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Show OCEAN TRADE.. H A German writer explains that Germany's future must depend Upon her showing on the seas; M that as her trade capitals are all around the world, her merchant marine must be large and that this must be backed by a great naVy If that Is true of Germany how much more M true is it of the United States. Germany has H less area than Texas; her gathered wealth Is less than half that of the United States; her commerce H and population are less than two-thirds of the IH United "States. M If she needs a great merchant marino surely M the United States (loos; If her commerce must be H backed by her navy surely ours should be. jH Go Into any important port of the world and H the first thing to greet you will Je British H flag flying over British ships. Xr and you H will find that for full fifty ye'.- hat flag has H never failed to appear at regular intervals. Go on H shore and British trading stations will be found H that were founded there long ago. The certainty H that the ships would come at regular intervals H gave the merchants the courage to establish trad- H Ing stations. With the regular coming of the ships H and with the ships supplemented by ocean cables, H the people found tnat they could at that station H buy almost anything, and that if something unus- H ual was needed, the cable and the ship would H bring itin a few days. That is the way Great H Britain built up her trado; after 1871 Germany H adopted the same plan and now those two powers H are the dominant ones in ocean commerce. Our H I ! " ' m J f country pays to them in freight .and passenger H I money $200,000,000 annually, and so far our coun- Dj j try has never been able to establish that it has H 1 f the capacity to build up and carry on a great H ; foreign commercial carrying trade It is a re- HJ ' I proaoh to both the intelligence and financial H di capacity of the American people. |