The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-17
ABLE TO COMPETE.

Whatever other reason there may be
for protective tariff, there is no neces-
sity for one at all so far as our ability
is concerned to meet foreign competition.
The United States today is not only able
in leading staple lines to hold it's own
in the American market, but is able to
meet the additional cost and risk of
crossing the ocean and underselling for
eign competitors in their own field Look
at the facts Of our foreign export trade
during the past fiscal year.
OF cotton goods, for example, we sold
in foreign markets last year $50, 1874, $3.50
yards, and the year before, 1904, 055
yards-that is to say, over SIS, Zoo, 900
worth per annum. We beat all compet1-
ton in supplying the Chinese and gen
eral Asiatic trade. putting into the mar
kets Of Asia and Oceania over zoo, 900, 900
yards. English, German and French
competition combined were unable to
meet the American manufacturer to the
extent Of breaking even with him on the
Pacific trade. Passing over South and
Central America and the West Indies.
where we market upwards of $4,000, OOO
yards and have the best of the trade,
we push into British territory. and sell
100000 yards in Australia, 10000 600 yards
in Africa, 100000 more in the British
East Indies, from 100000 to 5000 ,OCa
more in British North America, and from
100000 TO 100000 yards per annum In
the United Kingdom itself
How absurd, then, when we have be-
come world power in the distribution
of cotton goods, to stand covering be-
hind ca wall of cotton tariffs. ranging
from 25 per cent to 100 per cent ad
valorem, as if our giant cotton develop
ment were nursing infant industry!
The average tariff on imported cotton
goods at our ports last year was So per
cent ranging on the cheaper kinds of
cottons used by the poorer classes from,
90 per cent to so per cent. What an
anomaly in a country which stands
among the strongest in the conquest of
the foreign cottons trade.
In iron and steel, wherein our Infant
industry now finds representation
through Millionaire trust, we are by
all odds the leaders of the world. 1t is
now something like ten years since our
iron and steel product passed in auanti-
ty and value that of our principal COM
petitor, the United Kingdom Our iron
and steel exports last year aggregated
the enormous total of s121, S5S, 944. We were
easily the monarch of the international
market. There is no foreign nation on
earth that is not using American iron and
steel. We undersen world competition in
every cline, on every land and sea. Look
at the list of nations that were forced, by
the superiority and price of our wares
to buy American iron and steel nnanufac.
lures last year. The United Kingdom
bought $2,156,661 of builders hardware
$1,S29,712 Of sewing machines, and 81 Os2. 72s
of typewriters. Germany bought $2,5Oo. 0o
IN these three items alone, and the resi-
of Europe 100000 more. British North
America bought $2,SS2, 667 worth of the
single item of steel rails. British Aus.
tralasia took 81, 925. 1893 of tools and hard
ware alone. Latin America buys of us
everything in iron and steel goods, in
Guiding machinery of all kinds, the item
/. of builders hardware and tools alone
reaching 100000 per annum. In Asia
and oceania we sold over s2OOO,OoO OF
steel rails. These are simply samples of