The Washington herald., 1908-07-31

may some day result in American su-
prenacy in the Islands OF the West In
dies. Already the United States is the
principal buyer OF their exports. and
gradually We are gathering up their i'm
port trade. so that the day is not long
ahead when we will have the commercial
supremacy. For years Il has been the
dream OF many white citizens OF the isl
and Of Jamaica thai the day would come
when the peaceful negotiations between
Uncle sam and John Bull would give
Uncle sam Tho holdings Of John Bull
there and transfer sovereignty 70 the
United States
For generations Great Britain has ruled
commercially as well as governmentally
IN most Of the Islands Of the West Indies
Her wars with France and Spain in other
quarters OF the globe led to the conquest
here, and II was not long before she had
effected the capture OF the trade just as
she had captured the islands themselves.
For generations England has gotten the
cream OF this trade lying so close 10 our
own shores But when the Yankee began
70 get or terms os intimacy with the
banana the pendulum Of commerce began
10 swing toward the United States, and it
has been swinging that way ever since
Added 70 the American fondness for
West indian f-1it IN giving the United
States supremacy IN the West Indian
-rade IS The gradual commercial decay
JhaI viii eventually force England 70
give up her primacy II the world OF
trade, Nations. Ike man. run through
all the changing scenes Of life from the
cradle 20 the grave. and they lose thetr
capacity for business as they approach
the sunset Of lie. Younger and more
virle nations rise up 70 dispute with them
the control % the trade OF the world
and Bri-annia-s eldest daughter. Colua-
bia. Is gradually proving again This law
OF national existence Wherever there
IS a market The United States Is going.
and while II IS sometimes censured for
its sins OF emission in this direction. i
has done more than any other nation
n the same length Of time.
In 1896 the United States got $50 worth
OF the exports Of Jamaica. where Eng
land got s. worth We get practically
oDe-hsE OF the trade OF Barbados In
The matter OF imports. England sold only
one-third as much 10 the Bahamas as
the United States in 1865 She sells only
z9 cents worth 70 Barbados. where The
% cents worth Of stuf from England
out OF each dollar she spends abroad
England furnishes one Of the great
pa-adoxes OF trade. At home we think
that when the balance OF trade is in our
favor all IS well, but We are never con
tent 70 see il. or the wrong side Of the
ledger But England has for years and
years been going along piling Up
heavier balance OF trade against herself
each year. What IS true OF the mother
country IS also true OF the West Indian
colonies. IN spite Of the great volume
Of the fruit shipments 20 the United
States, in spite Of the thousand cargoes
Of bananas. pineapples. cocoaluts, and
the like, that are sent 20 America every
year. they are always buying more Khan
they sell During the last year, for which
statistics are available the British West
Indies bought S5.o50Co0 worth OF stun
more than they sold. The imports were
100000 and Jhe exports Ss550J,o00.
Taking individual colonies. the BAHIA
mas sell about twO-thirds Of their exports
70 the United states and buy about three
foUrths OF their imports from her. Prin-
c-pal among her exports are sponEes. Of
Which she sends away about 10000
N-e---AA1 = ear VA
Bahamas hemp, OF whiCh she sends away I
over 2.05o.j5J pounds a year. almost ex- I
clUsively 70 the United States. The staple I
product Of Barbados Is sugar, which was
developed under slavery conditions. and /
has continued since the abolition OF
slavery in very much the same fashion /
The people are very poor, there being I
nearly a hundred Of them 20 every acre /
OF land on The island Their wages are /
81 -HnH HF-Hrr IL rrrr
expensive than keeping them Twenty T
i've cents a day IS as much fl that island 4
IN wages as s. a day in the United States I
The United States gets practically half
Of the Barbadiaa exports. and whenever I
the island has q dollar 10 spend. about I
half OF Il goes 10 the United Kingdom I
and half O5 the remainder 70 the United f.
States.
The United States gets nearly 50 per
cent OF the exports OF the Island Of ia
maica, and IS gradually increasing the
lead she has There had been a falling /
on in her exports TO Jamaica, but she is +
getting back to the old figures again. l
Jamaica furnishes the brightest example Z
Of what the American people can do. /
even in tropical countries. IN the way OF
building up a big export trade from them. I
Dickens door nail when the sugar indus I
ny went 10 pieces. Then came the United 1
Fruit Company and its smaller predeces-
sOrs- Crop growing IS the long suit OF /
the American people, and that applies TO 4
bananas. oranges. and pineapples. as well .
as II does 10 wheat. corn- or hay. Under /
American agricultural methods applied 10 4
tropical conditions. the fruit exports Of i
the island increased from s.. 3.006O00 IN 1917 z
20 s. 000, 900 in 1907. And Il IS confidently
predicted that the decade from 1877 20 1917
will yet show a greater relative increase
than this
The ownership OF a colony IS Z valu-
able asset IN the free-for-alI fight for its
importing business. In the British West
indies England sells practically one-half
OF what they buy, leaving the other half
70 Dc divided among all the other na-
lions In the French West Indies-Gua-
celoupe and Neutrality-suspicious. CAPTURES L
more than the half The same rule an L
plies as 70 Cuba Our relations with her L
are so close as 70 amount TO practical
ownership. and she spends 4 cents ont
OF every dollar with the United States
Its application IS even more strikinelv
shown fl the case OF Porto Rico. where
the relative positions OF the United /.
States and foreign countries have been
completely reversed BY the change OF /,
the fe6. Before the SPanlsh-Americaa
war We got only about . Der cent Of her
trade To-day we get S Per cent Of It.
Tariffs are almost entirely responsible
for the change Before the American
occupation the island had free trade with II