The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-28
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
TO UNITE FOR TRADE WAR
 WITH UNITED STATES.
Foreign Powers Known to De Work ing in Harmony to Keep Out united States Goods--Every
 Move is Secret.
Washington Special to Chicago Trip

concert of action, 1t is becoming more and more apparent that the great na-
 tions of Europe are preparing for a
 simultaneous attack upon the United
 States. This warfare with which the new century opens is entirely commer-
 cial. but is none the less dangerous For several years past reports have come from different countries. all show ing that the European Governments
 were becoming seriously alarmed at the rapid strides taken by the United States toward the commercial supremacy of the world. The State Department Is entirely without official information of any determination on the part Of for eigh Governments to inaugurate com mercial warfare with the United States. except in a few isolated caes, like that of Russia, where the retaliation. was ostensibly against specific discrimina- ton by the United States.
 Openly Friends; secretly Foes. Ordinary inquiries at the State De- partment are met with the invariable rope are naturally alarmed at seeing their old markets Invaded by the mer- cantile and manufacturing interests Of the United States, our relations with those countries are so cordial as to pre- vent anything more than a friendly ri- valry for trade. The facts are. how ever, that in the files of the State De- partment themselves may be found the evidence of a generahdisposition on the part of European counties to resort to extreme measures to stop the hitherto irresistible march of the United States
 toward the control of the world mar ket.
 Careful study of the consular reports
 during the last year will show almost conclusively that European nations are proceeding along lines which seem 10 indicate not only bitter commercial
 hostility to the United States. but remarkable sameness of procedure which can scarcely be a coincidence. People Urge Retaliation. Repressive and retaiiatory iegtsla- tion is being urged in almost all the continental countries. and the methods adopted to cripple the trade Of the United States are so closely allied as to lead to the conclusion that there must exist some sort Of secret unosr- standing nn this subject between she continental nations.
 The state Department denies vigor- ously all knowledge of any such Euro pean commercial policy directed against the United States. The of- fcials say that each nation for itself is considering commercial legislation to meet tho ruinous competition or the United States, just as this country adopted the protective tariff system 10 protect our manufacturers against European competition.
 All Legislate on Same Lines. The department announces officially that there is no evidence of any com- mon understanding hostile to the | United States. but the published con- sular-reports show that commercial legislation Is being molded in the dlf- ferent countries of Europe, TO much in acordance with an apparent general plan as to indicate that ehis Is from
 design and not from accident. The extraordinary commercial pros perity of the United States has render ed it necessary for our merchants and manufacturers to see an expert mar ket. So long as this country confined its exports almost exclusively to agri- cultural products the statesmen of Europe, and the people as well. were no talarmed. They were perfectly will ing that this country should become the granary of the world. leaving to them the more profitable trade in ,e E. | tiles and iron manufactures. They saw an economical advantage in securing 
 cheap labor.
 Fear American Manufactures. It is only in the last half dozen years that the United States has begun ex- porting its manufactured products to a large extent. The Hamburger Fremden-
 blat last winter voiced the prevailing alarm in Europe when 1t called atten- tion to the fact that while in 1890 tniy
 l7 per cent of tle total exports of the United States were the products of | manufacturing industries, the manu- factured exports rose to g per cent in 1895, to 28 per cent in 1898, and 31 per cent in 1900.
 This means that at the present time
 one-third of the exports of the United
 States are made up of the products of
 manufacture.
 It is this which has alarmed Europe
 which has stirred up Germany to an extraordinary degree, and which has induced even Great Britain to consider radical modification of it's traditionary free trade policies.
 This natural fear of the United States as potent factor in the com.
 merce of the world has induced Euro. pean states to lend ear to the demands
 of the Agrarians and of the small shop | keepers.
 Efforts are now being made, secretly
 of course, to unite Europe in a taTin
 war with the United States. The re-
 ports of our trained Consuls abroad
 show this fact. and the similarity oi
 proposed legislation in the different
 countries is sufficient evidence of the
 existence of an informal but none the
 less effective secret understanding hos
 tile to the commercial interests of the United States.
 During 1902 and 1903 many commer-
 ciaI treaties negotiated between the different European nations will expire | by limitation. When 1t comes to the recasting of those treaties. 1t is believed conditions will be inserted which will | tend to harmonize the interests of Flu rope as against the United States. Then
 for the first time there will appear the concert of action which now can he as- certained only by making a compari-
 son of proposed legislation in different countries.
 The negotiation of reciprocity trea- ties of the United States with various countries had a tendency to restrain this policy of retaliation, but the com
 plete failure of the Senate to act upon these treaties has resulted in making European leaders believe that this country invites A tariff war.