Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-11-22
CONGRESS STIRRED
At KANSAS CITY
Sensation Created By Resolution
Demanding Resignation of
Commerce Commissioner
CHARGED WITH INCOMPETENCE
CHARGED WITH INCOMPETENCE
yudson c. Clement Attacked in Reso.
luton Presented by Denver Delegate
Referred to Committee Secretary
Shaw Makes Principal Address at
Today's Session.

Kansas City, Nov. 22.-At the OPEN
ing Of the Trans Mississippi CONNER
cial Congress today, q paper by George
w. Dickie on Naval Construction on
the Pacific Coast was read. Isham
Bancroft, chief engineer of the sani-
tary district of Chicago, spoke ON
..Deep Waterways From the Lakes to
the Gulf" Secretary Leslie M. Shaw
delivered the principal address of the
afternoon, on the subject, American
Finance"
Secretary Shaw devoted the larger
part of the time assigned to him to !
discussion of our trade relations, and
exploited his well known ideas for
trade expansion thru the building up
Of our merchant marine. He pointed
out that new markets must be found
largely in the republics of the South
which import annually goods valued at
$650,000,000, and to which the Unite1
States contributes paltry IL per cent.
Continuing Mr.. Shaw said: ~
Our manufacturing competitors
know where these countries lie. They
have learned their languages, have
studied their desires as we'll as their
needs, and for years have prosecuted
we'll planned and well-executed cam
paign for their commercial invasion,
and with the ail of large merchant
marine they have been very success
full We scarcely know where these
countries are located on the map. We
:. do not understand their languages,
their habits, their needs, or their de-
sires. and we send them, all COM
bined, not less than one hundred and
fifty millions of our more than thirteen
billions of manufactures, and this pit
tance we send in foreign bottoms and
beneath alien flags.
LET no man misunderstood me. l
admire the foresight, the enterprise,
and the skill of our foreign COMPETE
tors, and bid them all godspeed. NO
prosperity can come to any company
that does not gladden. my heart. l am
contending that we shall emulate their
enterprise and enter these same mar
kets with American ships laden with
goods specially designed to meet the
desires of the people as distinguished
from our conception Of what they
ought to have. Every day we delay
hastens the day when our surplus Will
set back upon us like a belated tide, to
the inundation and swamping Of our
prosperity which is now our boast
1--WE are told that if we will import
more we will have no difficulty mex
porting any and all possible surplus.
Last year we imported s14.50 per capi-
ta, but this liberality in purchasing an
equaled in amount helped in no per-
ceptible degree to increase our exports.
We bought of Brazil, for instance, half
she had to sell, while Brazil sent to US
for II per cent of her imports. I do
not blame Brazil. Brazil like other
countries without ships or interna-
tional merchants, buys that which is
brought to her doors. Our ships never
enter her ports. She never sees our
flag Our consular reports are filed
with information to the effect that no
South American country has more than
heard of the United States as a COM
mercial country.
I'VE buy of tropical and sub-tropical
products million dollars per day
more than we sell in tropical and sub
tropical countries. We sell to Europe
q million and half a day more than
we buy from Europe. These facts af-
ford complete answer to the claim
that if we will but import more of what
we now purchase we will have no diff
ficulty in selling our surplus. however
large 1t may become. We sell nearly
half our present surplus to the United
Kingdom, but in buying we select from
what is offered that which pleases us
best. regardless of it's origin.
Argentina has just subsidized a
line Of steamers with which to market
her surplus rather than to send it un-
der foreign flags in competitor with her
neghbors. Where does she send these
ships? To Europe, Of course, for of
Europe only has she heard in a COM
mercial way.
IF this country ever develops, inter-
national merchants it will accomplish
it by granting them encouragement,
not alone by dredging harbors and
deepening channels, but by insuring
them merchant marine in which to
carry, under the most favorable terms,
the products of our farms, our mines,
our forests. and our factories. And
without international merchants sus-
tanned by merchant marine we will
never put these products into the ports
of countries unable to maintain mer-
chant ships with which to come after
them The outlay of $4,000, 600 in the
purchase of the right Of way, and
5000, 100000 additional in the construc-
ton of an Isthmian canal, s200,O00,0o0
spent in the last decade on rivers and
l1arbors in aid of shipping. and s15,-
00O. 900 expended on the revenue cutter
service. largely for the protection of
shipping. are all wise appropriations.
A fraction of this amount would give
us what we once had-a merchant
marine-and insure us international
and the products of our
labor would then be
;