The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-01
Increasing Business With the
Globe Increases Business
for Business Men.
THURSDAY, OCT. 1, 1908.
NO WAR IN SIGHT.

The latest University of Chicago SEN
sation is no happier than the rest of the
lot. President Harper apparently in
structs the members of his faculty that
they must produce a startling yarn
once in SO often; and one of them,
returning from a summer tour in Eu-
rope, says that the United States will
be obliged to fight Germany, sooner or
later Not with tariffs and retaliatory
acts alone, but with ships and guns
he thinks that the rivalry must be set
tied.
Probably there is no other country
which looks with as much discomfort
upon our industrial conqests as Ger
many. She has chosen this field for
herself and cannot with pleasure find
1t occupied by us. Shut up within
comparatively restricted territory, her
people can find profitable activity only
in manufacturing for the outside world
and controlling its markets. This pol
icy they adopted long ago. They fol-
lowed. indeed, the example set for them
by US. They accepted the principle of
the protective tariff for the develop
ment of home industry. They went on
increasing their navy not only as a
defense against possible aggression but
as part of the plan for developing for
eign trade. And soon Germany became
a vast workshop.
oil
on the control of large markets out
side OF the fatherland, and the COM
mercial representatives of Germany
have everywhere been active and in
defatigable. At the same time the cost
of production has been forced down,
until the mark made in Germany has
become synonym of cheapness and a
cause of alarm to manufacturers else
where. The competition Of Germany
was the most significant feature of the
commercial world up to the time of the
recent industrial expansion of the Unit
ed States.
That we have seriously interfered
with these plans is not to be denied.
We have gone into the same markets
with Germany and wrested her business
from her. By virtue of our immense
resources, our improved methods and
our tremendous enterprise, we have
fought successfully with her for much
of the outside MARKET and we may
readily believe that Germany TODAY re-
CARDS the further industrial advance
OF this country as fact most portent-
Gus to her and to the rest of Europe.
This is true enough, and is no news
to any careful observer of the progress
and changes of our times But it does
not mean war. That sort of talk is
silly. That Germany will meet us ey-
erywhere and balk us if she can in the
world of trade is to be expected. That
she will raise up tariffs against us and
struggle for way of escape from our
competition is natural All the nations
VIII do that; and the revolutionary pro-
gramme now before the people of Great
Britain is dictated more by a desire to
save the colonies as market from the
inroads Of the United States than by
any other influence whatever.
But actual fighting is another affair.
There is not country in Europe that
has any stomach for it. If there ever
had been thought of putting compul-
sion upon us when the time came, it
must have disappeared in the smoke
Of the guns that determined the Span
ish war. All Europe learned then that
dangerous as We might be as COM
mercial rivals. it would be fatal to
engage in hostilities with us unless 1t
might be in the shape of an impossible
continental coalition. The notion that
any people In the world contemplates
clash with the United States. il it can