The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-24
SPEAKS ON THE ORIENT
COLONEL WILEY ADDRESSES
 LARGE AUDIENCE.
Many Ladies at Reoms of Commercial Association to Hear Cengress-
 man on His Trip to the


 
 Before a representa- audience of the leading men and women of Mont gomery. Congressman A. A Wiley de- livered an address on ."The souths Commercial and Industrial Interests in the Orient" at the rooms of the Commercial and Industrial Association at S:30 o'clock last night.
 For the first time in many months the novel picture was presented of the wives and daughters of leading men of Montgomery in the commer- ciai and industrial fields. listening with apparent interest to a discourse on purely business matters. Nearly half of the big audience that heard the genial Congressman was composed of ladies.
 Colonel Wiley was never in better form for speaking than last night. He graphically described the incidents of the trip of the Taft party. of which he was prominent member, leading up to his presentation of the business interests of the South in the Far East. a clearer insight into conditions in the Orient.
 He was Introduced by Capt. A. c. Forbes, President of the Commercial and Industrial Association, who paid tribute to the work Congressman Wiley has done for Montgomery in the lower House of Congress-.
 The speaker called the attention of the members of the audience to the favorable auspices for seeing things in the Fast East under which the Taft party travelled. The presence of the Secretary of War and of the daughter of the Chief Executive of the nation insured that the doors of the Orient would be thrown open to the members of the party.
 He reviewed the history of the rise of Japan dating back from the treaty of Commodore Perry, afty-two years ago, and then graphically described the reception of, the party at Yoko- hama. the presentation to the Emperor, the various fetes and banquets at which the members were entertained, and the various cities visited during the trip. s~
 Colonel Wiley passed on to the visit to Hong Kong. describing banquet rendered the party at that point, where birds nest soup, sharks fins and baked dog meat were served He then told of the trip to the typical old Chinese city of Canton and described the mag nitude of the Chinese boycott and the bitterness there against the American party. He expressed the belief that the Viceroy of Canton and former Min fster Wu Ting Fang were at the bot tom of the boycott and that this boy cott would never be removed until the Congress of the United States in some way modified the Chinese exclusion act. sok that merchants, students and men of wealth could enter this country without being subjects to insult and gross inconvenience
 The Chinese character he set of in startling contrast to that of the Japa- nese. To the Celestials, he gave cred 1t for being the most honest, docile, wiling and energetic people on earth. While he declared that the Japs do not trust even themselves in monetary matters, employing Chinese accoun- tants in every place where big sums of money are handled. He declared that the Japs have no more regard for business contract than they have for Russian marauder.
 Because he had paid this tribute to the Chinese character, he said, he had been mis0uoted as favoring the im- portation of cooiie labor into America. He declared that this is impossible un- der the present conditions but he did favor certain amendments of the Chi nese exclusion act.
 Colonel Wiley told of the magni-
  the Orient and spoke with certain degree of foreboding on the gains that England is making through the Japanese alliance in this field of trade. He described the effort of Russia to secure monopoly in this market and said that the English alliance with the conquerors of the bear practically put the merchants of King Edwards realm in possession of the field were 1t not for two things, the opening of the Panama Canal and the United States possession of the Philippine Islands.
 These Oriental possessions. he de- clared to be nearer the heart of Far Eastern commercial activity than eith- CT Hong Kong or Japan and on this account he made an earnest appeal for a non-partisan effort to have free trade relations established with the archipelago acquired by Admiral Dew ey. He then showed how the South would have the quickest water route to this vast field of trade as soon as the canal was open.
 And that canal is sgoing to be opened" he declared with force, flor l the approval of old Uncle Sam has been put. on 1t and that guarantees l that the work will be finished" He spoke briefly on the work of the eight Chinese commissioners, who ]
 
 in order to institute them in China. l They have already recommended the | wearing of clothes and shoes similar | to the clothes and shoes worn by | Americans.
 When this Is done," said the con- gressmah, we won't have any more | trouble getting twelve cents for cot | ton and fifteen million bales won't | be a big crop. We will have to raise 50, 100000 bales and we'll get twenty | cents for every pound of 1t. if each l of the Chinamen, one-tenth of the | worlds entire population, will only | wear one shirt. And the shoe facto- l ries up in New England will be so busy making shoes for the Orientals that we will have to start shoe facto- | ries down here to meet our own de- mand."
 He eloquently described the roseate outlook and paid tribute to the United States, the South. and Alabama.
 His remarks were interspersed with hearty applause and practically every one at the close of his remarks went forward and congratulated him on his