The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-01-30
COMMERCIAL CONQUEST


provision in the Mckinley tariff bill
that he smashedhis silk hat BY bring
ing his fist down. upon itwhile making
an argument for a policy that would
broaden our foreign trade, and it will
be remembered that the author of the
bill accepted the, provisions suggested
by Blaine. The words of the late
President Mckinley in that memoir
able speech delivered the day before
he was shot are still fresh in the minds
OF all who heard it and: read it. Both
OF these men have passed away and
history alone will tell whether their
views on our, national commerce were
right or wrong. Whatever our policy
and whatever are the conditions under
which our foreign trade is being de-
veloped, it is a fact that the growth of
our foreign trade during the last two
decades has been wonderful, and all
things point to a still larger growth
in the coming decade. In the face of
statistics and the possibilities any pol
icy that will in any way retard the
growth of our foreign trade should be
discouraged. Our foreign trade has
been developing by leaps and bounds.
In 1880 our exports of manufactures
amounted to $l02, 300, 900 and has grown
to S412, 100000, while our exports of
agricultural products has increased
from $685., 10000 in 1880 to S943, 900, 900
in 1900. Our trade with Asia and
Oceania has increased from SlS, $780, 900
in 1880 to S104, 100000 in 1901, the trade
for the past year including 100000, 900
worth of exports for Hawaii. While
in the last twenty years our trade with
Europe has increased over IS per cent
that with North America over 200 per
cent, and with South America 100 per
cent, our trade in Asia and Oceania
has in the same time increased over
500 per cent. and is yet in it's infancy.
Statistics show that thirty years ago
Japan's total foreign commerce was
only $50, 100000, or 81 per head of popu-
lation. Now it is $3OO,O0O,000, or 81
per head of population. Of this amount
the United States in 1900 received
52,5O0,0OO. Japan has but 100000
people to-day, while China is a coun-
try larger than the United States, with
400, 100000 population. In all China
there is less than 500 miles of railroad,
and her annual foreign trade is less
than S250,000,000, or a little over 60
cents per capita. Within the next rs
years China will be gridironed with
railroads, and many closed ports will
then be treaty ports. China, by force
OF circumstances beyond her own con-
troll, is undergoing an avail ening and
assuming that her. foreign trade only
reaches in rs years S. per head, it
makes the enormous aggregate of
81, 600, 100000. Our exports to China
in 1900 were less than $50,000,000. Ten
years ago we sold them only $1,000, 900
worth of manufactured cotton goods.
while in 1900 we sold them $l0,000,000,
a gain of 1000 per cent. While we
sold China only 100000 worth of
flour in 1900, even that was gain of
200 per cent. in 10 years.
A writer says: 1T does not seem ex-
travagant to assume that within 10
years the consumption of -four in China
will average rs pounds per year per in
habitant, which would require $780,
900, 900 bushels of wheat To be even
more moderate, and assume that the
Oriental trade in years calls for only
one bushel of wheat per year per in
habitant, that would increase the de-
mand of the world 60O,OO0,OO0 bushels;
add at least Is cents per bushel to the
value of wheat in the northwest, and
put more than $30,000,000 additional
per annum into the pockets of the
farmers in Minnesota and North Da-
kota alone. Some of our officials who
have been stationed in the Orient esti-
mate that the foreign trade of China
will aggregate at least So, 1000, 600, 900 in
rs years. It is very modest to assume
that one-third of this trade, or $1,000,-
000, 900, will come to the United States,
and at least three-fourths of it will
come to Seattle or other ports on the
Puget Sound'.
The exports of flour from Puget
Sound ports in 1896 amounted to 462,-