The Bemidji pioneer., 1902-03-27

United States were losers on
their trade with Pacific and trans
Pacific islands and countries as
follows:
China SIZE, 716, 25e
British East Indies 2l6, $40, l34
Dutch East Indies 1lb, lO2, Az
Japan .. 1875, 739, 142
Auckland, Fiji, etc ,798. 648
Hawaii s4,101, ,463
Philippines 51,919, 355
727, ,273, 422
Since Hawaii has been brought
under the American flag, not
only has that trade balance
against us disappeared, but IN
addition practically all Of our
trade commerce with those is.
lands is now carried on in Amer
ican vessels and over our trans.
continental railways. Statistics
concerning il have disappeared
from the treasury department
reports, and English vessels stop
at Hawaiian ports only for bal
last, for water, or for small way
freights. Our coastWise naviga-
! tion laws have been applied to
the shipping Of those islands, and
Honolulu now stands in the same
relationship to San Francisco
that Duluth does to Cleveland.
The traffic is exclusively Amer
lean.
Owing to that clause in the
treaty of 1893 which gives Span
ish vessels the same right in
Philippine ports as are accorded
American vessels for a period Of
ter years, our coastWise naviga-
tion laws have not been, and can
not be applied to those islands
until 1908; nevertheless, the ship
ping returns show a manifest in
crease ia the arrival and depart
ure of American vessels at Phil
ippine ports over any previous
record. For the year 1901 the
showing is quite respectable, and
.it is reflected also in aslight In
crease at the British port OF
Hong Kong, 900 miles from Ma
Mia.
But the Asiatic trade is still
against us and in favor of Europe.
Senator Beveridge, in an article
in the Saturday Evening Post,
well outlines the strength Of the
German hand in China, and rem
ders fair warning to US Amer
leans that we are not getting into
the game as we ought.
a net loss Of $73, 600, 900 a year
might seem an easy matter to re-
duce altogether, If not to convert
into d balance on the other side
of the ledger. But when it is
considered that every mercantile
house that enters the Chinese
trade under German or English
auspices is supported by its
home government by every ex-
pedient and show Of power that
can be devised; when it is con-
sidered that England is already
installed in the Chinese customs
house, and appraises all the goods
of all the other countries enter
ing Chinese ports; when 1t is
remembered that Europe already
trades there under the special
treaty and territorial privileges
to an annual volume Of more than
$4oO, coo, 600; when it is borne in
mind that any organized inaug-
uration of American enterprise
in or toward China must be of
such a formidable character and
of such proportions that it can
operate on a scale vast as any
government can dare to contem-
plate: and when tits known, as 1t
is in Minnesota, that any Amer
ican citizen who aims or attempts
to set on foot enterprises consid-
cradle enough to command trade
and control ocean commerce, will
be set upon and hooted and raided
by so-called patriots, add will be
stalled" by his own government
to the uttermost capacity of its
institutions; one wonders il the
American people are really ready
or fit to become that world power