Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-08-26

era9i1e shout 40 M csnt la61 TIE
northern coest 81 South America. 'front.'
ing On tho Caribbean sea. imports goods
to the value OF $36 ,O0O. 900. Of which We
supply an average OF rs per cent; the
eastern coast, fronting upon the At
lantic, 1922 ,00o, 900, and the Pacific
coast, $4,000, 900, of which our pro-
portion is in each case about 10 per
cent"
EXPORT FIGURES
tell the same story. Whereas the ex-
ports of the countries on the northern
and eastern coasts were in 1897 valued
at 1910, 100000, the countries on the
west coast exported products of the
value OF only s53,OOo.0oo. Our per-
centage of this trade, too, is larger on
the east than on the west coast. This
condition of things must remain fixed,
for the west coast is narrow strip OF
territory at the foot of the Andes range
of mountains, large part of which is
an unproductive and uninhabited area.
The Nicaragua canal, therefore, can
have but small influence on the amount
or the direction of our South American
trade A glance at
OUR PHILIPPINE TRADE
shows that we have not as yet accom-
plished wonders in that quarter. In
the fiscal year 1899 we imported from
the Philippines products valued at
81, 409,7 TIA, or about the same as in 1897;
we exported to the islands S404,l7l
worth of goods, or about four times as
much as in 1897 1t is evident that our
chief exports to the Philippines will be
troops and ammunition for some time to
come. In Porto Rico, by the way, the
Spaniards are getting more trade than
we are, both imports and exports.
SPEAKER REEDS RETIREMENT
from Congress was brought about by
the subtle influence of wealth. The OPP
portunity to make money has proved
more attractive than the duty of sery-
ing the country as an Independent lead
er in the house. Mr. Reed has in fact
sacrificed a public career to satisfy
private greed Pitiful as this choice
seems, more pitiful still are the stor-
les heard in Washington about Reeds
subservience to certain great financial
interests and the methods by which
those interests contrived that he should
be rewarded for his legislative endeav-
ors in their behalf. Whether these
stories be true or not it is true that
Reeds present action is quite in con-
sonance with what gossip would have
led one to expect. Though Reed is en-
titled at least to the credit of deciding
to line his pockets outside of Congress
and not as a member of that body, his
choice is a sad commentary on the
power of wealth in suppressing indie
pendence in public men.
SECRETARY WILSON
has given out an absurd interview in
which he describes a vision he has had
of western farmers so plethoric in
wealth that they don't know what to
do with their money; and he indorses
the suggestion that they invest their
superabundant funds in building up the
American merchant marine. They
might, however, devote some of their
spare cash to raising the wages of the
MAN with the Hoe" who, according
to agricultural department statistics,
gets an average of 1890 month in the
middle west. AS to ships, the subsidy
grabbers will see that the farmer is
sufficiently taxed for the development
of the merchant marine. 1t is well to
know that there is plenty of money in
the west to fill the federal Golfers with
al. MACKAY.