The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-06-19
COMMERCIAL EXPANSION,

COMMERCIAL EXPANSION.
The address Of James j.. Hill at the
banquet Of the Illinois Manufacturers
association was one characteristic. of
the man. His subject was CONNER
cial Expansion" and while Mr.. Hill,
went over some of the ground he has
covered in previous speeches, yet the
address was one of great interest to the
great body of Gen who are interested
in the expansion and development of
our trade. Mr.. Hill is never dull dis
cussing topic OF this character, and
he has never yet made an address of
| any nature that has not proved a
''drawing card. ~ All will not agree
with Mr.. Hill in his methods and views.
but the fact stands out very clearly
that he has proved himself not only a
railroad builder but one of the great
nation builders, and in reaching out
for trade he is not confined by the mar
row limits of a. continent. While
others were content to SOW in a single
field he went into other fields that
were undeveloped and placed the
pillow share of progress in new fields
and dotted them with granaries and
busy marts of trade. Mr.. Hills trade
researches and developments have not
been guess work, but are the result of
careful study and analysis. In other
words he: is not given to talking
through his hat, and he never fails to
| command confidence and consideration.
Mr.. Hill in his Chicago speech spoke
in earnest terms of the necessity of
providing for government system of
irri legation that will reclaim the arid
west and make of it land that will at
tract the settler He referred to the
fact that at the present time many
thousands of farmers from Iowa, Min
nesota, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska,
Michigan and other states were going
into westernoCanada for cheap land,
and thought that the matter of irri-
cation was of, paramount Importance
at the present time. LAND without
population is:a wilderness and popu-
lation without land is a mob,'' said
Mr.. Hill. A large portion of his ad-
dress was on the development of the
railway interests of the country. He
said that while the railways have to
answer for many mistakes of judy
ment, or of intent, on the whole the re-
suit has been to create the most ef-
fective, useful, and by far the cheap
est system of land transportation in
the world. The cost of moving a ton
OF freight 100 miles in the United
States is forty per cent cheaper than
in any country in Europe.
When il comes to trade expansion
Mr.. Hill is an optimist and a most en-
thusiastic one. He studies the trade
compass like veritable mariner and
he familiarized himself with the maps
and trade conditions of Japan and
China long before the men of COM
MERGE of the United States scarcely
dreamed of trade expansion in that d.
rection. Twenty years ago our trade
with Japan amounted annually to 81
per capita of population, while to-day
it amounts to between Sc and 81. In
1890 our trade with China amounted
to 80 cents per capita. Between the
Japanese merchant and the Chinaman
Mr.. Hill thinks the latter is the better
merchant of the two, and if under
proper trade conditions the trade with
China can be built up to amount to So
or 81 per capita of population our trade
with China will amount to more than
the entire exports of the United
States.
Speaking OF the relationship, exist
ing between the nation and the indi:
vidualsstates and the trade corpor-
ations of the country Mr.. Hill thought
the people are too ready to look to
state and federal legislation for rene
dies that are beyond their powers to
give. 1.-THE laws of trade are as cer-
tain in their operation as the laws of
gravitation,' said Mr.. Hill.. sYou
might:as well try*to set a broken arm
by statute as.to' change g commercial
law by legislative enactment. You
may obstruct and delay for time, but
in the end, the memorable law of ex-
perience, and the survival OF the fttest
will prevail. That is the universal