The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-03

Under the title of The Commercial As
cendancy Of the United States" Mr.. Car
roll D. Wright has in the current mum
Der of the Century Magazine a most in
ieresting article.
1t is not known generally that the man
ufacturing output of the United States
is annually greater than that of its two
greatest competitors, Great Britain and
Germany. But such is the fact. Accord
ing to careful estimates the production
Of manufactured goods will reach for the
present year at least the total of $12,500,-
00O,0OO which represents an aggregate OF
something like $780, OOO, 900 more than the
combined manufactures of England and
Germany. In agricultural production, of
course, it is generally recognized that the
United States not only leads the world,
but that they provide to their chief COM
petitors the food products necessary to
sustain those who do the manufacturing.
Protectionism has often been set forth
as furnishing the great explanation of our
ascendancy in manufactures. The fallacy
of all such claims has long been recog-
nized, however, and even those who in the
past were the most ardent adherents Of
the protective system willingly admit to-
day that the trusts and great manufac-
turing corporations are the only bene-
ficiaries of the so-called protective tariff.
ic
superior productiveness of American
labor. According to the great statstician,
Mr.. MulhalI, an ordinary farm hand in
the United States raises as mucn grain as
three in England, four in France, five in
Germany or six in Austria The relative
proportion in manufacturing pursuits is
not SO great, but it is estimated as being
in the ratio of 1910 foot-tons per inhabi-
tant with us TO 1,470 in Great Britain, 902
in Germany, so in France, $50 IN Austria
and $50 in Italy.
Mr.. Wright's figures in relation to the
export trade Of the United States show
that we are steadily forging ahead to a
position of supremacy among the ma
tions in this direction. Despite all the re-
strictions placed on American food prod
Ucts we have increased our exports to
Germany from $4l,GO0,O 900 in 1870, to $l53-
e00,e0o in 1889. In that period We have in
creased our exports of agricultural ma
chinery in the proportion of II to l. We
have exported live stock at an increase
during the same period of 81 to l. Having
so per cent of the coal supply of the
word, it will not be surprising should
the ascendancy of the United States in
manufacturing pursuits continue for
many generations to come Indeed all the
indications are that with the wonderful
resources in human ingenuity and enter
prise, as well as in natural products,
which distinguish America and Ameri-
cans the future may see US furnishing
not only the food for cur leading COM
petitors, but also the fuel supply OF the
world.
There is but one direction in which we
not only make no advancement, but do
actually fall behind the most backward
commercial nations of the world That is
in the carrying of our own and foreign
products to the markets of the world.
There our record is something of a ma
tional disgrace. There is some gratifca-
ton. however, to be derived from the re-
Election that such an anomaly as we pre-
sent in that regard is not likely to con-
tinue long without arousing the national
spirit to bringing it to an end.