The Philipsburg mail., 1899-08-04
Secretary Wilson Makes an Official
Visit to the Coast.
HE PREDICTS A GREAT FUTURE
Believes Acquisition in the Far East
Should Furnish Good MarIxets-The
Administration VIII Assist
Western Interests.

In an interview recently at Tacoma,
Wash, Secretary of Agriculture Will
son stated that the department was par
ticularly interested in the development
of trade between the Pacific coast and
the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands
His visit to the coast was principally
for the purpose of ascertaining in what
manner the department of agriculture
could be made to best serve the indus
tries and commerce of the Pacific coast:
Mr.. Wilson said that the President be-
lieves in the rapid development of the
coast as result of the nations new ac-
QUESTIONS in the Pacific.
The people in the Mississippi valley" "
says Mr.. Wilson, ''are alive to the new
market for their products in the Pacific.
That we may be doing something along
this line the agricultural department
has sent an agent to The China sea to
establish agencies for the sale of our
Puget sound section imports dairy pro-
duce from the Mississippi valley. One
object OF my present visit, therefore, is
to encourage your diirymen to prepare
not only to supply their own market,
but the greater market which is even
beyond the Pacific. Good butter, neatly
timed, bl1nSs 30 to 40 cents per pound
over there
I'VE of the Mississippi valley have
concluded that a great change is com
ing Our great markets will be to the
west rather than to the east. What has
heretofore been considered our national
back door on the Pacific is now our
front door, just as the capitol at Wash
ingtOn had its -rOnt door fixed in one
direction, but finds now that the people
do most OF the business on the opposite
side
Your population has the greatest op-
pOrtunity ever offered to any people,
for the wealth of Pacific commerce is
going to be enormous. | am going to
do everything | can to help build up
Pacific coast interests. Congress will
give me all the money that is needed tC
do it with, and the President wants YOU
to feel that everything his administra
ton can do to help you will be done"
Concerning the Philippines, Secretary
Wilson reviewed the report made to
him by S. A. Knapp, Iate president of
Iowa agricultural college, whom he Mt
TO the Orient to consider the establish
ment i'll Manila China and japan of
agencies for American farm and dairy
products. He says he is convinced that
the Philippines are rich enough to be
entirely self-supporting. Their annual
rainfall of 1876 inches insures crops.
Professor Knapp told him that three
fourths of the area of the Philippines
was wooded, and that the islands con
tanned an abundance of gold, iron and
copper and very great abundance of
fine, hard woods. The conditions of the
islands, he said, were not very different
from those of the state of Louisiana.
Knapp thought there were not more
than 1000, 900 natives in the entire
group. He also reported that the Fill
pinos were the lowest human beings to
be found about the China seas.
Secretary Wilson is an ardent expan-
sionist. He says that it is the duty of
the United States to retain the islands
and teach the natives local self govern
ment. because the Americans know
more about such things than any other
people on the face Of the earth.