Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-10
PEACE AND WAR INVOLVED
IN FOREIGN TRADE QUESTIONS
Shifting Of the Worlds Commercial Cap.
itaI From One City to Another Has
Always Produced UpheavaIs

TT WILL be interesting to discover whether
L the delegates to the Foreign Trade Con-
vcnton, meeting in this city today, Thursday
and Friday. will consider anything besides
how to sell goods abroad.
This is an important question. Little
attention has been given to it by American
producers in comparison with that given by
producers in the older nations. II has been
customary to say that we have been SO busy
developing our own resources that we have
had little but our surplus to sell abroad.
There has not been much manufacturing fer
foreign markets. The foreigners, however.
have come here TO buy what we have had to
sell and we have graciouSly accommodated
them.
The English and German producers have
gone out into the world markets TO find Gus
toners They have established banks there
10 handle the business and they have in
vested their surplus capital in railroads and
steamship lines and have sent trained cx-
ports 10 place their goods. They have had
to DO this in order to provide work for
their population, because that population
produced much moro than could be consumed
at home.
OF course. we have exported large guam
titles of American products. but until within
comparatively recent years those exports
were made up largely OF foodstuffs. The
development of our manufactures has been
followed by a comparative decrease in the
number Of persons engaged in agriculture
and much larger home consumption of our
food products. And til" product Of the fac
tories has been great that We hav" had
70 begin 10 make a moro vigorous search for
foreign markets
But there is more to foreign trade than a
search for markets or than a study of the
way to sell goods in those markets
Tho shifting Of the balance OF intcrna-
tional trade has been responsible for many
of the great international wars And the
worlds commercial capital has for centuries
been where the trade of the East met the
trade of the West.
1t was trade rivalry between Rom" and
Carthage which was responsible for the
Carthaginian wars
After the decline Of Rome the great inter
national mart was Constantinople. and be.
cause OF it the Byzantine empire h"urshcd.
The Nenetans sent their ships 70 all the
seas and wrestcd the trad, supremacy from
Constant!nople. after fighting for it.
The discovery of the New World expanded
the horizon OF Spain and Portugal and sent
their traders to the West and the East.
They did not win their temporary supremacy
without battles.
And when the Dutch began 10 seek trade
with the East they succeeded IN making AM
sterdam the commercial capital of Europe.
but not without bloody contests.
The adventure of the British in India was
followed by diversion of trade from AM
sterdam 70 London to the disadvantage of
Continental Europe. And while London was
establishing her trade supremacy, Europe
was torn with bloody wars growing directly
out of the unsettling Of the commercial and
political equilibrium due to the decline Of
Amsterdam and the riS" Of London
At the present moment International trade
Is the subject which is absorbing the attrn-
ton Of the Genoa conference. What ma
tion is to profit most from trade with Russia
is the question on which th" conference" can
NOT agree. Each nation wishes to get an
advantage over the other nations. forgetting
that such an oUt"om" would not s"tr.c the
matter. Il would lcav" n group Of disSatiS.
fed nations with grievances to be rcdrcSSod
The United States has been outside Of
the sphere of the influence OF the great
economic forces affecting tn" commercial
equilibrium of the world. But its increasing
wealth and its growing trade ar" rapidly
forcing it into I'll" maelstrom, and it cannot
escape the consequences Of its present COM
4
sand and pretending that there is no danger
in sight.
The Only thing that can lessen III" danger
Is an insiStenr" by all the nations on tho
open door in the undevelopcd parts Of the
world. Equality Of trade opportunity in
Russia and China and Africa is important
for international peace"
If the delegates to the Foreign Trade
Convention consider this subject they NAV
be able to make some valuable contribution
70