The Sunday Oregonian., December 13, 1903, PART FOUR, Page 30, Image 30

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THE SUNDAY OEEGONIAN," EOBTLAND, DECEMBER' 13, 1903:
SOUTH AMERICA'S F0REIGN TR7VDE
f
YANKEE INVASION OF OUR SISTER CONTINENT OPPOSED BY
THE GREAT NATIONS OF EUROPE-
TUE 'HIGHEST RAILWAY ON EAJWi, WILT By AN AMERICAN.
T.u.nsGum
SCENE OMSLBG CkPZEAtf TAHVL
w
rASHINGTON, D. C, Pec 7. (Spe
cial correspondence.) South Amer
ica's trade is a big red apple, for
which the nations are scrambling. They
would like to annex new territory, but the
Monroe doctrine prevents that, and so
they are doing what they can to gobble
thb commerce. The Germans are the most
anxious and have put In the moat money.
They have $150,000,000 in Brazil and $300,000,
000 in other parts -of South America. They
have $30,000,003 In the nitrate mines of
Chile, $10,000,000 in Venezuelan railroads
and an enormous, amount In .mines, farms,
banks and -factories all over the conti
nent. But let me take you from country to
country and show you what is going on
in the way of foreign investments and
trade in the other .half of our hemisphere.
We shall start with Brazil. That coun
try contains about half of all South Amer
ica, and more than half the people. It
has all sorts of land and almost every
kind of climate and product. It produces
the bulk of the rubber and most of the
coffee- consumed by the world, and Is
about the richest undeveloped part of the
globe.
Starting at the north is the valley of the
Amazon, where the Americans have ex
tensive Investments. We have an electric
line in Para, the great rubber port, and
another in Manaos, 1000 miles up the
Amazon. We practically control the rub
ber industry and we ship cotton, flour
and other goods to Fara and Manaos.
The trade there annually amounts to
about &0.000.000 gold dollars, and it is
susceptible of enormous increase.
West Deutschiand.
In the states further south the English
and Germans have cotton and sugar fac
tories and the lower part of the coun
try is almost entirely given up to the
Germans. There are provinces in South
ern Brazil which have a better climate
than, most parts of the United States.
They have wheat and pasture lands as
good as any parf of the Argentine, and
their meat factories turn out millions of
dollars' worth of dried beef every year.
Here you And German signs over the
stores, there are German factories and
"breweries everywhere, and the country is
known by the Germans as West Deutsch
iand. If it -were not for the Monroe Doc
trine the Kaiser would have long since
gobbled it, and in case of a great war in
which the United States' hands might be
firmly tied he would attempt to annex
it to Germany.
In Brazil's Coffee Regions.
There are Germans In the great coffee
provinces a little further north and also
many Italians and English. The biggest
coffee plantation of the world is owned
by an English syndicate. A large part of
the exporting of the coffee is In tHe hands
of Americans. Our leading firms have
houses at Santos and they largely con
trol the coffee trade of the interior.
In this part of the country the Germans
and English are Interested in railroads.
The Germans have also pla'nned lines for
the upper Amazon, and they are talking
v of building one along the coast from
jrernamDuco to uo ae Janeiro, as it is
now they have about the best steamship ;
connections with South America. There
are five great German steamship compan
ies which trade with Brazil and other
parts of the continent, enabling German
exports to have the lowest freight rates,
and connecting the continent as cloBely
with Germany as with any other country
of Europe.
Both the Germans and English have
banks In Brazil. The English have bank
ing connections at every port, and the
Germans have one bank there with a cap
ital of $2,000,000. These banks give their
respective Importers a great advantage
over the Americans. The most of out
hanking business with South America is
done in European exchange, and wo have
to pay a tax to the English banks on
every dollar's worth of our business.
American Goods In Brazil.
Nevertheless, American goods aro rap
tfdly making their way into Brazil. Near
ly all the lard, bacon, salmon, lobster and
other canned goods of the Amazon come
from the United States. They use our
flour and our kerosene, and we lead there
in the sale of hardware and tools.
Some of the railroads of Brazil are us
ing American engines. There are electric
railways in Santos equipped with Amer
ican rolling stock, and our, typewriters
and sewing machines dominate the- mar
ket. The American bicycle is considered
the best high-priced machine south of the
equator, ajid our firearms are in great de
mand. In some places American furniture
Is making Its way, although the Austrian
bentwood still practically controls the
market.
