Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-02-04
LATIN AMERICAN TRADE.

LATIN AMERICAN TRADE.
At a recent meeting of the
New York Credit Mems 4Associa
ton, one of the speakers discuss
ing our commercial expansion
spoke at considerable length of
reciprocity. After declaring that
reciprocity as a general policy is
not feasible and describing Eu-
ropes trade hostility to us he
calls attention to the trade rela-
tions which should exist be-
tween the United States and
Mexico, Central and South
America. He asserts that the
Monroe Doctrine in its inception
was both political and CONNER
cial in its purpose. We have en-
forced its political purpose at
enormous c,st to ourselves. We
should now enforce its CONNER
cial feature. England, Germany
and France are exploiting this
trade which from every consider
alton should be ours, but OF
which we have only small frac-
ton. Reciprocity is the agent
which we should employ to bring
these nations into exclusive trade
relations with us. He would ne
gotiate treaties with the govern
meats of Latin America estab-
fishing "preferential customs du-
ties between the citing par
ties, each party to be at liberty
to make similar treaties with any
colony or sovereignty in the West
ern Hemisphere, but not with
any European nation"
Of course if this were done we
should quickly drive the trade ot
all Europe off this hemisphere.
1t might be of some interest tc
us, however, what Europe would
then do. We cannot control the
commerce of the East. Not
withstanding we have the Philip
pines and have desirable trade re-
lations with Japan and China,
Europe could easily close the
"open door" to these nations,
and it is reasonable to suppose
she would promptly do SO.
"America for Americans
looks we'll on paper and tickles
our vanity, bat we will hardly
elect to carry it into our CONNER.
cial relations with our southern
neighbors.
1t is true, if sentiment deter
mined trade relations, we should
have preferredsrights to the trade
of Latin America; but commerce
is less actuated by sentimental
considerations than the woman
who chooses a seventh husband.
We should, however, put forth
greater effort to control trade
with Mexico, Central and South
America. They are Our nearest
neighbors. Already American
capital is largely invested there,
and American enterprise and Ell
ergy are developing the resources
of several of these countries, es-
pecially of Mexico. Our mer-
chants and traders should see to
it that their inertia does not per-
init Europe to gather the major
part of a growing and desirable
trade with these countries.
1t is pleasing to recall that
once we had a statesman whom
we may justly designate as the
father of American trade reciproc-
ity. He pointed out the posi-
bilities of this Latin American
commerce, and planned to gather
it to ourselves through reciprocity
treaties. He was truly pam
American. but he was opposed by
some of the men who now be-
come frantic before the fact that
Europe controls the larger part
of that trade.
Since the day of J. G.. Blaine
we have expanded our territorial
possessions and now place the
products of our factories in COM
petition with those of Europe in
the markets of the world.
Our commerce will expand be-
Sond even the dreams of the pres
ent. Were we a Doctor of Divi-
nifty we should probably declare
it is part of the divine purpose
5or outstanding the world, bnt
being only country editor we
shall content ourself by saying
1t is ''our manifest Destiny"