The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-08-25
ARE HIGHLY PRICED.
American Goods in Great Demand
in Oriental Markets. -.
European Merchants Leave No stone
Unturned to Hurt Our Inter.
ests-DOEus Labels Used
by British Traders.
Especial Washington letter.


DR.. Edward Bedloe, United States
consul at Canton, China, has leave
OF absence and is on his way home.
He will be welcomed by friends in
every city between San Francisco and
Boston; and he will be especially well
coined in this national capital, where
his friends are legion.
Consu! Bedloe was in the diplomatic
service during the Harrison administra-
ton as consul at Annoy. He was re-
moved early in the second Cleveland ad-
minlstration, and returned to America
as the Chinese governments commits
sloner to the Chicago exposition. Dur
ing his diplomatic experiences Consul
bedloe has made some discoveries OF
great value to our country. In a letter
to personal friend he says:
Il think our best and most profit
able markets will he found in the orr
ent. Japan, with her 40,OO0,000 of peo-
pie; Corea, with 100000; the vast en-
Plre of China with more than 400,0O0,0o0
and Siam and the Spanish, Portuguese
and French Indies with another 400, 000,-
900, comprise the territory in which our
American merchants and manufacture
ers should and must compete with those
OF England, Belgium, France and Ger
many. The difficulties and obstacles
are numerous, but the national trait of
Americans is to overcome such things;
and by wise foresight of our legislators
and diplomats, and study of condi-
tons by our boards of trade and cham
bers of commerce, it can be accom-
plished. We are bound to encounter
the jealousy and hostility of the Eu-
ropean trade interests already estab-
ished in those distant lands. The great
British houses, the German companies,
the Belgian and French firms leave no
stone unturned to hinder or injure US,
and to kill or hurt our American trade,
to the promotion of their own. Some
foreign firms, indeed, go to lengths
which in our own land would be re-
garded as actionable at law and even
punishable by our criminal courts
TO illustrate his meaning, DR.. Bed
loe cited instances. Imitation win
chester rifles made in Belgium, and
more dangerous to the men who fired
them than the men or animals at whom
they were aimed, had been palmed off
by an English firm Cheap and fraud
ulent limitations of American cart
ridges, fabricated by cheap labor in
England, were also sent to the eastern
purchasers. Additional instances were
mentioned. He further said:
'Other frauds were the filling of
American flour bags with poor imita
ton British flour, filling canvas covers
of Chicago ham and bacon with really
unmarketable pork, putting up ST.
berian salmon in exact imitation of the
best salmon canned in California and
Oregon, and selling cheap limitations of
axes and shovels, farming implements,
saws and lamps. Worst of all, I have
seen the trashiest barytes-flled Eng
lish cotton cloth stamped with coun-
terfeitlabels of Fall River, Taunton, Will
imantic and other high-class American
trade marks. American kerosene tins
are filled with the lowest grade of
Russian oil, and even with the kerosene
from the new petroleum discovered in
Sumatra. American cigarettes, Amer
lean sewing machines, American clocks
are all initiated in the manner that I
have described.
1.-THE whyfore and wherefore of these
frauds is not difficult to understand. 1t