The Saint Paul globe., 1899-07-01

in 1897. The United States will find -Ja-
pan profitable customer rather than
dangerous competitor. Our people look
upon the United States as a sister nation
and regard her people as our benefactors
and firm friends. Visit Japan and you
will meyer forget the Qeferential warmth
gentlemen. You here witness tonight the
representative of the entire population
of Japan in the Japan-AlmerieaS,nl ms Ar C9p-
mercial and Industrial association, the
object of which is to encourage the con-
sumption of American products in Japan.
AMERICAN BOTTOMS.
The expansion of American export
trade clearly demonstrates the need OF
carrying bottoms under its own flag. 1t
must be remembered that the largest
part of the Eastern. trade has been car
ried by the competitive flags of United
States. OF all the ships, for instance,
ports of Japan in the year 1895 we will
find that only per cent of the value
of merchandise was carried under the
American flag. The statistics OF 1896 snow
the value of merchandise carried under
the American flag an increase of l5 per
cent as compared with 1892. while Eng
land has gained "a per cent and Germany
131 per cent in the same period. These
disadvantages, coupled with the high cost
of transportation and the loss of time
involved in making shipments, disturbs
the encouragement of consumption of
American products abroad, and also
drives her prospective customers to a
|
regular rates of freight. You are prob
ably accustomed to hear such complaints
from all your Eastern customers. We al
ways ask why do you Americans not
start direct lines of your own? We do
not like ever so choice a feast unless
i served by the hostess. Your eXportable
merchandise is not too well beloved by
foreign carriers. American shipping en-
terprise needs governmental subventions
to recover past greatness, and to compete
successfully with we'll developed Eu-
nrODttiOuS time
the United States should literally subsi-
diZe shipping and encourage merchant
men to such degree as to enjoy the
entire benefit of the projected Nicaragua
canal.
The extraordinary impulse given to the
industrial and commercial expansion of
the United States, contributing to the
enxiety for export trade by manufactur-
ers and the especial effort happily exeC-
ment into the industrial spheres of other
nations should be fostered by your gov
ernment, and statesmen should awaken
the. public to the right appreciation of
this national question. the granting of
liberal subventions for American carry
ing trade.
ASIATIC MARKETS.
The pioneer merchantmen of Great
Britain made a thorough exploration for
years and have been patiently catering
Eastern markets, following closely the
business requirements and commercial
necessities of these markets: educating
ern products with the ultimate object of
Anglicizing these profitable markets. The
result of this missionary work was to
monopolize Asiatic trade to such de-
gree that the word British" came to be
considered a synonymous term for 'all
imported goods" until the recent amaz-
Ing Industrial development of Germany
encroached in that quarter of the globe.
Prompted by a desire to achieve the work
of what I term Pacific supremacy" the
United States has also made within a
q commercial
pansion in this sphere of British and
German influence. the predominating fac
tors in the Eastern trade.
It is highly interesting to show the
comparative progress of these triple COM
petitors. Not statistics alone lead me to
these conclusions. Taking the activities
tics show the increase of 81 per cent for
! the British export In the year 1896 com
pared with 1885. Germany has gained Al
per cent, while American increase has
reached the highest percentage, 78 per
cent, during the same period. The ex-
port. trade of the United States has
grown rapidly in the last year. Mufh
faster than that of any other nation.
! The fact is shown that. while United
States exports to Japan increased 65 per
cent in 1887 over 1895. the total increase of
export to Japan from all other countries
is only rs per cent in the same year.
This extraordinary progress of Ameri-
can commerce in Japan is due not so
! much to special effort put forth by
! American manufacturers and merchants,
but much credit should be given to the
excellent qualities of your products. |
cannot too vigorously call you attention
| to the suicidal policy of entrusting the
eXplana tiOns of the merits of your prod
utS to foreign corrierS and merchants.
At heart they have no sympathy for your
splendid handicraft. Our government
and our association have taken steps to
control this wrong so far it may by
the establishment of a museum where
American goods at least have a fair
show. We look very anxiously to this
great republic as a desirable market for
our products, and at the same time we
are equally anxious to have you think
that japan is welcome market for
you.
The time will soon come when you will
outdo all your rivals In Japan. This Is
also true of all Eastern countries, and
you will everywhere find the right appre-
citation of purely commercial extension
of United States rather than European
commercial expansion plus political en-
croachments and territorial annexation.
NEED OF COMMERCIAL BODIES
In every part of the globe Germany
and England are universally regarded as
international commercial factors They
are inStinctively active in furthering
commercial relation with the rest of the
world They stimulate their people, fur
nish them with every report and investi-
cation of commercial and industrial ma
ture with a thorough education of the
trade capabilities and mercantile meth
DDS of other countries. Wherever they
!
organization and publications for their
| interest. In Japan England has two
| trade publications and advertising medI-
ums, while Germany has one, which their
| home manufa cturers and merchants util-
! iZe to their great benefit in introducing
| their products. They explore the actual
! condition of foreign markets, study the
! terms of payment, extension of reason
| able credit, the method of packing and
| shipping and equip themselves with every
preparation necessary to find out and
| win markets. The power of man NAV
! subjugate nature, but man cannot create
| natural resources. Every nation has pre-
dominant features in its material pur-
! or later and to command all other COM
! petitors. The unlimited natural resources
! of this country in time. worked up bv
| the genius and brain Of enterprising Yam
world. Even as 1t is today, your flour,
| cotton, sole leather. rails, nails. watches
| kerosene OIL cigarettes. electrical ma
chinery and supplies. boilers and engines
tubes and pipes, locomotives. railway
material, leather betting and other innu-
| merable products are the principal ex-
| ports from this country to Japan. and
| are accepted without any special eff
forts having been made by your mer-
chants They find their natural markets
rivers Is to seek the sea- Certainly 1t
cannot now be long until you Americans
awaken to the rapidly growing export
trade and undertake vigorous and en-
| thusiastic policy Of industrial and COM
mercial relations with the rest of the
| world.
The organization of your Manufac-
! turers association, as well as all other
national and local trade bodies and aSso-
! ciations was the timely natural outcome
| demanded by the eminent necessities of
| your industrial development Rut now
gentlemen, the need of trade organiza-