In Argentina.
The Argentine Republic is less appreci
ated than any other part of South Amer
ica. It is almost impossible- to conceive
the extent of its natural resources. It is
the largest body of good land on the globe
where edible grain can be raised and got
ten to tidewater. The country is In its.
Infancy, and It already has a trade of'
200.000,000 a year. The bulk of this busi
ness goes through Buenos Ayres, "one of
tfie most thriving commercial centers of
the world. Buenos Ayres has nw almost
1,000.000 people. It is a city of rich men,
of, syndicates and banks, some of which
have deposits running high into the tens
of millions.
The Argentine is a land xf great estates
operated with .fine machinery and run
with largo capital. Outside Australia it
has the biggest sheep farms of the world,
and it leads the world in fino cattle. At
present it produces about 60,000.000 bush
els of wheat -In a season, and of late it
has begun to turn Its wheat Into flour. It
has now more than 1000 flour mills, many
of' which aro equipped with machinery
irom the. United States. More land is put
LACJD2NG AMERICAN GOODS JN BUENOS A9RES
TUFBAHZATROLlBy Um.OWNED&J GZ7VY2ANS
into wheat every year, and It Is said that
at the low rate of 10 bushels art acre its
wheat lands, if they were brought under
cultivation, could produce more than
half of the present wheat yield -of the
world.
The possibilities for trade here are
enormous, and we thavo only a limited
share of the business. There are thou
sands of Europeans living in the coun
try and they throw the trade., as far as
possible, to their fatherlands. The Ger
mans in Argentina number" 17,000, the
English 22,000, the French 100,000, Spaniards
200,000 and Italians 5W.000. The Italians
lead both in Buenos Ayres and in the
country. They form more than one-tenth
of the whole population, and they have
a large part of the business. They are
rapidly acquiring farms and are engaged
In banking and other business in Buenos
Ayres.
, Meat and 'Wool.
The English and Germans aro Inter
ested in the exportation of meat and
wooL Argentina has 100,000,000 sheep, and
it has frozen-meat establishments which
ship mutton by the hundreds of thousands
of carcasses' to London. Its wool clip
sometimes amounts to 500,000,000 pounds a
year, and the greater part of this goes to
Europe. The people are improving their
sheep, and they have today a better class
of sheep than the United States. It is
the same with cattle. The finest bulls of
Holland and England go to Argentina,
single animals selling for thousands of
dollars. '
Our trade in 'the Argentine is increas
ing, but the field is not half worked. Wo
know little about the country or people,
and they know but little of us. At pres
ent their trade relations are almost alto
gether with Europe. You have to wait
weeks to get a direct ship to tho United
States, but you can start almost any day
for Europe. The Argentines are cosmo
politans. They care but little from where
their goods come, but they want the best
and the cheapest.
It would pay to establish an American
warehouse in Buenos Ayres and keep
American goods on display there. As it is,
wo sell Argentina agricultural machinery,
sewing machines, typewriters and revolv
ers. I saw American windmills on the
Patagonlan pampas, and have eaten
American canned stuffs far up the Pan
ama Valley.
There Is an enormous field for our farm
tools In Argentina. American plows are
needed, and all of the smaller kinds of
farming machinery as well as steam en
gines, steam threshers and steam plows.
The upper part of the country is develop
ing a sugar business, and our sugar
milling machinery could be sold there.
There 13 a big opening, too, for the Amer
ican shoe, as well as for all sorts of
American cottons.
The Argentines are now putting their
flour up In paper bags, although barrels
are preferred and I am told that Amer
ican barrels could be sent there, knocked
down- at a big profit. The same is true
of Grand Rapids furniture and office sup
plies. The country uses an enormous
amount of galvanized Iron, both for roof
ing and walls,-and the pastures are being
rapidly Inclosed in fences of barbed and
woven wire. Railroads are being built,
and the United States Steel Trust Is prob
ably getting Its share of the new orders.
