3.50 a ton; when 10000
tons, $3.50 ton All the necessary
facilities for these deep-draught ships
must be provided for. 1t was just i
look onto this future which compelled
ME to insist. even to the point of OBJ
stinacy, that s7.000,OOO should be ex-
. pended in New York harbor and that
our ships would find there a channel
1000 feet wide with depth of 40 feet
and ample dockage room. | trust. too
| that the time is not far distant when
the Great Lakes to the Atlantic ocean
still further increasing our facilities
: and decreasing our rates. Another
thing in my Judgment is imperativelS
/ required. We should carry in our owl
ships. under our own flag. all of ou1
imports and exports. We should pay
to our own people the $500.000 day w,
now pay to foreigners. We should
make officers of those ships active, in
| telligent and interested apents for the
| discovery of new markets and the pro
a | motion of our trade. Suppose to ac'
= | complish this it does cost us $4,000, ,OOt
or SIC, 900 900 annually. will not there bt
ample compensation? Great Britain
| Germany and France will not surrender
: | this carrying trade without deter
| mined conflict. which alone will reduce
freight rates at least 50 per cent. The
| best estimate. and | think correc
one, of the amount in tons of our for
| eign commerce is about 5000O,0OO.
THE average freight rate for tht
| world over is 81 a ton. Twenty-Five
per cent reduction on rates will savt
to our people $50 600, 600 annually.
An Important Aid.
"Consider for moment another, an'
| in my opinion a most important aid t.
our foreign commerce. Where is th
most promising field for it in the nea
| future? Surely in the Orient. Hum
boldt more than so years ago, declared
that the commerce of the Pacific WOul'
in time exceed that of the Atlantic
and what intelligent man of to-da,
t would doubt the realization in the nea
g future of what then seemed dream
Do not England. France, Germany
Russia and Italy, by their conduct rec
I ognize that the prophecy is to be fnl
filled? How shall we secure our shar
of this commerce"
y "The Suez canal was opened in 1876
Before that New York was almost a
: near the Orient as Liverpool WGs. bu
, after Liverpool had the advantage b.
II from 1000 to 1000 miles From 1870 t
t 1888. Eugland's commerce with tn
. east increased 40 per cent with tn
u rest of the world only Il. Shortene
d routes and leSsened freight charges ha