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

ready expended blood and treasure in at
tempts to acquire local self-govern-
ment. and came with some millions OF
people IN a limited area of territory.
Neither Of them IS. totally uncivilized.
Either OF them could get along fairly
we'll on It's own account, with only a
moderate am-unt of sovereignty from
abroad as a directing, protecting and
controlling agency. Having once deter
mined that the United States will exercise
that directing ap-l protecting agency, the
next question Il. How shall we get out
even on the enterprise? Some odd mix
lures Of Yankee shrewdness and English
imitation have sprung upon the people
the proposition that re have become at
once colonizing or colonial nation. when
in fact there is no substantial basis or
good reason for departing from the good
old constitutional methods of Jefferson
and Jackson in dealing with newly ac-
quired territory. Territory is territory"
no more and no less, under our constitu-
tion and every territorial possession Is
entitled to local self-government on the
American plan as rapidly as our national
legislature can outline a suitable basis
upon which to inaugurate 1t. Counties.
towns. school districts, cities and villages
should and must be Incorporated as rap
idly as possible. under auspices that will
insure them against ruin, but with no ex-
pectatiOn that their governments will be
perfect or entirely satisfactory. To
segregate territory and label it colony
is un-American and would lead to con-
fusions in the public mind that are not
desirable. The simplicity of republican
government IS its chiefest merit
A Republican leader in congress. in the
course of the Puerto Rican trouble, took
occasion to say that 1t was dollars that
congress was after in It's dealings with
these islands, Taking him at his word,
and he must admit that the greatest pro-
duction follows the greatest liberty. and
that what the people of Ohio wish is
that the island Of Puerto Rico shall buy
as much iron and steel goods and kero-
sene as possible. And that Ohio shall be
able to buy In return as much coffee and
sugar for the money as can now be had
of Brazil, and that both cargoes be car
ried in American vessels. This is the
proposition Of which no American states
man. Republican or Democrat, should
lost sight.
In the ten years closing Jan. 50. 1893,
the United States was short in it's trade
transactions with the impoverished and
illiterate and Spanish-Tidden island of
Cuba the very handsome sum of $685., OOo,-
600; the island OF Puerto Rico was ahead
of the game with us the sum of Sc. 800. 900;
the "niggers'' of the Philippines the sum
of $4,000, 900, and the planters and natives
OF Hawaii the sum of S74gaa, OOO-a total
In ten years Of $493, 800. 900, or almost ex-
actly the sum which Edward Atkinson
declares the Spanish war has cost us.
The state of Minnesota has an assessed
valuation of $500. 100000. It raises by tax
alton each year, for all local and state
purposes, almost $6,00O,OOO It's popula-
ton does not exceed LOO 900. or about
equal to that of Cuba or a trIfie more
than that Of Puerto Rico. It's agricuI-
tural productions exceed $120, 900 900 in
value and its mineral products SIS, 900, 900.
It's total marketable products going out
OF the state are carried in steamships
and railroad cars owned and operated
by Americans, il We except the wheat
and flour that goes direct from Mime
apolis or Lake Superior ports to Liver
pool.
Merchandise was handled at the two
ports of Superior and Duluth in 1899 to
the value of $l57,003,005 n1ne-tenths of
which was carried in coastwise or Amer
lean vessels. Likewise, the lake COM
merce of Chicago for the same year
exceeded 100000, coo III we are to accept
the reports of local commercial bodies).
three-fourths of which was carried In
coastwise ships. Indeed, the total of the
great lakes commerce is 80 surprising
that it staggers one in attempting to es-
innate the total coastwise commerce of
the country, for which no treasury figures
are given. 1t is enough to say that the
total foreign commerce of the country.
as given out by the customs Office. is
less by at least one-half than the total l
Of the coastwise business. And it is a
business that is all carried In American
ships making short trips. Ships regis
tering 100000 tons are enabled to do as
much business coastwise as 5000. 900 tons
making the regular ocean or trans-At-
lantic voyages. SO it need not be sur
prising if the treasury department when
1t finally gets to it, will find that the
coastwise traffic of the country exceeds
the foreign business in valuation as
much as suggested above.
And the coastwise business is done at
a profit. The steamship agencies are in
Duluth. or Buffalo, Chicago, or Boston. OF
Baltimore, or New Orleans. and they each
and all carry other lines OF business as
side lines. They are valuable auxil:ariess
to Thea trade of the country They are
Americans from the ground up They
toll for the earth that is beneath them
and for the flag that is above them. They
build wharves and docks that. are the ad-
miration OF the world. They maintain Of
flee quarters in the ten-story brick and
stone palaces. They are upon al the eS-