The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-05
WHERE OUR INTERESTS LIE.

The following letter to Mr.. James J.
Hill, from a gentleman in the Orient
connected with the public service, gives
valuable pointer to the farmers and
manufacturers of Minnesota. They
may see very clearly, through the eyes
of an outsider who is in a position to
judge, where their opportunity lies and
what alone stands in the way:
/ have read with much pleasure an
extract from one of our home news
papers stating that you have begun a
campaign with the view of educating
the farmer up to the Importance Of
finding new markets in the Orient, and
that at g" recent meeting Of the Min
nesota A Agricultural society you strong
ly urged the exploitation of the mar
kets of Japan and China. Now that
you have taken up this important sub
ject with. your characteristic energy, /
feel no doubt of the outcome
There are immense possibilities in
South China for American trade and
American enterprise For the last four
years have been persistently pegging
away at that fact in my trade or COM
mercial dispatches to the sSate depart
ment. In flour alone Minnesota, with
her remarkable railroad and other ia
cilities, ought to corral the Chinese
market, not only in Canton and the
other treaty ports, but wherever a
junk or even sampan navigates Chi
mas inland waters. .-s-
If the farmers, millers, manufactur-
ers and other home producers are de-
sirous of capturing trade here and
throughout South China. / will give
them all possible help. They should
not hesitate to apply to me for any de-
sired information. / am here prepared
to give it to them and aid them in
every way. / want that sort of work
and plenty of it.
In the language of the day. sit is
up to" the people of Minnesota. Most
men and most communities, when dis
appointed, complain of hard luck or
unfriendly conditions or at least of lack
of opportunity. Our people have only
to reach out and grasp the great OPP
portunity that has been made ready
for them. They have but to ally them
selves with their friends instead of
with insincere and selfish enemies.
The great market is there, in the
Orient, waiting for the first and most
enterprising conner. This is no dream
of the sanguine mind, it is a fact tes-
titled to by every man informed as to
conditions: by those on the ground
show. We have no other outlet in
sight for our surplus products. On
the contrary, we may see on every side
signs Of contracting areas for CONNER
ciaI exploitation and of closing doors.
How shall we win this mighty trade,
so peculiarly fitted to advance the
prosperity of the Northwest?
Every agency has been prepared.
The country has been spied out A
disposition friendly to trade with US
has been created among these peoples.
They have been educated into a de-
mand for our products. And the most
stupendous work of all, that for lack
of which most schemes OF commercial
expansion fall to the ground, has been
completed by the provision of trans
pcrtation facilities adequate to the car
riage of this business at a rate incred-
IDLY low. Certainly it is up to the
people" They must do the rest.
Are they to be made to stand forever
in the light of their own interests?
Are they to be deaf to appeals, like thu !
We have printed. from their own di
Interested representatives? Are the
to be driven. for political or personal
reasons. into unreasoning hostility to
the agencies at work for their upbuild-
ing? Are they to be aligned with
forces that would forever exclude the
Northwest from the benefits Of a dol
lars share in this trade? Will they
set aside this opportunity with con-
temptuous. rejecting hand? We do not
believe 1t. But the time has come
for them not only to realize where their
commanding interests lie. but to
go to work III hearty CO. operation with
those who have helped and are helping
TO open new markets for them. and to
lay hold upon chance il the devel-