The great trouble there, as in Brazil, Is
In the lack of banking and shipping fa
cilities. There should be an American
bank In New York, with branches at
Buehos Ayres, Rio de Janlero. Montevideo
and others of the large cities. Such a
REeOLLEgTIOMS OF THOMAS FITCH "p-- ,g S0ME H BAP
The free silver coinage movement which j
swept like a flood over the West and
South in 1626, which In many Instances
obliterated party lines, wnlch made Demo
crats of Republicans and Republicans of
Democrats, was logical In its day because
It was based upon conditions which seemed
to demand its success as, the only method
of extrication from existing evils. Nat
ural causes and not agitation remitted the
great question of 1S9$ to the limbo of lost
political Issues.
South Africa, West Australia, Cripple
Creek and Alaska solved tho problem that '
for a time vexed the politicians. The
gold-finders of the world have usually
been members of the Anglo-Saxon race
and they have, seldom failed in an emer
gency. They went to the moun
tains and veldts of South Africa
and the torrid gulches of West Aus
tralia and cried: "Give forth." To
the stubborn ores of Colorado they said:
"Wo have come to cyanide you: Give
forth." On the Yukon and at Nome they
swung the pick and hammer by the light
of the aurora boreales and tho midnight
sun and shouted: "Give forth." And tho
rocks obeyed, evon as He.reb yielded when
Moses smote and the new streams of
gold supplied all demands of commerce
for more metallic money, and free coin
age of sliver was no longer necessary,
or even -desirable, except to silver-mine
owners, and there wero not many of
these. '
Yet, as Macauley says In. substanco:
'Parties often survive long after the is
sues which called thorn Into existence
have been settled," so the cry for free
coinage did not cease. In the canvass
of 1900 It was still an issue in the Far
West, and those Republicans, who had left
their party to support Bryan In 1826 on
account of It did not escape criticism if J
they returned to their allegiance.
There was a great political meeting in
a Far Western community and the speaker
of the evening was a noted free coinage
advocate who had returned" to the Repub
lican fold. He explained the reason for
his action and claimed that lor the United
States alone to attempt free coinage would
be to Mexlcanlze our currency. There
upon a lond-volced oppohent in the au
dience interrupted him with the question,
"Which Is the best for us, to become a
Mexican colony or to remain as nowf
slaves of England?" The speaker paused,
"'I cannot answer that question," said he.
"Ah. hah I thought yoti. couldn't," cried
the interrupter. "Ajid I will explain,"
continued the speaker, "why I cannot
answer it, by telling a llttlo story. Qnce
upon a time a company of Federal troops
were in pursuit of a band of hostile
Apaches. Their chase led them along a
mountain trail where no wheeled vehicle
could pass. So they strapped a small,
brass field, piece upon the back of a burro
and went ahead. They discovered a party
of Indians at the 'bottom of a deep ra
vine. Their gun was loaded and ready.
They backed the burro to th,e edge of the
preplplce, turned the gun on the Indians
and the -order was given to fire. Before
the order could be obeyed the burro sud
denly wheeled, iut the soldier to whom
the order, was given, in his confusion
puller the' lanyard of the gun. Its con-
tents were discharged Into the ground.
and the recoil kicked burro and gun over
the precipice and both fell In the middle
of the Indian camp. A white flag was
waved and shortly afterward the Indians
appeared. 'Ugh,' said their chief to the
Lieutenant commanding the soldiers. Injln
no flght you. We fight miner, tight soldier,
fight with gun, flght with pistol, flght with
bow and arrow. But you shoot Jackass
at Injun then Injun quit." ,
One of the most ardent free silver ad
vocates In the country "was George Spen
cer, at one time United States Senator
from Alabama. "The curious feature of
my first election to the Senate," said ho
to me, "'was that until a few weeks be
fore te election I had never lived in the
State of Alabama. It happened in this
way. X raised a company In Iowa, where
I lived, and In the second year of the
war was on the staff of the General com
manding at Chattanooga. It was proposed
to raise a regiment from the Union men
living In the mountains in North Ala
bama. This duty was entrusted to me,
and I was appointed Colonel. I selected
all of the staff and most of the com
pany officers, and the regiment did good
service, although, as It happened, -we
were never called upon for service in
Alabama, When the war was over we
were mustered out, and I went to Cali
fornia and opened an office in San Fran
cisco as a mining stock broker. I cor
responded occasionally with my old com
rades. One day after reconstruction had
been effected and Alabama admitted, I
received by pony express for the railroad
was not then completed a letter signed
by several of the former officers of my
regiment They stated in substanco that
they had been elected members of the
State Legislature, which would conveno
in a few months; that two United States
Senators were to be elected; that there
were a dozen candidates; that they had no
preference and if I were on the ground
they believed that they could effect
a combination that would secure my elec
tion. I wired my acceptance of that
proposition, and the next day my broker's
office was lor rent, and I was en route
for Alabama by the overland road. Al
though I had never lived in the state, I
was at the time of my election constitu
tionally eligible, but the constitution does
not require that a Senator shall be a
citizen but only an Inhabitant of his. state,
and for two months before the election I
'Inhabited' Alabama to an unlimited ex
tent I was elected, and afterwards re
elected. I made her a good Senator, if I
do say it myself, and I lasted longer than
most of the .carpet-baggers."
