Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-05-05
SENATOR FRYE's POINT OF VIEW.

1t is not Il common thing for the bus
mess men Of IL great city in one state
to gather at a banquet given to a citi-
zen of another state in order to show
appreciation Of his services as Il legis-
lator to the commercial interests Of the
city as we'll as of the country at large.
This unusual compliment was paid
last week to Senator William Pierce
Frye, of Maine, by a select gathering
of the representatives of commercial
New York. The gathering was Il sig
niticant one indicative of Il large part
which the safeguarding and the pro-
motion OF commercial interests are to
play in the politics Of the future. Its
Significance was recognized in the adj
dress Of the guest OF honor, which,
whatever the view OF national policy
held by citizens generally may be, must
he regarded as at1Ording food for SER
iOuS reflection.
Senator Frye started with an enun-
citation OF the position that the neces-
sity of the country for foreign markets
is certain to increase. The inventive
genius OF the people and the sagacity,
enterprise and skill of our manutac-
turers point to a still greater advance.
The population Of the country is on
the increase. and q: large part OF it
must, owing to circumstances, be de-
pendent in the future upon nOnagri-
cultural pursuits. The world is enter
ing upon IL commercial war which.
in the future, must become tiercer and
tiercer. 10 take its part in that COM
petition under proper conditions the
country should carry in its own ships,
under its WI flag. all its imports and
exports, and should pay to it's own
people the 100000 Il day it o pays
to foreigners. The officers of those
ships should be made active, intelli-
gent and Interested agents for the dis
covery of new markets and the promo
ton of our trade.
In the next place. the senator said,
attention should be paid to the open
ing of new fields to our commerce made
possible by recent events. The growth
of the commerce Of the orient was Il
certainty. which such nations as Rus
sia. England. France. Germany and
Italy were not slow to realize. How
can the United States best ecure its
share of this commerce.! For IL
thing. the government should construct
the NicaraguAn canal or some other
iSthmian water route. This would
bring us one days sail nearer Shang-
hal than Liverpool would be: OH an
average. Il thousand miles nearer all
the northern ports of China, where we
now look for an export trade and
shall hereafter: 1880 miles nearer
Yokahoma, 1000 miles nearer Corea,
LOCO miles nearer Melbourne, 1880
miles nearer Sydney. $500 miles near-
er New Zealand. from 5000 to 5000
miles nearer to the western coast of
South America: in short. would bring
us from 1000 to 5000 miles nearer peo-
pies whose imports last year amounted
to $1,12O.OOO. 900.
As might he expected from the sen
atOr's viewpoint. as here indicated,
he is an advocate Of the policy of eX-
pansion, particularly as regards the &C.
QUESTION Of the Philippines. which he
regards as by long odds the most i'm
portant Of the possessions acquired
as 4 result Of the war with Spain.
We should. he says, hold them as our
OWL. for the good of the people who
inlabit them and for the immense adj
vantage commercially they promise
Is. We should. he says establish Il
good government in the islands. in
which we should allow the inhabitants
to participate as far and as fast as
we may find them capable, and we
should in time surrender to them the
sovereignty, reserving to ourselves the
naval and coaling stations necessary
for our commerce and it's protection.
but, in the meantime. we should not
,so,f,yn 4, vol %, S,,ns, ~, ro11 n ,o,7 -
any nation of the earth. nor should we
permit Il supreme authority to be
diminished OF questioned by any ar-
thOrity within or without the islands.
Regarding the more purely CONNER
cial aspects of the policy of expansion.
Senator Frye expressed the opinion
that the bulk of it would be ours, even
with the ''open door, for the reason
that we shall have the advantage of
England, Germany and France in dis
lance and freight rates. Under pres
ent conditions. he said, these rates
have been. since 1877. from Manila to
the United States, a little less on the
average than one-half those from Man.
ila to England, and 10 per cent less
from he United States to Manila than
from England. The islands, the SEN
ator said, are marvelously rich and
productive, and not more than one
quarter Of the tillable land is under
cultivation. They produce the best
hemp known, Willie there is no limit
TO the demand for it. together with
sugar, oopra. indigo, tobacco. rice,
fruits and vegetables of all kinds, and
they are rich in minerals like gold.
copper, lead and iron, the latter yield
ing. in some mines, 81 per cent pure
metal. In a word, Senator Frye en-
deavored to impress his hearers with
the conviction that the foothold gained
in the Pacific, through the acquisition
of the Philippines, is too valuable for
commercial purposes ever to be re
linquished.
Thomas Shaw, of the state expert
ment station in Minnesota. was in at
tendance upon the meetings of the live
stock growers of Montana and North
Dakota at Dickinson and Miles CITY.