The Washington times., 1901-07-09
Our Agricultural Exports.

Almost daily we read in some of our
exchanges articles upon the business
situation, in which the writers broadly
assume that the prosperity now exist
ing is purely a political proposition; in
short. that il is all owing to the policy
ofthe party now in power These econ
omists'' might possibly learn some
thing by devoting a little time to the
( figures Of our export trade.
Nr. Hitchcock, OF the Agricultural
/ Department. has compiled tables. show
ing the enormous growth of our agri-
cultural exports during the last four
years. From these figures it appears
that in 1896 our total exports of farm
products were five hundred and three
millions Of dollars. Last year they
were seven hundred and thirty-nin
millions clear gain Of two hundred
and thirty three millions, or nearly
nifty per cent. This was the largest to-
tai in the history OF the country, ex-
cept in 1898, when il reached the great
aggregate of seven hundred and sixty
two millions. Even these figures, large
as they are. seem small when compared
win tAiG GUILTY. -utfA Alct1 BnSi4it-5a.
Nevertheless. it has been a most i'm
portant item-far more so than the fig
ures themselves at first glance seem 10
indicate.
Il must be remembered that our ex-
port trade represents the disposal Of
a surplus. and in the case Of a great
productive country. ike ours, whether
we shall have prosperity or adversely
depends very largely upon what we can
or cannot do with the things which we
produce beyond our own requirements.
II we can sell them at good prices we
are pTosperine; if we cannot sell them.
or If the prices are inadequate, we find
ourselves in distress. Foreign demands
against US are very heavy. Therefore.
it is in the highest degree essential that
we should sell much more than We buy
II our exports should fall of heavily
we would be obliged TO part with more
gold. and this would cause a monetary
stringency that would be felt all over
the land. and in all lines Of business.
Even a loss Of a hundred millions of
our gold in Il year would make a vast
difference in business conditions.
But it is not our purpose now TO go
into absolute economics. We merely
wish TO poiut out the Importance Of our
export trade as a factor in the gsner-
al business situation. The most ordi-
nary intellect ought to be able TO see
that the policy Of the Republican PARTY
has not tended 10 induce foreign
countries to buy more Of our wheat,
cotton. and other farm products. Rath-
er the reverse; fer when we shut for
eign goods out Of our markets, we Grip
pie foreign countries in their purchas-
ing power, and necessarily they will
buy less Of our breadstuffs and raw ma
terials.
N fine other countries take our
goods because they want them The
more prosperous such countries are the
more goods they Will need; the more
goods they need, the stronger viii be
the demand, and the stronger the de
mand, the higher win be the prices,
thus swelling the total figures in both
ways. II our agricultural exports last
year had been two hundred millions
less. we should probably have lost con-
siderable Of our gold; with the dimin-
ished sales, prices would have fallen,
and the whole business situation would
have been seriously affected.