The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-29

~ gave some figures showing that
! the United States had overtaken
Great Britain in the race for CONNER
cial supremacy, while completely out
stripping that country in the actual &C
cumulation of wealth.
At the same time attention was d.
rected to the fact that the United King
dom had thus fallen into second place
in spite of the gold standard which it
had enjoyed since 1916, and which it
has been frequently declared was the
secret of England's commercial and
financial greatness. AS has been here
tofore pointed out In these columns, the
United States has never yet been COM
pletely upon the gold standard. and in
fact during the period when the gain
of this country was the most marked
its business was transacted with badly
deprecated paper thus completely ex-
ploding the theory that a country can
only be prosperous on basis of gold.
But the relative growth commercial
and financial, of the two countries may
be probably considered for a moment
with reference to another public ques-
ton that has lately arisen. 1t is now
argued that we must emerge from our
seclusion," adopt a policy of militar
ism, and expand" by adopting a colo
NAL system, in order that we may get
our share of the worlds trade. Singu-
larly enough, England is herself urging
the same policy upon us. If we expand
in the manner now advocated, and our
commerce increases according to the
dreams of the advocates, the increase
will necessarily be in the far East-in
the very field that England hopes to
control. Is any one foolish enough to
imagine that England would now be so
anxious for US to involve ourselves ID
the Asiatic situation if she believed
that II would inure largely to our COM
mercial advantage, which would almost
of necessity be somewhat at her ex-
pense?
Every person familiar with CONNER
cial affairs, and the motives which ac-
tuate nations, knows better than that.
There is, in fact, no country in the
world that more thoroughly under
stands commercial principles than does
England. She knows perfectly we'll
that the trade of the Orient will go to
the country that can offer the best in
ducements. Her own experience teaches
her this. She has been the greatest
national eXpansionist that the world
has ever seen. Nearly one-fourth of the
land surface of the globe is under the
British flag. Her colonies have more
than three times the territorial extent
of the United States, and contain about
$40 900, 900 of people. 1t goes without
saying that she has made all out of
them in a commercial way that she
could. And still we find her unable to
hold the palm of supremacy either in
wealth or commerce, while the great
republic Of the West, to which a colo
NAL policy has been totally unknown, is
passing her almost as a thoroughbred
racer does an OK.
How ridiculous then for people to as
sumo that We must build up a great
military system and. have colonies all
over the world in order to get our
share of trade! There was a time
when, in a commercial sense colonies
were an advantage. That, however
was before the torch of individual lib
erty had lit the darkness of the middle
ages. 1t was at a time when the people
of a subject or tributary state could be
robbed and plundered at will. That
day has passed. If We establish COLO
MES We must respect the commercial
rights of their people and permit them
TO do their trading where they please.
We can only get their custom by giving
them better bargains than they can
get elsewhere, and We shall have no
assurance that they won't make more
out of US than we will out of them