The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-12-19
AMERICAN INDUSTRIES.

10 THE EDITOR OF HE JOURNAL ~
great deal was said during the campaign
about the tariff being hindrance to the
DEVELOPMENT of American commerce.
| Gov. Wilson was very emphatic in his
| statements that our commerce would
! develop much faster if it was not handl-
| capped bv our tariff laws. This state
ment shows that he is as unfamiliar with
the condition of our foreign and do
nestle commerce as his speeches showed
him to be with our excise laws. A hasty
glance at the marvellous growth OF our
commerce and manufactures cannot tall
to impress one with their wonderful
strides in the past 40 years. During the
period from 1860 to 1870 our condition
was such that no stable basis was as
sured to our business interests. But in
the early 7O's our exports began to ex-
coed our imports, confidence returned,
trade and industries expanded, and we
entered into a new era of prosperity
During the 80 years of adverse trade
prior to 1870 the balance had been against
us to the extent of over two billions of
dollars; but the tide turned in 1874, and
in the past 40 years there has been
balance in our favor of the enormous
amount of over $4,000, 100000 To the
ordinary mind billion dollars must be
incomprehensible. An expert IN the u.
| S. Treasury can count $4,000 silver dol
lars in one day, SO it would take him 918
wears to count the amount of the bal
ance in our favor in the past 40 years.
Our foreign trade has increased in that
period from less than 81, 900, 900, 900 to
81, 900, 600, 900 annually, or 400 per cent,
while our population has increased but
$50 per cent in the same time; so our
foreign commerce has increased more
than 1-2 times as fast as our popula-
ton.
In the meantime our internal COM
merce; that is, the production and ex-
change of commodities among our own
people, has also far outstripped our most
sanguine expectations. The trade among
our own people, 1.-The home market for
home products" has grown from ST.
600, 900, 900 to the enormous sum of $685.
900, 900, 600; or from 1854 for each man,
woman and child in 1870 to 1856 during
the past few years. With all this won
derful commercial activity among the
rapidly increasing millions of our people
it is not surprising that the wealth of
this nation has increased from $50, 000.-
600, 900 in 1870, to about $3.50, 0t c, 000,0 600
at the present time. That is, the aver
age amount Of property owned by each
person in this country today is about
four times as much as it was AZ years
ago. And all of US who have been in
touch with the affairs of that period very
plainly realize it, and we see evidences
of it on every hand.
Meanwhile the money in circulation
has risen to $3,276, 100000, or about
$3.50 to each family, Notwithstanding 80
per cent of the business of the nation is
done by checks. Handicapped by the
tariff? What sophistry and ignorance!
While the great nations of the old world
have for hundreds of years been strain
ing every nerve to increase their manu-
features and industries, and striving for
the worlds commerce, and 40 years ago
far outstripped US, now we export more
products each year than any other nation
and our unparalleled growth in this direc-
ton excites their wonder and envy. We
have twice as many miles of telegraph
line as any other nation. We send more
telephone messages than all Europe COM
bined; we publish more than one third of
the newspapers, have two-fifths of all
the railroads, raise one-sixth of all the
W heat, three-fourths of all the corn, two
thirds of all the cotton, one-half of the
copper, and more than half of all the
petroleum in the entire world!
Although it is very desirable that we
may obtain large share of the worlds
commerce, land we do now furnish
Europe with 10 per cent of all the prod
ucts she buys, it is of much greater i'm
portance that we should retain control of
our own home market, which is Of much
greater Importance. The industrial
world recognizes the vast Importance of
the American market, and is making
every effort to obtain control of as large
part of it as possible; and it depends
largely upon the fiscal policy of the gov
eminent whether or no they will succeed.
The home market of this nation has q
consuming capacity of the enormous sum