Year: 1877

known the Presidents earnest desire for


enlarged commercial correspondence and in


creased facilities for trade" between the two


countries. That point was we'll made, and
it was well received also, for the Emperor


replied that he, too, wished for increased


commercial intercourse.


Mr.. Noyes on being presented to the
French President, is stated to have made
similar remarks, and what he said has at
tracted the attention of French public men
the more as France is ut this time also en-
| gagged on q revision OF her commercial
| treaties.


We suspect that it will turn out that these
| two Incidents mark only general move
ment along the whole line" and that it will
bo found that Secretary Evarts has in
structed all our Ministers to give their at
commercial treaties between our own and
the countries in which they represent
American interests. When Mr.. Evarts told
the Philadelphians that the questions OF
protection and free trade were not
practical questions that absolute free
trade between nations was a dream,
but that in order to re-establish pros
perity we needed to widen our markets.
and in order to sell our surplus products
we must be ready to buy of others, he showed.
as we pointed out at the time, not only that
he could not be called a doctrinaire, but that
he had q mastery comprehension of the
most important question Of the day--the re-
vivo1 of fha tpv'c in n ri II, ha Ou1v
way in which this can be done, by q revival
of it's foreign trade. When, few days ago,
he expressed to HERALD correspondent the
belief that under the present administra-
tion the country would attain once more its
old time prosperity, and that this was, he
thought, more important matter to the
people than obsolete political quarrels, he
was right again, and in the in
structions he has given to Messrs.
Noyes and Kasson we see the evidence that
the Secretary of State was not indulging in
glittering generalities, but had already
begun to prepare the way for the re-estab-
lishment of prosperity of which he speaks
and which he believes sure to come.


The country has been too long cursed
with parcel Of politicians who had genius
above everyday affairs, and who thought so
much of liberty, equal rights and other
great topics that they had no leisure left to
consider questions Of mere bread and butter
and clothes. 1t will be happy change if
the new administration shall prove to have
questions if it's members shall have that
broader and deeper intelligence which
knows that general prosperity is also good
thing, and that it is the business and duty
of statesman to have watchful eye to the
industrial interests and prosperity of the
nation he aspires to rule.


The condition Of this country may be
likened to that Of o farming community set
tied in the backwoods at distance from
neighbors. Such o community coming into
q new country must for some years devote
its energies to building houses. barns and
stables, mills, churches and schools; to
fencing and breaking in new fields to the
work of creating comforts which the back
woods do not afford. During all this early
time of struggle with nature they are neither
rich nor poor they get on with comfort and
with abundance in their isolation they
gradually extend the area of titled land
their focks and herds, their mills shops
and machinery increase having begun with
the merest necessaries Of life they by and by
find themselves not only with sufficient but
with q surplus of their products; they raise
and make more than they can consume
among themselves and when they come to
this period it is absolutely necessary to their
continued prosperity that they shall be able
to sell their surplus products to others out
side of their settlement. Hence they will
seek to construct road to the nearest large
town or city, which in their earlier history
they could very we'll do without they will
demand the opportunity to sell their sur
plus in the most advantageous market, be-
cause unless it can be sold abroad it can
have no value, and being worthless will not
be produced, and part of this formerly
prosperous and contented backwoods COM
munity will stand idle and fall into poverty
and suffering


This is precisely our national industrial
history. Foragood many years we were build
ing houses, workshops, tools, and were able,
with industry, skill and ingenuity, to pro-
duce what we needed Abundance prevailed,
there was work enough and food enough for
everybody. But the time came when our
skill, ingenuity and industry produced SO
much that we could not consume it all.
Unfortunately by long neglect foreign CON-
merce had dwindled, and at the time when
we needed the most extended foreign mar
kets; when like the backwoods settlement,
we must be able to sell our surplus
products or stand idle-at that period our
producers were crippled by the lack OF for
eign markets.


Mr. Evarts is entirely right in saying that
this is not question of free trade or pro-