The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-20

IN twenty years, u1uer wise ADMIN
istration of our opportunities in the Phil
ippines, Manila should be as important
an outpost of American trade as Chicago
was twenty years since. And in fifty
years of trade with the East 1t should
have a million Inhabitants, If not more.
If some senator should prove as great
as his opportunity, congress will at the
present session extend the coastWise reg
ulations to the ships doing business at
the Philippine ports, while they remain
under our control. This would practi-
from the trade between our ports and
those of the islands. That Is the first
important step to be taken That Is
the step that will go farther to promots
the building of new ships than even a
subsidy bill. That will bring the San
Francisco merchant within 600 water
miles of Hong Kong and into the heart
of the Asiatic and Oceanic trade That
will make of Manila an American entire.
pot for the sale and advertisement Of
American wares and bring buyers from
all parts of not only the archipelago that
lies between the Indian and Pacific
oceans, but from all the coasts of India,
China and Australia.
The present foreign trade Of the peo-
pies who are but now becoming of in
terest to the manufacturers of the
United States is shown in the 1898 trade
returns to have been as follows:
Imports and
Exports.
Australasia (oceanica) ........ s57S, 900 GOO
emma s90 IVY W.
British East Indies r............ 617, 600 600
Total .......................:.s1 81, 664, 900 900
For the ten years preceding and inclu>
sive of the year 1898. the United States
| shared in this business about as fol-
| lows, per annum-
Australasia (Oceanica) ........... .s45, 900, 000
China Is, 900 900
Japan Observation-Disclosures. 10000 000
British East Indies ................ Is, coo 900
| though in 1898 there were considerable
| increases over these figures So that
! our proportion of this trade that has
sprung up under our nose at just the
time when we seem to be able to compete
| for II has been SO slight as to shame
us for the glory we have been getting out
of our magnificent internal development.
But the future is still before us, and the
! opportunity swelling one.
| Shanghai and Hong Kong are the met
ropolises of the Chinese trade, Calcutta of
/ the East Indian and Melbourne of the
Australian. But agents at Kobe and
| Nagasaki, in Japan, rehandle much
| American and European stuff for the
| Asiatics. They buy the goods. re-
pack and reship them to all the ports of
China and the islands of the sea, and
| are rapidly making great metropolises of
the Japanese cities.
| There is no substantial obstacle in the
way of Manila, 600 miles distant from
Ing from Chicago to Detroit by lake., be-
coming the Oriental headquarters and
wholesaling center for the whole trade of
the United States with that portion of
| the earth. For the Chinese will quickly
go to 1t for purchases. and the people
of the neighbering islands will learn that
in Manila can be had a view of every
| thing made in the great republic. Amer
lean fairs, steamship excursions, with the
stars and strips over all, and the inveter.
ate energy of the Yankee traveller should
in very few years give Manila pres
tige and power that would carry its
trade to the Siberian boundary and to
the sides of the Himalayas.
Let the people of Minnesota and Da-