Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-09-20
NUMBER 7

'"The coal and iron of China, deYel-
oped by European and American mon
ey and skill, are supplying the demand
for iron and steel in cur new domain.
and Russian, Siberian, Sumatran and
Chinese oil is still IN the hands of the
old or new Standard Oil company,
who finds it cheaper to plug up Ameri-
can wells and supply China from Chi
nese and other nearby wells. And now
for the first time the American farmer,
the American miner and the American
factory hand learn that trade does not
follow the flag, but that capital does,
and leaves dear labor at home to pay
the tax as best it can to fly the flag in
a foreign land
where Is the TnperJnIssfs
Where is tile imperialist nowg He
has gone where he can practice impe-
riaiism, where labor is cheap, raw ma
terial abundant and men must work,
but shall not vote. The great valley of
the Mississippi is Iistless, and the plains
of the great west seem bare. But they
viii reduce the acreage in wheat and
seed to the sugar beet For what? To
compete with the contract cody labor
of tropical Hawaii, Porto Rico, Cuba
and the Philippines. The south may
reduce her acreage CT cotton and SOW
to tobacco. For whatf To compete
With Cuban and Philippine tobacco.
What. then. does the balance sheet
show2 The total import and export
trade Of China FOR a year does not ex
ceed $3.50. .000000 Now. If the United
States absorbed every dollar Of this
commerce, driving every rival from her
market and every dollar of this trade
was profit, how does the account stand?
For the year 1861 recommended ap-
preparations for our army are S128,000.-
600 and for our navy SIS. 100000, a to-
tai Of S203, ,000,000 taking no account
of pensions incident to the Spanish and
Philippine war Add to this sum ne
past cost of the war, $3.50 100000, and
allow for the commerce OF the Philip
pines and Porto Rico 10000, 600, which
counts every dollar of their trade as
profit, and the sheet Is balanced against
US by SIZE, 100000.
The Old Way and the New.
''But the army is to be permanently
increased, and the navy is to be built
to proportions commensurate with the
responsibilities of our new obligations.
If you double the existing navy, which
will make US then only a fourth rate
naval power, you double at least the
present appropriation and double the
present army, and you at least double
the present appropriation to S400, ,000.-
600.
In other words, an army and navy
adequate for the requirements, with the
attendant increase Of pensions, civil
government and unforeseen expenses,
Will add TO the cost Of running this
government $500 COG, ,0gO, Or twice what
It cost us IN 1897, before the war with
Spain, or twice as much as the aggra-
gate OF all the commerce of China. the
Philippines, Porto Rico and Hawaii II
every dollar of their commerce was
with US to the exclusion of every other
commercial power in the world and II
every dollar Of that commerce went Ia
to the pockets Of American citizens as
prnff
Contrast the old way with the new,
and how stupeEdous IS the folly Of ltI
During a century Of peace, leading the
national life Planned for Us by our IA
theirs, our export trade has reached
81, ,252. sos. .9S7, at a maximum expense
for government of S500,000,O00, $150,
100000 Of which is paid in pensions
and purchases no service for the gov
ernment, and now it IS proposed to
abandon the ways of peace and con-
quer trade with force, and we increase
the expense of government from $780,
100000 to 81 900, 100000 for the sake OF
the opportunity to conquer the COM
merce of China, Porto Rico and the
Philippines"