The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-01-01
THE UNITED STATES IN THE NEW
CENTURY,

The people OF these United States enter
upon the new century with hope and as
| pirations and responsibilities such as they
| have never known. Until recently we had
been content to live within ourselves. We
had little to do with the people of the out
eide world We hedged ourselves about
with a high tariff wall, and we said that
| the home market was sufficient for all
our products and we cared not to have any
large dealings with outsiders. True Mr..
Blaine said something about reciprocity
and there were some feeble attempts made
to extend our foreign trade, out the
"home market" idea had taken possession
of the people, and we said that we would
stay at home and attend to our own af-
fairs and SO keep out OF all sorts of
foreign entanglements.'
This sort of thing was well enough for
a young country whose resources were I'M
developed. The people could afford to be
circumspect, for they did find ready mar
ket at home for their products. But it
was impossible that q great country and a
great people like ours should have prac-
ticallyt no dealings across the ocean,
Steam and electricity and labor-saving
machinery wrought wonders. We grew to
be the greatest producers in the world,
and our capacity to produce got to be
greater than or capacity to consume. It
was necessary that we should have foreign
markets for our surplus products, but we
only learned through our adversely how
to secure them. During the dark days be-
tween 1888 and 1896 we learned how to
economize, a lesson which we had not
previously studied because we were not in
competition with producers abroad. We
were compelled to reduce the cost of pro-
duction to the minimum, and, as the pro-
verb has 1T, necessity is the mother OF
invention" Necessity taught us economy
and by and by we discovered that IN
economizing we had reduced the cost OF
production to a figure that would enable
us to sell our products abroad in competi-
ton with foreign manufacturers.
In the nick of time came the war with
Spain, and while it is to be hoped that
we did not go to war for the purpose of
helping our trade, in point of fact we
were advertised by THAT war as nation
Of machinists and as soon as the war was
over there was a brisk demand abroad for
American-made goods From that time on
our foreign trade began to expand at an
enormous rate, and it has been expanding
from month to month and each month IL
record-breaker. We are no longer afraid
of foreign competition. We can hold our
own in the markets of the world All that
we ask is that the ''open door" policy be
maintained. If we can only have equal
rights with others to go in and out and
trade, we have no fear as to the result
We can take care of ourselves whenever
we have the opportunity to trade.
What is the sum up? The United States
has taken its position among the first
class powers Of the earth and, as the
slang goes, it is up to US to maintain that
position. We need not involve ourselves
in 'foregn entanglements, but We must
not be kept back, we-must not shirk our
responsibilities in difference to a few old
notices of Revolutionary times. The great
Ruler Of the universe has a work for us
to do. It is for us to Americanze the
whole world, for in so doing we shall carry
civilization and Christianity. The respon-
sibility is upon us and we dare not shirk