The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-10
Looking Ahead.

the Chicago Record Herald.
After pointing out that in the past
| three years the marvellous development
| Of the foreign trade of the United
| States has brought the other nations
| into our debt to an amount something
| like $1,7OOOO0.00O. the secretary gives it
as his opinion that instead Of becom
| ing vainly elated. the American people
| should view their good fortune with
becoming soberness and take counsel
| Of prudence as how best to convert this
| temporary advantage into permanent
supremacy. Asked If he dreaded hos
| tile combination of European interests.
| he said:
| This possibility is not TO be lost
sight of. Neither is it to be greatly
| apprehended. If anything could bring
it about. nothing would be more likely
to do So perhaps, than some of the eX-
| pressonS which have dropped from
the public platform or which appear
from time to time in too jubilant edi-
tOrals in the daily press. These are
read by the foreigner without making
| due allowance for the eXuberance of
the American mind, and as human ma
ture, according to Burke. is as much
moved by imagination as it is by rea-
son. our friends on the other side of
the ocean are liable to take undue
alarm, not only as to what we have
already achieved, but as to exagger-
ated theories concerning the plans
which we have in hand for the future.
"Thele may be attempts at combin-
| alton between our commercial rivals
by means of tariffs or trade regula-
tions, designed to restrict the freedom
| with which our goods enter foreign
markets, but in this particular there is
little likelihood of any permanent sue
cess. The leading nations are not only
rivals with us, but with one another
Their domestic policies and their inter-
national policies differ from each other,
and anything like uniformity of agree
ment is practically impossible. Be-
sides, it will sooner or later appear,
both to ourselves and to other peoples,
that the economic laws always have
| power to assert themselves. In its last
analysis trade or commerce is an ex-
change of commodities. The enormous
cash balances which have fallen to us
during the last three or four years
after making all proper deductions for
freight, insurance and the cost Of
American travel abroad. which do not
show in the official reports cannot be
indefinitely continued. Our trade abroad
may indefinitely increase. as the power
|
creased. but this growth must be eff
fected to large extent at least by an
j, exchange of goods or labor products
between us and the rest of the world.
| This end may he reached, and it is fair
to m"slnr that 1t will be reached,
ihrun,'i So system of reciprocity
,, i .Irry The equities of give
- ,h"r important features"
,njun nr This interview, Mr..
.. 'ai<s with a number of
!. Valnment officials access
t.. l.l.ngton and this is the
ali: ot 'e q Comment and prediction
= as eHpras,Sei in his summary:
Tue prevailing opinion is that the secretary
Ia, sounded the keynote Of the big international
= policy "i the Republican party in the near future.
: This l',icy may b. described as one OF the vi
mos, caution and iorbrarlnce in all our foreign
relations, and dls,.nct plan 10 change the tar
III schedules, with view TO holding our great
foreign trade by means of reciprocity treaties
rather than by general revision of the Dinghy
q law Before PleSidcn, Mcktnlc! left the oamlA
Tor his tour oi the country consultations had
: been held as 10 this part OF The Republican pro
u glammc. II was agreed that il America were
t 10 hold her leadership in foreign trade cont cs
= | sin vnulu hlvn n Ina made h.