The Washington times., 1901-09-28

ly increased consumption of 1t in Eu
rope. and notably in Belgium, clearl!
indicates that it is rapidly making 1T
way into popular favor.
Since 1891 American exports of 1ndiar
corn have increased from little les:
than thirty-one million bushels annu
ally to more than two hundred and Mint
million bushels. In other words, tbs
! exports are now nearly seven times u:
great as they were ten years ago. "
the quantity exported, all but abou
seventeen million bushels goes to Eu
| rope. Belgium consumes more in pro
portion than any other European coun'
try. The density of its population l:
such that the country can only produce
about half of the fcodstuffs required
Some forty million bushels of wheat
and twenty million bushels of corn art
annually imported. OF the wheat we
| furnish about one-fifth, while of the
corn we supply more than one-half.
Belgium uses about three bushels OF
| corn for each person living in the coun-
| try, while throughout the rest of Eu-
rope, the consumption is not much more
| than half bushel per capita This
| upon a continent where vast numbers OF
people are notorously ill-fed, and
where in large areas even famines are
of more or less frequent occurrence. In
some parts of Europe wheat bread is a
| luxury, while to many millions of peo-
| pie 1t is practically unknown as food
| The price places it above their reach.
| They must live on cheaper foods. and
| this opens up great possible demand
for American corn. European con-
sumption having increased skiold in
| ten years. and being now only little
more than half bushel per capita, II
| would seem as If our exports of the
cereal might be multiplied almost in
definitely.
This is a matter of the very greatest
Importance to the United States. We
are in the habit of regarding wheat and
cotton as our two greatest crops be-
cause we export more of them than of
any others. But the fact is that under
normal conditions our corn crop is very
much more valuable than either of the
two Iamed There Is failure fully to
appreciate the kingship of corn because
so much of it is used at home but in
real value it wears the crown, never
theless. What is more, there is no rea-
son why it should not also become our
greatest export staple, If proper effort
is made to bring its real merits home
to the European people.
The advance which has been made
during the last ten years has been
mainly the outgrowth of a movement
inaugurated in 1888 by Col. Charles j.
Murphy, as special commissioner of the
Agricultural Department. Both the
Government and private individuals
can do much in the way of showing the
hungry poor, and even. many who are
not SO poor, that corn is q most valua-
BILE food product This being done, it
will be hard to draw a line of limitation
upon our corn trade. We produce about
three-fourths of the worlds entire crop.
and our corn belt is almost as distinc
lively pre-eminent as is the cotton area
of the South. Ifsthe rest of Europe con-
sumed as much corn per capita as Bel
gium does. and we furnished the same
proportion of the whole, 1t would mean
the annual sale of seven hundred and
fifty million bushels of American corn
to the people of that Continent and the
value could scarcely be less than five
hundred millions of dollars.
All but two countries entitled to repre-
sentation have selected delegates to the
Pan-American Congress at the City OF
Mexico These are Honduras and the
Dominican Republic. They will be rep
resented, however. The American and
other delegates at present in the United
States travel to Mexico by Special train
from Washington. The State Department
entertains high hopes regarding the good
that probably will be accomplished by
the Congress in promoting arbitration as
means of settling difficulties between
the States of this hemisphere and in
fostering better trade relations.
There is nothing of what the unregen-
crate call the short sport about Sir
Thomas Upton. He is as cheerful and
confident as ever. notwithstanding the
fact that his admiring fellow countrymen,
since Thursdays performance. have been
laying odds against the Shamrock. Co
lumbia stock was never so high as at
ability as defender is nearly absolute.
Nevertheless, it may be misplaced. Sir
Thomas says that all he wants Is a stiff
breeze. 1t would be pity if. at this sea-
son of the year. he could not be accommo-
dated of Sandy Hook.
II is reported that the-steel workers at
Bellaire, Ohio, have decided to secede
from the Amaigamated Association. They
did not return to work on President
Shaffer's order declaring the strike off,
and are represented as being very indig-
nant at the officers of the union. They
win go back to the Bellaire plant on Mon
day, accepting the company's terms.
That event will very nearly mark the last
of the steel strike.
Lovatt's scouts have had another dis
astrous skirmish with the Beers. This
time a detachment was surprised at FL
and's Kloof. and Colonel Murray, com
manding. was killed. The Beers got away
with fifteen-pounder gun. This action,
though small in its way. will intensity
the feeling of uneasiness in England con-
cerning the South African war. Small
Boer successes are occurring necessarily,
and there are no British gains to balance
them.
An interesting attempt of Admiral
Sampson 20 appear by counsel at an en-
quiry In which, according to the Judge
advocate he Is not concerned was sum
Dewey, speaking for the Court OF
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