The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-26
GERMANS TO BE FEARED.
EnsIand Need Not Be Frightened by
This Country.

Washington. Oct. 25.-German and
not American competition is respon-
sible for the movement on foot among
English manufacturers of steel to form
a trust with a capital of $2000o0,0OO.
This is the opinion of members of
the Industrial Commission who have
been making an exhaustive investiga-
ton of the subject of trusts. Comment
ing to-day upon the proposed English
combination, former Representative ].
r. Farquahr, New York's representa-.
tive on the commission, and chairman
of the subcommittee on the subject
Of trusts, said:
/ 80 far as I am able to discover
| the intention of the steel manufacture
ers of England is to protect them
selves from German rather than Amer.
lean competition. Germany has made
great progress in the industrial world
recently, and Emperor william is both
progressive and aggressive. and he
stands ready at all times to lend the
support of the German government, by
subsidy or otherwise, to extend Ger
man trade in every direction. England
is certainly a little behind the times
in her business methods, and she may
feel that it is time for her to wake up
and join the procession. 1t also be-
hooves the United States to be up and
doing something in the direction OF
improving our merchant marine"
Mr.. Farquhar's attention was called
to the report that an American organ
izer is now in Great Britain engaged in
forming the trust.
There is not an earmark of Schwab
in the English story, and nothing which
indicates a combination with the Amer
lean steel trust or that, can, in any
way affect the American combination.
In my judgment. it is first-class
prospectus thrown out with the inten-
ton of attracting English capitalists.
So far as the American steel trust is
concerned, it cannot afford to surrender
it's advantages and opportunities for
American goods in the markets of the
world. The American trust would have
nothing to gain and much to lose by
entering into a combination with the
English steel manufacturers, who are
now hard pressed by both American
and German competition. It is possi-
BILE that slow and conservative English
manufacturers, who realize that the
trade is slipping from their hands and
falling into the laps of Germany and
America, are casting about for pol
icy of preservation, or to use a
popular phrase, seeking to establish
reciprocal relations with their two
strongest and most formidable rivals
in commerce.
This suggestion of the formation of
English trusts. is not newt has been
threshed over time and time again. I
am fully convinced that England's in
nate selfishness will prevent her from
abandoning her free trade policy and
establishing a protective system. Any
advance that she might make would be
simply in the interest of a division OF
the markets for her production, with
Germany and the United States. AS
far as markets are concerned, Eng
land undoubtedly has a wider field
than either Germany or the United
States can comamnd. England's adj
vantages lie in the fact that she has
a merchant marine superior to either
that Of Germany or the United States.
So long as she has markets which her
natural competitors cannot reach, she
may be contented to follow her old
customs and practices in trade, feeling
secure that her trade will not pass
from her so long as she virtually con-
trolls the carrying trade of the world,
and is the center Of financial exchange
for the world q"