| Show THEN AND NOW the denver news recalls a bit ot early history la connection with the present amerlean differences it Is now just years ago that american commerce was suffering from the ravages ot the pirates who tribute on all ships sailing the mediterranean sea having paid tribute and suffered outrages on ships and sailors until forbearance ceased to be a virtue president jefferson in 1803 sent a fleet under commodore preble to bring the pirates to terms it contained about all the available vessels in tho american navy the most formidable ones being the constitution the philadelphia the essex and the enterprise with a few smaller vessels of the gunboat type all sailing ships of the old wooden variety this expedition accomplished what all europe had not been able to do or had not attempted to do humbled the pirates and freed the commerce of the world from their exactions there seems to be a disposition on the part 0 the powers to let turkey and the united states fight it out alone since it Is manifest that the united only wants its and has no designs on any portion of turkish territory but the fleet that the united states will send will be a very different one from that which sailed under commodore preble it will bo composed of five battleships including the new kearsarge and kentucky and several crack cruisers a fleet able to bold its own against any one of similar strength of armor men and guns that any nation can bring against it that our sales to the orient are rapidly growing Is shown by the latest export figures of the bureau of statistics while there has been a continued growth in our exports during the past fiscal year by tar the largest percentage of grain has been in our trade with the orient to europe our exports during the eight months ending with february increased 54 per cent as compared with the corresponding months of the preceding fiscal year to south america 8 per cent to north america per cent to asia 38 per cent to oceania 51 per cent or to asia and oceania combined 44 per cent while to africa there was a slight reduction owing to the disarrangement of commercial conditions there by reason of hostilities taking our exports as a whole it is found that the increase during the months has been 9 per cent while the increase to asia and oceania has been 44 per cent hows this tor expansion last year the exports of american arm products and manufactures to cuba puerto rico the hawaiian philippine and samoan islands increased by more than per cent besides this nearly six million dollars worth of american flour went to the orient last year an increase of since 1898 most of it for china japan and asiatic russia uncle sam has two good stepping stones to oriental trade one at honolulu and the other at manila the tree trade foreign influences thac were exerted to defeat the dingley tariff are now being exerted to defeat the shipping bill the same american interests that advocated the dingley tariff are advocating tie shipping bill |
