The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-19
QUESTION OF MARKETS
1T is OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE,
LESLIE NJ. SHAW SAYS.
Speech by the Secretary of the Treas
ury on the Necessity of Providing
Outlets for Our Products.

DETROIT, Mich, Oct. 1S.-Secretary of
the Treasury Leslie NJ. Shaw was given a
great ovation tonight at Light Guard Ar
mory. where he addressed an audience of
fully $500 people. including several hundred
ladies seated in the gallery. The meeting
was arranged by the Business Mems Assoc
citation, and at s o'clock the secretary and
William Livingstone, president of the as
ISOLATION, headed a procession of $50 rep
resentative business men of Detroit, who
formed in line in one of the anterooms and
marched to the platform while the band
played America"
President Livingstone introduced Con-
gresham John b. Corliss as chairman of
the meeting, and the latter, after making
a short address touching upon the local
political situation and his own candidacy
for reelection, introduced Secretary Shaw.
the audience rising, waving handkerchiefs
and cheering Justify as the secretary ad-
vanced to speak. Secretary Shaw spoke
in part as follows:
The question of markets is one of para
mount Importance. We export annually,
in round numbers, 81, 500. 600, 900. but of this
amount more than 81. 0OO,0 O0, 1000 goes to Eu-
rope. The population of Europe is. in round
numbers, 100000, 900. How long can We
expect less than one-fourth of the popula-
ton Of the globe to consume 20 per cent.
of our surplus? We must not only hold the
market we have, but We must seek out
new ones, under other skies and shores of
other seas. The Republican party pledged
itself to the people of the United States,
in it's platform adopted at Philadelphia.
that 1t would give aid and assistance to
the establishment of a trade-carrying fleet.
1t did not pledge itself to any particular
htl1. afr.A aIn- - 900 81 @lt
and leaves it to Congress to work out the
details of the policy.
Our foreign commerce in forty years
has increased 400 per cent. but the aggre-
gate tonnage of foreign carried
TO and from the ports of this country in
American bottoms has fallen off two-thirds.
In other words, We have four times as
much to carry, but we actually carry only
one-third as much as formerly. We have
the best coastwise trade in the world, but
Ii Is ana ever has been protected. We have
allowed no ship owned by a foreigner or
built In a foreign country to register.
Thus IL is that more American tonnage
passes this city of Detroit than all the
foreign that enters the port of
New York and the port of Liverpool COM
bined. And under every ton of it is a ship
manned by American labor, and over every
pound of it floats the American flag. Thus
we have created an American mo-
trade, but instead of its resulting In adj
vanced rates ii has given us the cheapest
transportation IN the world.
THE government granted aid to the
construction of the first transcontinenta
lines of railroad. This subsidy was some
times In the form of money, sometimes In
the form of land, sometimes both. AS a
result We have the best system of rail-
roads in the world, and the cheapest rates.
The average freight rate per ton has de-
creased over co per cent. in thirty years,
Freight rates in England are three times as
high as In the United States, and higher
still on the continent. There is no further
occasion for assistance TO the railroads, no
occasion for other protection thar that
which has been accorded in the past for
our coastwise and lake trade. but the time
has come when we must construct, not
tr-anscontinental lines, but transoceanic
lines.
Argentina imports about $40, 600, 900 and
receives only sl2.O 900 from the United
States. Brazil imports 500. 0O0. 900 and re-
ceives about the same per cent. from the
United States. The same may be said OF
the So, O0. 900 sent to Argentina less than
$50. 600 went in American bottoms. We
sent 81, O00, 200 10 Brazil. the larger part OF
which went under foreign flags; 1900. 0OO
10 Uruguay, and only 500. 900 in American
bottoms. Note this very marked disad-
vantage under which our producers and ex-
porters labor. We have no regular steam
ship communication with any of the coun-
tries lying south of the Caribbean sea.
We nave a few ships plying between our
Atlantic coast and Europe. a few between
our Southern ports and the South American
countries, washed by the gulf and the
Caribbean sea. a small line that regularly
crosses the Pacific; In the aggregates less