The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-05-23


great traffic contest is between the Pacific
on the one hand, and the Suez canal and
Cape Horn on the other"
This is the way James ]. Hill. of the
Great Northern, put the traffic situation,
in the comprehensive interview with which
he favored The Journal this morn
ing.
"It is not fight between this section,
or city, or road, or the other, continued
Mr.. Hill, ''at least so far as I am con-
cerned. 1t is big question of traffic de-
velopment; it is question of commercial
development and industrial development
for the country at large. Our competitor
is not here, not in New York, not in San
Francisco; he is on the high seas. Our
fight is national, or rather, 1t is interna-
tional. Our problem is to get hold OF the
commerce of the Pacific ocean and bring 1t
across the Pacific and across the United
States, instead of allowing it to be di-
verted around the globe via the Suez
canal and Cape Horn"
those who thought he was engaged in
traffic fight. Showing his hand through his
hair and striding quickly across the room,
he said in subdued tone full of energy:
"All I desire is to be let alone, to be
left in peace, and do what I can to de-
velop the country's commerce, unhindered
by petty jealousies and ISLANDERS.
81 do not expect to receive any bless
ings for my labors during this life," said
Mr.. Hill with a laugh. But 1 shall try
to lay the foundations of my work so
Deep" he continued, ''that when pass
from the scene it will not be necessary
for those who follow to dig it all up and
begin over again.
A Glance Into the Future.
t'Now, looking at it broadly, what is
the situation? What of our commercial
future ?? Turn to our rate Of population
growth. We are doubling every thirty
years We have multiplied more during
the past thirty-five years than during the
800 preceding. From the landing of the
Mayfiower down to the close of the civil
war we grew to S5,OOO,OOO; but since 1866
we have increased 1900, 900. At this rate
during the next thirty years we may grow
to 15O, 200, 900.
what shall we do with this popula-
tion? How many can we use in manufac-
turing? We now employ less than one
quarter. At the most not over one-third,
or $4,000, 900, can be employed in manu-
factures, railroading, trade and the pro-
fessions. The bulk of the remaining
will they go? Not to New England with
it's rocky and unproductive hills. New
England, to use term in physics, Is filled
to the 'saturation' point. Nor will the
south take much of the increase, with the
exception of the Latin influx from south
ern Europe. No, the great increase will
be in the valleys of the Ohio, Mississippi
Missouri and westward, the fertile
prairies of the great central west and be-
yond, wherever irrigation is possible.
|, Now then, what will these 1OO,000,O0C
on the land of the west produce? Food
will they not? They will produce the
three great staples of trafic-food, fuel
and shelter-but food in the main."
What Asia Will Buy.
''Now, cross the Pacific and what do we
find? Millions of people, and what can
they buy? What can a man who earns a
shilling day, and that is the average
wage of the orient, buy Of us? Can he
buy luxurics? Can he buy any great
amount of manufactured goods at all?
No. He will buy only what he Is COM
PEELED to buy to sustain life, He will do
most of his own manufacturing, after a
little, for labor with him is cheap and
plenty. He will want of us only the
simple staples, as grain, provisions, raw
cotton, ETC., from which to weave his
cloth. and perhaps little lumber, coal
and some hand tools. But his principal
demand will be for food-just the products
which the present coming population OF
Americas great central and western zone
is prepared to furnish.
so here we have big traffic PROPOSE
tion-to place the great surplus staples
of central and western America at the
door of the orient, and bring back from
the latter anything that we can use. The
future has in store for us along this line
a vast commerce.
Puget Sound the Short Cut.
'oThe next question is: How shall it be
handled; by what route shall it go? Shall
America handle it. or Europe? Will it
go by the Pacific or by the Suez and
Horn? I hope that America will handle
it, and by the Pacific. Geography and
nature declare it and trade cannot resist
them
Mr.. Hill then brought out from stack
of ALIASES number of maps giving
ocean distances; showing that Puget
sound, by the great meridian circles, is
the short cut for commerce, not only with
Japan and northern China, but with
Manila and the entire Pacific coast OF
Asia.
The Burlington Territory.
I'VE come now said Mr. Hill, "to your
question regarding the Burlington and
the resources OF the Burlington territory.
The Burlington has food and fuel to a