The Washington times., 1901-10-03
Exports md Prosperity.

In a recent issue a Republican con-
temporary took the subject of pros
perity as a text and proceeded to en-
large upon it with mudh enthusiasm.
and with not little partisan bias run
ming through its comments The late
President Mckinley was characterized
as the advance agent Of prosperity" ="
and the idea sought TO be conveyed was
that the improved business conditions
of recent years have all resulted from
the policy of the Republican party.
Every patriotic American should re-
joice in the change for The better that
has taken place. and Ire may very con-
sistently do so without conceding any
thing in favor OF the commercial, eco
nomic. and foreign policy of the party
in power. 1t is a great deal easier for
Republicans to claim the credit Of ev-
erything that is favorable than it is
to make the claim good by any sort of
proof. In fact, they seldom offer any
evidence, but content themselves with
pointing to the coincidence that pros
perity returned shortly after Mir. Nc
Kinley was inaugurated the first time.
If any fairly intelligent person will con-
slider for a moment the circumstance
that prosperity returned to Europe just
before Mr.. Mckinley was elected in
1886, he will readily see that the sue
cess of the Republican party here can
hardly have been the cause of the
change. The newspaper referred to
practically demonstrated the almost
worldwide character of the improve
ment by its statements concerning our
export trade. These are shown to have
nearly doubled during the last decade,
and they are taken as an index of the
general conditions which prevail. For
those who desire to credit the improve
ment entirely to the, Republican party
more unfortunate example could scarce
ly have been chosen.
What was 1t that caused foreign
countries to increase their purchases
of our products from less than nine
hundred million dollars in 1896 to if
teen hundred millions in the twelve
months just ended? Was it anything
that the Republican party did? If so,
what was it? For a foreign country to
buy American goods, two things must
concur: Desire for the goods. and abil-
ity to pay for them. In what manner
has Republican policy contributed to
either during the period named? Sure
ly it will not be claimed that the tariff
and the trusts have given us a partic-
ularly warm niche in the heart of any
European country We know as a fact
that these two features of che party's
policy have created an intensely bitter
feeling all over Europe. Upon the sec
ond point. will IL be seriously contend
ed that a policy which virtually eX-
cludes from sale in this country almost
every foreign article that we can pro-
duce for ourselves. at any cost. has
made Europe richer and therefore bet
ter able to buy our goods? Nothing
can be clearer than that our CONNER
cial policy has injured Europe. and les
sened the ability of that continent TO
purchase our staples.
Still the fact remains that Europe
has enormously increased its purchases
in the United States during the last
five or six years. and we are endeavor-
ing to find ont why. The answer is a
saHtpie ChS- HttdCo OAA SooAS
and was able to buy them. And these
purchases have contributed enormously
to the prosperity of which the Repub |
Leans so constantly and so loudly boast |
in a partisan spirit. Suppose Europes
purchases had been three hundred mil
lion doll. rs a year less than they were, |
and We had been compelled to send |
a hundred million dollars in gold over |
here every twelve months. Any intelli- |
gent business man can see that it |
would have made a very great differ |
ence in financial conditions here. and |
affected every industry.
In dealing with prosperity as polit- |
Ical issue. Republicans Will be wise if |
they confine themselves to mere gen
eral claims, but if they feel that they |
must enter into specifications. by all |
means they should avoid the subject of |
our export trade.