The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-04

these the dealers have a record and so
much goes in to make up our Russian
exports, but the bulk of the Russian
trade went via Germany and France,
while English contractors purchased
large orders of iron, steel and machin-
cry to fill Russian orders American
contractors of Russian work have been
handicapped on account of the Dingley
tariff of which the manufacturers take
advantage in dealing with American citi-
zens. An American contractor on the
trans-Siberian railway was compelled to
buy his rails in England from an Eng
fish firm which came to the United
States and bought them to be delivered
In Russia for $13 ~per ton less than the
price quoted to the American, with
transportation thrown in. For years,
German agents have been buying Ameri
can farm machinery, removing the name
plates and replacing those of German
make and selling the goods as the prod
uct of Germany. This insures to Ger
many the future trade in these articles
and swells the volume of German ex-
ports. Germany, and France and Eng
land can come into our markets and
buy our products cheaper than can our
own citizens remove the evidences of
American production, and sell the same
in she Russian markets in successful
competition with the world.
If we expect to reap the benefit of tho
we must first establish a system of ex-
porting our goods which will allow US to
compete on the ground with the prod
ucts of foreign countries. The manu-
business or make such terms as will
induce a class of exporters to come to
the front to handle American goods in
the foreign markets. The value of for
eign trade lies largely in its future pos
sibilities. A trade once es tablished in
creases with the development of the
country in a geometrical ratio. Every
successful binder in the wheat fields of
Russia paves the way for another, and
another. So far, our trade with Russia
has been spasmodic and unsystematic.
1t may continue in a sickly state or it
may be wiped out entirely by acts of
retaliation for tariff impositions.
Two things are needed to establish
American products as general COM
mercial diet in Russia: First, agents
who speak the Russian language and
who have the advantage of American
banks in Russia, or special banking
privileges, and second, direct lines of
ocean transportation to Russian ports.
OF course these requirements must be
preceded by reciprocity agreements
which will let down the bars to American
tools and machinery.
AS to the commercial agents and lines
of transportation; we may trust to the
enterprise of the manufacturer to furnish
one and the great transportation COM
binations to supply the other. But we
must look to the administration and the
''NAANNN ~ ~ AlOdiIy LhS SAlollllS leLIllL
schedule that the additional barriers re-
Gently interposed will be removed and
other concessions made in the Russian
tariff, on lines of products wanted by
Russia and made in the United States.
Notwithstanding the advance of the
Russian schedule. some tools and ma
chinery are being smuggled into Russia,
by German and English spectators VINO
conceal the identity of the goods and
thus avoid the present discriminating
duty.
The American politicians and the
American exporters may learn in time
how to handle foreign trade, but they
will need more than one severe lesson
before their self-complacency viii be
superseded by diplomatic shrewdness and
commercial common sense. In the mean
time the greatest market in the world
for American industrial products is
gradually falling into the hands of more
experienced manipulators of national
prejudiceS