The Springfield herald., 1904-09-30
WHAT is TO BE WILL BE
Growth of the Aslatic Demand for
Products of the United Stntes.


The Asiactic nations have lived upon
rice-stating things in Il general way
and the Teutonic races have for some
generations lived upon flour. 1t has
become standard within the last year or
two, that at least one of the Asiactic
nations has come to live upon -four.
Those desperate little fighters, the jap
anese, have taken to hard tack, as did
our own American fighters during the
Civil War, as part of their subsistence,
and the same regard as to whatever is
made from our wheat has already ex-
tended, in measure. to the more vast
Asiatic empire of China. That clever
correspondent, William F.. Curtis, speak
ing of the extent to which our -four is
already used by Japan, says:
While the imports of flour within the
last year or so have been much greater
thn ever before Oh nceount of the prepa-
rations for war, nevertheless there is ren-
son to expect n continued expansion of the
market. Japanese families generally are
beginning to use wheat flour for various
using 1t to make the little cakes and sweet
meats which they use with their tea sew
erai times day In large quantities. a
still larger amount OF cheaper quality is
used for paste by the manufacturers of
screens, umbrellas, fans and other articles
Of that kind Sine the Mnp besar hard
an alternate ration with rice The soldiers
relish the. variety; hard.tack Is easy to
pound Of flour is equal to that of a pound
Of rice. and 1t costs less. The Japanese
export their best rice to France; England
Of tSe very hres Frn hsy
vast quantities OF cheaper rice for the con-
sumption of the coolies and the laSSoring
class from Korea. Burmah. China, Singa-
pore and other parts of the Enst indies.
it is entirely practicable to substitute
shsap Fl eue easS sSr do sS M1ee
the soldiers come home with their appe-
tites for hard-tack and wheat bread.
Could there be, under any circum-
stances or conditions expressed vaster
idea of the enormous trade relations that
must henceforth exist between America
and the Asiatic countries! America
produces bread. The Asiatics have learn
ed to eat bread with the rest of the
world. We are going to supply them
with it. We have to ship it across the
Pacific Ocean over the commercial path
way which we have made and beneath
which underlies our cable system. There
is nothing in the world that can stop
the Asatic demand for the wheat prod
ucts of the United States, and the wheat
this country. to great extent, the ire
mendous power it is.
They talk about "Imperialismw There
is no "Imperialisn"' This continent is
producing what the rest of the world
needs, and the inhabitants of this con-
tinent, under the rule of Republican ad-
ministration, associated with other intel
ligent governments on either side, pro-
pose to supply Asia with these prod
ucts that Asia needs. The fact that
the United States has completed its
pathway across the vast ocean and has
its intermediate stations. and its posses
sions close to the Asiatc coasts. is but
all incident of events which are part
of the industrial history of the world.
Does anyone imagine that the present
majority of the American people are GO
ing to neglect their ostensible duty, not
merely to themselves but to another por-
ton OF the human race? They will
hardly do it.
This is but talking of the products of
the wheat fields that Asia now demands.
1t has nothing to do with iron end steel
and the thousand and one other prod
ucts of all our fields and all our facto-
ries which they will otherwise demand.
This is hut referring to the simple af-
fair of one single product. but it is
enough to afford an illustration.
And yet they talk about Imperial