Arizona silver belt., 1899-11-23
LETTING THE GAS OUT.
Republican Claims of Increased Trade with Our Island Possessions
 Refuted by Figures.


 The republican speakers, when they are defending the policy of expansion, have fallen into very loose way of dealing with trade statistics. A favor ite argument with them is found in the great increase of our exports. They point with pride to this extraordinary growth, and their deluded hearers infer that is it que to the expansion policy of the Mckinley administration. In point of fact, only very slight percentage of the growth can be credited to our new territories. Take the latest figures on the matter. A glance at the statls- tics of exports for the month of Sep tember will suffice to show what very insignificant part our sales of merchan- disc to Caba, Porto Rico and the Philip pines play in our foreign trade. The exports in September, when compared with those for the corresponding month last year, exhibit large increase, standing at Sl09, ST5, ,475 in September, 1899, against S9O, O,645, ,937 in September, 1898. growth of no less than Sl9, ,329,- 55s. But our exports to European countries account for the whole of this growth, as will be seen by the fo How ing analysis:
 Sept 1898 Sept 1898. To European countries. Soi 3563'g sd5. .5gaYi To rest uf the world .... 25lly,li6 25,us603
 Totals .... ......... SlOg S75 ip5 9O,6i5, ,G35 Thus, while the European countries increased their purchases of our pro duce by Sl9, ,l96, 465, the rest of the world, taking it together, made an ad- dition of only S33, ,O93 to it's purchases of American goods.
 Of course, in some of the countries outside of Europe there was an appre- ciable growth, while in others there was a decline. The islands which the United States wrested from Spain ap- pear on the rising side, but the i'm provement and the total volume of trade run in light figures, as will be seen by the table given below:
 Sept IsgG. Sept 1888 Cuba. uba..................,... sl .si3 i62 Si.OOJUy7 Porto Rico. .......,..... ... 2i6 4gO 2UB5l2 Philippines ................ 2lO.6lV l2,Osi
 Total ................ s2, 2,aO,s7I sI,2i5,6ss There is an increase of SS33, ,065 in Cuba, of S42, ,97S in Porto Rico, and of S19S, ,535 in the Philippines, making a total growth of sl,O74,57S. We may add that, if the exports to Hawaii are brought into account-s929 l66 in Sep tember, 1899. and S623, ,925 in Septem- Der, lS9s-the total will be raised to s3,2l9, 437 for September, 1899. against sl, l,S39,6lS for September, 1898, an in crease of sl, ,379, ,sl9. What an unsatis- factory exhibit this is, and what a very trivial compensation it offers for the enormous outlay incurred in the prose cation of President Mckinley's expan- sion policy.
 The very inconsiderable character of the market thus provided for American goods is demonstrated by the fact that the little kingdom of Belgium took s4, : 761, 309 American goods in September, an increase of s1,736, 305 since the corresponding month last year, and Belgium, we hardly need say, did not require the expenditure of dollar of American money, though she furnished us of herself larger and more rapidly growing marketthan all urinsular pos sessions reckoned together Boston | Herald.