Year: 1878




President Hayes sent to the Senate yes
terday an interesting and valuable message
relating to one of the most important sub
jects that can engage the attention OF Con-
gress In the first week Of the session the
Senate passed a resolution requesting the
President to transmit any information the
heads Of departments may have received
bearing on our trade with South America
and the means Of improving it. The
message sent yesterday was in COM
pliance with that request. It is more
than mere formal preface to the
accompanying documents. The President
takes an enlightened interest in the revival
of our navigation and the extension Of our
foreign trade. There is no subject which is
more worthy Of statesmans zeal.


No time could be more opportune for
taking this great subject in hand than the
present, when we are making our money
identical with the money of inter-
national trade. With this secure basis
to 60 upon we should proceed with
other measures for upbuilding our
commerce by opening new markets for our
productions and thus furnishing employ
ment for all our citizens. The idea to
which the President gives most prominence
is the necessity of paying for our imports
by the expectation Of commodities and thus
preventing drain of the precious metals
which might imperil the stability OF our
currency. This is important; but the one
thing needful is to make our people pros
porous and contented by securing them full
and remunerative employment, and by en-
couraging mechanical invention and man
ual skill with the certainty of adequate
rewards. The more we diversity our in
dustries and convert our raw materials into
high grade Of finished products the greater
will be the intelligence as well as the wealth
and comfort Of our people.


The summary of points by Secretary
Evarts in his brief report on the informa-
ton he submits is more specific and there
fore more instructive than the general re-
marks Of the President. He AYERS that the
evidence he has collected establishes the
fact that the forerunner of England's con-
troll Of the South and Central American
markets was the establishment Of regular
and frequent postal communication with
them, and that other European nations which
are beginning to rival her in those mar
kets are having degree of success proper
toned to their adoption Of thes same methods.
But we are having quite degree OF success
in spite Of the utter default of regular mail
facilities. The reasons are that these conn
tries are our neighbors and that they are
pleased with the quality of our goods. But
business letters tor any South American
port have to cross the Atlantic twice before
they can reach their destination. With
direct communication the time and distance
would be so much shortened that our trade
with these neighbors would be rapidly de-
veloped. At present We are losing the ad-
vantages OF our geographical prox-
unity and of the preference Of the
Southern Americans for our goods. Mr.
Evarts states that they are more
anxious than we are for closer intercourse,
and that they are willing to contribute from
their moderate fiscal resources to the estab-
lishment of postal steamers. With such
facilities between US and them as exist
between them and England we should
soon acquire the greater share of the trade,
and both parties would be enriched by q
commerce which would constantly increase
with the illimitable development of the
American continent.