12 13be Conservative.
them only $38,000,000. The five Central
American states , with a population of
a,500,000 , take foreign goods to the
amount of $28,000,000 annually , of
which we sell them only $5,820,000.
Mexico , our near neighbor , with rail
connections at several places on our bor
der , with a population of 13,000,000 ,
buys abroad to the extent of $42,000,000 ,
but wo sell its people only $21,000,000.
The West Indies , not including Cuba
or Porto Rico , buy $45,000,000 worth of
goods in foreign countries , of which we
provide $15,000,000.
The startling fact is that wo buy
yearly from the South American coun
tries $07,000,000 more than they buy
from us ; in other words , they sell xib
their products and with our money make
purchases in Europe. This is not flat
tering to our commercial ability , partic
ularly ns it has been demonstrated and
loudly proclaimed that wo sell our goodb
as cheaply as does any other country.
There may be no sentiment in busi
ness , but it evidently takes more than
an equalization of prices to divert com
merce from its long established course.
Wo must manufacture goods to meet
the needs and suit the tastes of the people
ple , establish agencies or sample houses
where the goods can be seen , and ex
tend credits such as the South Ameri
can merchant has heen accustomed to
receive from the European dealer , be
fore we can mnke much headway in
that field.
The rapidly-changing conditions in
Cuba and Porto Rico offer a field for an
increased trade of no small proportions.
The abolition of the discriminating and
prohibitive Spanish tariff will , no doubt ,
enable our people to sell their waret-
freely in those countries. The vantage
ground of Now Orleans , in connection
with the commerce of those islands ,
should enable it to control a full share
of their trade. They consume largely
of breadstuffs , provisions and manufac
tured articles , which Now Orleans
should supply. No other port in the
United States excels her in facility ol
dispatch to vessels , or in the readiness
and cheapness with which she can draw
such articles from the field or factory
which supplies them. On the othei
hand , her proximity to those countries ,
particularly Cuba , gives her a decided
advantage. All that remains wanting
is the establishment of regular lines ol
steamers suited to the trade , and ener
getic and aggressive merchants , capable
of reaping its profits.
Let us see what that trade amounts to.
Previous to the late insurrection , Cuba
imported , annually , $78,000,000 of goods ,
and exported $60,000,000 worth. Of the
goods impo.-ted , the United States sold
about $12,000,000 worth , while wo pur
chased the greater part of her exports.
Not taking account of any increase in
the growth of her resources under the
now regime , wo hero have a difference
between what wo have sold in the past
and what we may sell in the future to
that country , of $00,000,000 a year.
Porto Rico buys yearly , from foreign
countries , $17,000,000 worth of goods ,
and exports a like amount. The United
States sold to that country last year ,
goods to the value of $1,505,000 , and
bought from it $2,414,000 worth. From
this it will be seen there are great possi
bilities for the development of further
trade with that island.
In the past , the duties levied by Spain
on goods coming from other countries
into Cuba or Porto Rico , were much in
excess of those charged on like goods
from Spain. Hence the latter country
controlled the trade. Now that this dis
crimination will cease , our merchants
will be better enabled to extend their
trade into those countries. In this lies
the present opportunity of New Orleans.
The recent trip of the Oregon from
California , round Cape Horn to Cuban
waters , and the anxiety of the nation
for its safety , have awakened a new in
terest in the Nicaragua canal. From
the many expressions of opinion , it
would seem that , aside from the com
mercial advantages to be derived from
-such a waterway , the construction of
the canal has become a national neces
sity. The opening of this waterway
would no doubt give a great impetus to
our commerce with the west coast of
South America , as well as to China ,
British India and Japan countries
which offer untold possibilities for the
future of our manufactures. Japan is
already taking largely of our raw cot
ton. It will also facilitate the carriage
to and from the various countries com
prising Oceanica , which are no small
consumers of our goods. Wo sold them
522,000,000 worth last yearand purchased
from them nearly $27,000,000. The
Hawaiian and Philippine islands fur
nished their quota of this interchange.
China , with its 4,000,000 square miles
of territory , and over 400,000,000 of people
ple , is about to be opened to the com
merce of the world. Now treaty ports
ware recently opened by royal decree ,
and foreign steamers admitted to all in
land waters , which are the high roads
of China. The era of railroad building
lias at last reached that country. Con
tracts have already been made for steel
rails and other railway supplies for use
therein. It is not too much to say that
either our raw cotton , or the manufac
tured cloth , will bo taken by that coun-
trv in vast quantities in the near future.
We sell China only $10,000,000 worth of
goods , though other countries sell her
$140,000,000 worth. She exports $120-
000,000 of merchandise , of which our
share is $20,000,000.
British India also affords possibilities
with her 250,000,000 people whoso chief
clothing is cotton goods. In 1897 there
was imported into that country 1,976-
000,000 yards of unbleached cotton
goods , which our southern mills are
well adapted to make. This is cloth
enough to girdle the earth forty-five
times , but our country did not provide
one-quarter of 1 per cent of it.
Wo are all aware how Japan is de
veloping , and what a promise she holds
out for increase in our trade.
Our commerce with the Philippine
islands , while not very largo in the past ,
is no doubt destined to increase greatly.
Heretofore Spain sold her 70 per cent
of the goods bought from foreign coun
tries.
The Mississippi basin is capable of pro
ducing all the articles that these for
eign countries require or will take from
the United States.
The Illinois Central system of rail
roads runs through the heart of this great
agricultural and manufacturing region.
It stretches from , the sugar , cotton and
lumber regions of Louisiana and Missis
sippi to the grain and coal fields of Illi
nois and Iowa , and makes the necessary
exchange of commodities between the
states and towns traversed. It binds
the commercial centers of the "Middle
West" with those of the south , and
transfers the varying products of each
to the other. It collects , in the vast ter
ritory reached by its lines , the wares and
merchandise trafficked in by the mer
chants of New Orleans , and lays them
at her door. In like manner it distri
butes throughout the country the stores
of merchandise shipped by the New Or
leans merchants into the interior.
In the year just closed , the Illinois
Central system hauled to New Orleans
2,813,832 tons of freight , which is four
times as much as it brought in ten years
ago. It hauled out of New Orleans
806,016 tons , or 13,358 less than ten years
ago. This shows the necessity of build
ing up and increasing the imports of
New Orleans , if , by its growth , it is to
justify its name of "The Crescent City. "
Of the 42,000,000 bushels of grain ex
ported from Now Orleans in the past
year , the Illinois Central brought in 25-
000,000 , or 60 per cent. Of the 2,819,888
bales of cotton exported from New Or
leans in the past year , the Illinois Cen
tral brought in 1,061,140 bales , or 50 per
cent more than ten years ago. Among
the other receipts were over 180,000 tons
of lumber.
The company has expanded her rail
road system from 2550 miles ten years
ago to 4615 at present. From 4,000,000
tons of freight carried then , she now car
ries over 14,000,000. In the same time the
number of passengers carried yearly has
grown from 6,000/000 / to 14,700,000. The
locomotive engines have increased some
500 in number , and by over 1,500,000
tons in hauling capacity. Her freight
cars have increased over 20,000 , and
their capacity by fully 880 per cent.
The roadbed and train service are of the
very best , affording the desired oppor
tunities for such expansion of traffic as
the bright prospects presage for the fu
ture. The railroad is fully equipped to
do its duty in the era of commercial