Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-04-19

to know that my thoughts are not con-
centrated tonight upon myself,-no mat
ter who the leader is, the success Of
Democracy will mean what?
1t will mean the enlistment for the
first time in 16 years of scores Of
southern men in the service of the ma
ton. 1t will mean that this quiet
force, which has not been touched by
some of the more baleful influences OF
our time, which has stood apart. which
has kept deep-rooted its vital connec-
ton with the past, which has been
sobered by some of the most tragical
experiences that any nation can go
through, is going to come forward TO
take council with regard to the future
And the future Is not going to be like
the past.
We have reached the stage which 1
wish I could expound to you in way
that would remain in your recollection.
know that there is a great body OF
travelling men here tonight. know
that there are men here who go up and
down the length and breadth of this
country upon commercial errands. l
want to call them to witness that great
changes are going on in this country
DO you know, ladies and gentlemen
that almost every question we have to
face at the present moment is a new
question?
Take the tariff question, for example.
The arguments which were used 10 or
Is years ago are dead, because the cir
cumstances which brought them about
are dead. It used to be said. that 1t
didn't make any difference how high a
wall of protection you built around
America, because inside Of America
there was so great field Of absolutely
domestic free trade that the stimulation
and rivalry of internal competition
would keep prices and conditions at q
normal level! Have you heard nothing
OF the disappearance of competition In
America? Have you heard nothing or
the great combinations by which gentle
men. by the mere device of sending out
circular, can determine the prices or
the great staple articles of our con-
sumption? Have you read nothing, of
the investigations that have been going
on, that have revealed the whole ugly,
inside operations of the monopolies that
have been established in America? In
ternal competition is disappearing, and
in some fields has disappeared. In the
meantime what has happened?
WHAT PROTECTION HAS DONE.
America used to feed the world, and we
paid such international balances as it was
necessary to pay our great shipments
of grain to foreign ports. Do you know
that the shipments of grain have fallen
off until grain merchants tell me that
we are in sight of the vanishing point,
and that in the meantime manufactures
have become so stimulated in America
that our exports of manufactured arti-
cles in spite of the discouragements OF
the tariff, have been rising like a great,
Irresistible tide? So that unless we can
break down these walls OF artificial par
tition between us and other nations, we
will presently burst our Jackets or die
of plethora. CApplause.)
While that has been going on, what
have the solons who have been so inter
ested in protection done? They have in
geniously .contrived our legislation so that
we have no carrying trade, that we have
no ships to carry our goods abroad. A
friend of mine went from New York to
-Ceylon,. and didn't once see the flag of
the United States until he reached the
harbor of ,Ceylon. where was anchored
the yacht of, Mr.. James Gordon Ben
nett. He passed through the Suez canal
and found that OF the millions Of tonnage
that went through that canal every year,
not one ton was carried in American bot
toms. What do6S-fha mean? Suppose
you were running a great department
store and that, iu order TO serve your
customers you hadtt use the wagons Of
rival department. store? You would be
exactly in the same condition thhat our
foreign trade is IN
We have to ship in English liners,
we have to ship in German liners. In
Dutch liners, In French liners. Our
trade has to start where the English.
French, German and Dutch merchants
find it convenient that it should start,
and make for the markets which Eng
iish. French, Dutch and German mer-
chants have established for themselves
and fortified against us.
WHAT PANAMA. CANAL MEANS,
And while ali this is going on, with
rnagnarinity II might say unprece-
dented. we are digging a great canaI
through the 1sthmus of Panama for
the use Of ships Of other nations. Now,
/ believe that that very canal is going
to break the spell OF this whole busI-
mes Every man connected with rail-
ways in this country, every man con-
nected with trade in this country, after
the opening Of that canal in 1915, is
going to see extraordinary things oc-
cur. The arteries OF trade are going
to change their direction. Now. all
the great continental lines, almost
without exception, are trans-continen-
tai lines running from ocean to ocean,
from coast to coast Just so soon as
that canal is opened you will see these
lines shift-YOU WILL SEE THE
GREAT VALLEY OF THE MISSIS-
SIPPI BECOME THE HEART or
COMMERCE IN AMERICA Gap
plause.) You will see the long neg
lected port at the great city of New
Orleans begin to TEEN and thrive again
as though she was the mart of the
nation. You will begin to see the rail-
way lines shifting their connections.
reuniting other cities, altering the
whole balance and poise of the way In
which goods are handled. in this coun-
try. And you travelling gentlemen will
see it at once in the immediate future.
THE FREIGHT RATE QUESTION.
And then we shall find out that the
laws of the United States forbid the
carrying of American goods from ono
port to another in America except in
American bottoms, so that IL you ship
from San Francisco to New York, or
from New York to San Francisco
around by the way of the canal, you
have got to ship in American ships
but you haven't got any. There aren't
any American ships. And you are lat
tering yourselves, are you not-men
who have thought about this thing are
aattering themselves that inasmuch as
1t is so much cheaper to ship by water
than by rail there is going to be
great change in freight rates between
the two sides of the continent?
r2,,4 &c thare7 Private capital is not at