The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-19
AMERICA Will SOOS LEAD ALL
MUST SEEK EXPANSION OF IT'S
AND ADJACENT TERRITORY
AMERICAN SHIPPING REVIVAL
1t Is Certain to Follow the Growth
of Trade in the Far East-Nic-
araguan Canal Project
Important.

HOUSTON, Tex, April 1S.-The second
days session of the Mississippi
Commercial congress was largely attend
ed. the time being taken up mainly with
Interesting addresses on various subjects
Prof. Waterhouse, of ST. Louis, delivered
an address on Trade With the Orient"
He said in part:
THE total foreign commerce of the
United States is now more than 81, ,000, ,000,
OOO year. But even this aggregate,
though bewilderingly large, will increase.
A growing population constantly swelling
the products OF kline, field and workshop
will furnish still vaster freights for our
merchant marine. Though the United
States far SurpaSSeS Great Britain in
wealth, yet England has always main
tanned its commercial supremacy. But
this ascendency she will not much long
tic merchandise from the United States
and the United Kingdom were reSpec-
lively, 81, 25S, 4S0,Q01 and $1,2S7, $4,000. The
dltterence IN favor of Great Britain was
less than $34, ,500, coo. In a few years the
United States will stand at the head Of
the world not only in Opulence. but also
In trade. Even now, in many branches
of production, there is a surplus of man.
ufactures. A broader development of
rour mineral wealth, the increased yield
of a wider ullage and the marvellous eff
cheney of our industrial machinery will
soon produce commodities that will far
exceed the needs OF domestic conSump-
tion. An extension of our foreign mar
kets will then become commercial ne
cessity. In what marts shall we sell our
surplus? Our excess of cereals will
mostly go to meet the insufficient food
supplies Of Europe. The European con-
sumption of American agricultural prod
uctS now averages more than $780, 600 coo
year. OF this total, Great Britain alone
annually consumes upwards of $500 000 GOO
of American produce Ultimately the
competition of Russia. India, Australia
and South America may endanger our
present control of the cereal supplies of
Europe. But for many years to come
the farms of the United States will fur
nlSh a large. part of the food of Trans
Atlantic nations.
But, in the case of manufactures, the
conditions are different. Though the Eu-
ropean demand for special wares made
in this country is largely increasing, yet
lar more important element of our Trans
Atlantic trade than American manufac-
cures; Tor, IN almost every branch of in
dustrlal art the manufactures of Eu-
rope not only satisfy the wants of home
consumption, but also invade the mar
kets of other lands Even IN the United
States, nearly all the abOdes of luxury
are embellished with the eXquisitely
beautiful fabrics which European skill
which ought to be made in our own man
utactorles, are now imported from the
warehouses of Europe. Therefore, as
european nations make more merchan-
disc than they consume, and as they are
active competitors of the United States
for the trade of the world, it is idle to
surplus of American manufactures.
TO THE ORIENT.
''In what part of the globe then, shall
this country seek that expansion of COM
merce which will absorb the overproduc-
ton OF its manufactures? The gesture
OF the famous statute which Benton i'm
\. agined to be standing on the crest of the
ROCKY mountains and pointing to the
Orient, implies the answer to this ques-
ton. The Orient properly includes Japan,
O
peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Ce-
lebes, New Guinea, Australia, Tasmania
New Zealand and the thousands of
lslets which lie in the adjacent waters.
The aFchipelagos which contain these
groups Of islands are very extensive. The
distance from the north point of Japan
to the south end of New Zealand is more
than 5000 miles. The population of the
malnlands and the islands comprised
within these limits must, at the lowest
estimate exceed 40o,O0O000. The annual
commerce of this vast region approx
mates 500, 600.
"At present the trade of the United
States with the Orient is small In 1899
the total amount Of our commerce with
Japan, China, Hong Kong, and the Phil
reports show that the chief commodities
in our exports to these markets are
cotton fibre and fabrics, kerosene OIL
wheat and -four, and wares of iron and
steel. OF these products the United
States can furnish almost illimitabe
QUANTITIES. No foreign competition can
n
ern states In the production and manu-
tacture of cotton.
Upon the assumption that the Philip
pines become permanent possessions Of
the United States, what economic use
can be made of them? These islands
more than LOO in number, and upwards
OF 100000 square miles in extent contain
productions OF the equatorial zone. Prob
ably the bulk of our tea and raw silk
VIII continue to be imported from China
and Japan, but rice, sugar coffee tobac-
co, spices and fibres are stables which
the philippines are especially fitted to
produce The best hemp in the world is
groWh In this group Of islands, and the
supply can be increased to meet The en-
Iarged demands of mankind The farmers
OF OF IN the ood United States annually consume
1ZO,OoOOOO pounds of binding twine. and
as sisal will probably grow as luXuriant-
~ IN the Philippines as it will in Yucatan.
tRere is no good reason why every pound
OF the hemp and siSal so useful in sheaf-
llls american grains, should not be
raised on our own lands. 1t has long
been my belief that ramie, one of the
hnest and best fibers the earth produces
can be profitably grown in Texas and
the other Gulf states; but, if this be-
hef proves to be baseless the rich soil
yield an abundance of this valuah1e tev9
tile. The United States is now annuaITv
importing nearly $300,000OOO worth Of
tropical products. Almost all OF these
commodities the natives of our own icI
ands ought to produce
The Oriental industries, stimulated
GntorDriS6
or Americans, ought not only to augment
the commerce and supply the wants of
the United States, but also to promote
the material welfare and ameiiorate the
social condition Of the Philippine people
AMERICAN SHIPPING.
THE impulse which the opening of the
orient Will givelto the worlds trade can
not fail to benefit the United States One
OF the profitable effects of this eXnansion
VIII be the revival of American shinnine
The independence which our countrvnneSn
long ago won in government and NAM
factures, they have not yet achieved in
ocean transportation. This reliance unon
Europe for the marine carriage Of oIr
merchandise is a costly dependence We
are now paying about $500 0O0OO 900 a wear
to Foreign vessels for the transport of
American freights and passengers. The.
saving OF this vast and unnecessary ev-.
pendlture would alone assure nafionaI
enrs enrichment; nSa a. 1t is amazing that Ameri-
dustr1es should not be equally successfnl
in snip building. The commercial ex-
panslon of the Orient will require larger
feet. fleets; These merchantmen should be
bullt In our own dock yards Then Amer
lean workmen would receive the wages