The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-27
The CHANCE FOR AMERICA
Trade Conditions Excellent With
Peace III the Orient.

Postmaster General Smith has received
from William Mitchell Bunker Honorary
Commissioner of Foreign Commerce OF
the Chanher of Commerce al San Fran
cisco. q communication in which the lat
ter gives a highly interesting view of the
trade which viii eventually ~ brought to
the United States through the great
Trans Siberian Railway Air. Bunker, in
speaking on the subject, said in part:
We produce what the Siberians need
Their territory Is naturally, because ge-
Geographically. tributary to Us. and the
greater the population of Eastern Siberia
the greater the volume of our Russian
Asiatic trade ANY loss Of trade through
an intruding tariff viii be more than met
10y gains in other directions The Rus
sian Asiatic trade MAY not be Intelligent
ly discussed without some Inference to
our National trade with Asia.
American exports 10 Asia grew from
81 l2f 81 in 1893 TO S7S 235 10 al 1850 Hence
our consuming interest ia ASia-iC affairs
The ASiatic demand for American piO-
ducts is felt 10y the Ir~ H''F---'''T'Hrs- u1er-
chants, mechanics, and producers The
farmers and fruit growers Of the Pacific
Coast are among the largest beuafritri7s-
Europe looks aSksnce as the United
States decreases the AsiaJic drmpad for
European goods
The fiercest struggle Is in Northern
China and the Russian Adriatic region
The foreign trade Of China approximate
$50 oo0 e9o in 1899. an advance of S++,gHnb
on the total Of 1885 and double that af
1896 SiXty-three per cent of the total an
nuaI trade of China Is with the British.
| Japan has Il per cent. the United States
10 per cent. and Russia per cent The
balance Is with France Germany. and
other countries The United States and
Germany are gaining Chinese trade at the
expense Of Great Britain The latter lost
its coarse Sheeting business with China
through American enterprise. Great Brit
| tain partially consoles itself with the
/ knowledge that 81 per cent of the ton
mage entering Chinese ports in 1899 flew
/ the British flag
/ The natural advantage in Asiatic trade
; is with the United States. We have what
! Asia wants. l am not of the optimistic
! brotherhood who think ne four hundred
} millions Of Chinese are % suddenly shout
: for all the comforts OF q civilized homo,
( and swamp Our producing resources Nor
I DO think demands from Japan Siberia.
! and Korea will congest our supplying de-
/ partments. And this I say after an i'm
partial and independent Inspection OF the
! trade areas Of China. Japan. Siberia. and
I
/ possibilities. depending for the most part
! on the develr. -aeuJ of natural resources
/ This is espei, r. =. the case with China, 81
| IBERIA. and Korea The natural resources
i of Japan have been exploited by the Jap
! auese. and the new trade of that country
| Is due to the ever-iucreasiug demands If
! a higher civilization
The war between China and Japan
| taught the japanese Government many
lessons AmcIs other things II learned
! the value OF leather-Shod soldiers The
| first result WAS q contract for American
| shoes. This IS only one Of many similar
| instances OF Asiatic appreciation OF
| American articles. Asiatic trade is hard
| 10 set and hard 10 hold Its price is
| eternal vigilance The leading nations
| aim 10 control old. and secure new. mar
| kets. ana a commercial war IS on The
! great nations. and many of the smaller
I are fostering Asiatic trade as never be-
/ fore. II is Titanic struggle The
| fighters are 10 mere traders. and their
! equipment IS no longer confined TO read
! ing. writing. and arithmetic. An ordi-
| nary mercantile training is not all in
/ all. Unless ore has some linguistic IA
| cility he might as well stay out Of the
lists \ commercial traveller should be
/ on speaking terms with Germans and
! knowledge OF the two latter 1angua ges
| depending on his location, or on the To-
! cation OF the territory IN which he seeks
| trade / nave not included French and
/ Chinese. for the reason that German
/ rather than French is spoken by the ST.
/ berIan trader, and pidgiH English is the
mercantile language Of China. II seems
} difficult for Americans 10 learn that the
/ commercial competition OF today. in So
/ lar - Il bears on foreign trade. is con-
/ Quoted Intellectual lines that are
! steadily rising. telat foreigners have d
/ clearer conception. # this than ourselves
{ Is shown by the iacI that the agent OF
/ traveller representing European house
| must read. write, and speak one Ian
: guaSe besides his own. and must have
/ marked facility Tor picking up languages
J This is notably the case with the Ger
mans The Germa trader in Northern
/ China and Asiatic Russia speaks Russian
and often has a fair idea Of English
In these regions the Germans haS-- large
! spheres Of commercial influence
| Il am not pralSins the German CONNER
/ clai method al the expense Of my cOUu-
Try. but for the benefit of my country
and that the American planning q trade
campaign in what is called the Russian
Asiatic region may know in advaI,e
! what of lerW-iSe might be learned through
Z costly experience Russians are not nat
| ural traders and. thus far have not
pr0nted by their SlbeTla-Chiua conquest.
( Where Russia has sOwn others have
TEaU@u- RUSSIA has pushed into and over
| Siberia. and down into Northern China
that may finally pay ha udSOUeIV. To
date tho profits Of Russian enterprise
/ have been largely tal1'I by Americans
/ furnishing railroad and miscellaneous
/ supplies The commercial awakening Of
/ the RuSSiau-A static territory dates from
! the decision Of Alexander ii 10 build
| rail line from the eastern part of Rus
! sia across Siberia 10 EladivOstOck For
/ this long line Of track earth was broken
| May Il. 1881 Building was rushed with
/ fe,srish haste and the villages and towns
{ along the line OF survey soon showed new
! life NtadivOStOck changed from a mill
/ taTy base into a busting commercial
/ city
Last October / said that ~ per cent of
! the retail trade OF kIadivOStDck Wa =
! transacted by the Chinese traders. and
/ that these traders were growing more
( and NOR potential. As one result of the
! trade power has been shifted The Chi
. Hcse trader is 40 longer paramount III
I Eastern Siberia As his .xu-ne-- m
about "ne-third as large as those. of other
( traders. his eclipse may not last long
! The acquisition of Port Arthur hv the
/ Russians and The determination to make
that point the main terminal of TN.
/ Reconsideration Railway system has less
/ eueu the prestige Of kladiyoStocl< The
/ city continues 70 grow. and at last ac-
I counts was going in for electric and other
! essentials Of civilization.
The main line Of the new railroad has
been IN operation from Irkutsk westerly
I three years. and at last accounts was
! running easterly to Srretyiusk 1t has
not benefited European countries outside
! OF Russia IL has increased the pOpuIa-
| tjon cf Siberia, bC' has not and In my
( Judgment after = c'ose and careful study
! of the entire line from NiadivoStocJc TO