The sun., 1900-10-23
CALIFORNIA SENATOR
ON OUR EXPANSION.
Astounding Growth of the Trans
Pacific Trade.
Reasons Why the Pacific Coast Will
Cast Its Electoral Votes for
Mckinley and Roosevelt.
(By George G. Perkins, United States
Senator from California;

(By George G. Perkins, United States
Senator from California;
No portion Of the country is more inn
mediately concerned in sustaining the eX-
pansion policy of President Mckinley
than the States OF the Pacific coast.
While the South produces the cotton
which is being shipped in such enormous
quantities to the orient, while other sec
tions are sending manufactures of every
description, the coast is sending across
the Pacific its own -four fruits and man
ufactures. Besides this, we are handling
the ships in which the exporting is done.
Our own manufactures have ranged from
mining and other machinery to COM
pleted five thousand ton steel man-of-
war for the Japanese government. Every
line Of industry has benefited and we ex-
pect by the establishment of closer COM
mercial relations to increase both our
population and prosperity.
The Pacific coast has long been on the
edge of the country. To-day it is the
center of the American transpacific trade.
We have reached out beyond for bust
ness. We can control the trade of the
Pacific. That is why we are all expan-
sionists.
The growth of the transpacific trade
is matter of very recent years. Not
more than ten years ago the Canadian
Pacific Company established its first line
of transpacitic steamships. Prior to that
| there were six steamers plying from Sar
| Francisco in the Japan and China line
| They brought from the orient tea, mat
| ting, silk, rice and the endless line OF
| articles that are imported from Japan
| and China. They carried back silver in
| the form of Mexican dollars and bullion
some provisions, and flour which was tax
| en- along for ballast as well as to fill NJ
| the cargoes. The establishment of the
| Canadian line-primarily for military
| purposes and secondarily for traffic
threw a good many San Franciscans in
| to mourning. To them, they thought the
end had come. San Francisco was t.
| lose it's Asiatic business. Then followed
| in rapid succession the establishment Of
new lines from Portland, the Puge
sound ports and San Diego.
Our merchants awoke. Instead of six
steamers plying from San Francisco the
number has been added to. The demand
now is for larger boats and better boats
and the trade from the Pacific slope i:
many times what it once was.
The incoming cargocs are much wha
they formerly were, but the exports in
clude every conceivable article of Ameri
can produce and manufacture-cottoI
goods, electrical goods, bicycles, cottor
literally by the trainload, alcohol by the
| trainload for use in the manufacture Of
smokeless powder in Japan, agriculture
implements, canned fruits, canned vege
| tables, canned meats, almost everything
that the mind can conceive. And the de
mand on the steamship companies is al
ways for room and then for more room
What is true of the Asiatic trade i.
equally true of the Australian. The
Oceanic Steamship Company is about tt
add three 6,000-ton vessels to its flee
and to begin steamer connection will
Tahiti. l am assured that the available
freight carrying facilities of the Austria
liam steamers are engaged for months
ahead.
These are the material evidences OF
trade expansion. The sentiment of thi:
Pacific coast is overwhelmingly in favol
of closer business relations with the ori
ont. We do not favor giving up the IIa
waian Islands, which have been devel
oped by California capital; we do no
favor Mr.. Bryan's policy of surrenderinl
the Philippines.
GEORGE G. PERKINS.
San Francisco, Cal.
|