Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-24
THE VOLUME
OF TRADE
Has Been In Our Favor During
the Past Year.
The MANUFACTURERS MEET
Address of President Search Was De-
livered at the Opening of
TOday'S Session.

Cincinnati, Jan. 24-The fourth annual
convention of the National Association of
Manufacturers convened this morning.
The convention will be in session until
Friday. 1t is thought the full attendance
Of twelve hundred members will be pres
ent. The session was devoted mostly to
| the welcoming address of Gov. Bushnell
and Mayor Tafel and response of Presi
dent Search of Philadelphia. Various
committees were appointed. President
Search made his annual report.
| Mr.. Search read his annual report
which was in part:
! within the brief span of a single year
our nation has been thrust suddenly into
war, and, as the result thereof, has been
called upon to face problems involving
entirely new elements in our political
organization. Our war with Spain is at
an end. The wrongs of an oppressed
people have been righted, but our task,
instead of being completed, is only just
begun. What shall be done with our
new-found possessions is the problem
that now presses forward for solution.
With the exception of Cuba, with whose
conditions we are measurably familiar,
| the commercial value of our newly
| quired colonies is fully conjectured.
! Viewing the matter from a purely com
melcial standpoint, our business interests
have been enormously the gamer by the
! American administration of affairs in the
/ islands, whatever may be the future dis
/ position Of these people and their land.
! In a lesser degree the statement applies
equally well to the island Of Porto Rico.
In the far Pacific, however. this is a
serious problem which successful con-
quest has thrust upon us. The Philip
pines, with their 100000 of people, have
offered a. ae.Ineager market for American
| goods. While buying from them about
$5060,800 of their products, we have been
able to sell to them less than a twen-
tieth part Of that value. From all ac-
counts the Philippines are as rich in re-
sources as the West Indies, but lacking
! in development and deficient in purchas
! ing and consuming capacity. So vast
| an area however, and so great popu-
lation offer possibilities of which the
/ present conditions offered are an indica
ton, and those familiar with both sides
of this problem do not hesitate to de-
! clare that from purely commercial
standpoint the Philippines are bound to
| become not far hence of more conse-
quence that the West Indies. Be this as
! it may, it still seems apparent that there
! is in the Philippines opportunity for a
! large increase of our present commerce.
| Without attempting to express an opin-
| ion on the wisdom or eXpediency of the
I policy of territorial expansion, ] feel
| moved to remark in passing that this na-
| tion is not accustomed to fail in any
thing that it undertakes.
THE great foreign movement which
received its most powerful impetus few
| years ago. continues with unabated ac-
tivity. Again, the statistics of our ex-
ports record the largest volume of foreign
business that has ever been tranSa cted.
The exports for the year ending June 80,
| 1885, reached the total of 1,210, ,292 O97 a
! gain of $17S, 900 over the previous year.
/ The exports of American manufactures
! in the last fiscal year amounted to $2SS,-
81 ,499, total greater by $12,5000 900 than
! ever previously recorded. While many
! factors have contributed to this great
extension of our foreign trade, probably
no influence has been more noted than
/ the efforts of the manufacturers Of The.
! United States. BY united action they
have worked per~IstentiY ~ the develop
ment of their foreign ,laue ana have
pushed their products into many markets
| that heretofore have been unknown.
BY their untiring energy and persist
cncy the manufacturers of the United
States have acquired a position in the
worlds markets from which they cannot
be dislodged. With the start that has
been made our foreign trade is bound to
grow and no opposition from our strong
est competitors can bar our progress.
1t is exceedingly gratifying to find that
business conditions have undergone
marked change during the past year
With the exception of a few industries
Affected by peculiar conditions, the man
ufacturing interests of the United States
as a rule, are enjoying both activity
and a fair degree of prosperity at the
present time. Labor of every class is
well employed, and in many instances
reductions in wages during recent years
have been revoked and former rates re-
stored. Taking a broad view of the
country, there are evidences of activity
and signs of prosperity on every hand
and the conditions which now present
themselves form a contrast as pleasing
as it is striking in comparison with the
state of affairs two or three years ago.
Interest in the construction of the
| Nicaragua canal has been stimulated
powerfully by the incidents of the late
war with Spain and by the commercial
expansion of the United States, which
has resulted from the brief conflict Ar
guments heretofore advanced in behalf
of the various inter- oceanic canals have
been more essentially of a commercial
character, but while the Importance of a
canal from purely mercantile stand
point has in no way diminished, the po-
ljtical and strategical view of a water
way across the Central American 18TH
mus has been increased enormously dur
ing the past few months. We are not
called upon to determine the rights of
The parties in the controversy, nor are
we asked to pass upon the technicalities
of the route, cost and engineering. 1t