There Is a fascination in the pursuit of
the precious metals that accompanies no
other vocation, and in it men and women
cheerfully endure hardships and encoun
ter dangers. In 1SS5 my. wife and I en
thused by reports of great silver discov
eries wandered into a new camp in East
ern Oregon. From a box of "scraps" I
extract a letter now yellow with age,
which was written by her to an Eastern
friend and never mailed. She writes, "Our
cabin stands among the pines and looks
the eternal mountains In the face. The
last gleam of tho Betting sun is thus left
for my ever-straining eyes, for they are
always searching some landscape for sug
gestion. What strange bits I have filed
away for thought, bits broken from
every corner of the earth. A glimpse of
the Swiss glaciers, pearly and prismatic,
'reaches of rose and gamboge from Italian
sunsets, phosphorescent , swirl of. tropic
seas", conglomerate belchlngs of Colorado
upheavals, stretches of distant peaks,
leaning maglcwards, swathed in the warm
est of Arizona tints, pulsing fields' of green
buds and boughs, and golden gates with i
watery hinges a world full and nothing
lost, for a word turns the backward keys i
of memory and the picture is revealed
again. 1
"On the other side of the "brush, fire my f
husband's Chinese cork hat gleams among
the green pines like the helmet of Na
varre, only a good deal ragged and be
smeared with a .combination of brush
burning results and Testaurant tarnish,
and no modest pen can do adequatejus
tlce to his pantaloons. Tho general dis
solute appearance of this article of wear
ing apparel is enhanced by certain bag
glness eloquently suggestive of limited ra
tions, -while little knobs at the knee3 at
test the .unrelieved stress at this point,
which stress Is confirmed by tenacious
touches of pine-tree gum. Indeed" the
rear presentation of the entire figure,
Bhoulders and elbows as well, reminds
one of Japanese subjects technically un
der conventional treatment, severely out
lined and shorn of lights and shades.
My own conditions are not such as to
warrant boasting. I use lard for toilet,
resin soap for my bath, worn-out lawn
tennis shoes, broken-boned corsets and
silk stockings patched Tvlth. muslin after
the 'most approved esthetic crazy-qullt
design. It is lor the hope to have and
to hold In the glittering legacy of nature
said to be hidden among these snow
capped hills that we, with others, under
take hardships and privations, and sleep
upon cots and hay, and occasionally skip
beef, butter milk and desserts, and go
without newspapers, and wear linen guilt
less of starch or flatirons, .and only clean
through the process of hand-laundering
in a basin.
"The miners blessings on tho big hearts
under the blue shirts bring us 'specimens'
and 'samples' until the mirror upon my
Improvised toilet table reflects more sul
phurets than brushes and moro chlorides
than combs. Tne latest addition Is a 30
pound dornock covered .with greasy little
greenery-yallery flakes of pure chloride
of silver. More discoveries on both sides
of the creek are repqrted. - Jf. but one In.
20 fulfills expectations, this will be tho
largest mining field in the land."
Our hopes were not fulfilled, for the
ledges ."petered," and I returned to law
practice. Before I left that section I was
employed by a gentleman named Shirley
in a cattle case. Among the idiosyncra
cies of Oregon legislation there is or was
a law by which a grand Jury consisted of
only fire members and three of these
could find an indictment It was doubt
less Intended to prevent shooting scrapes
among' cattle-owners. When there was a
quarrel the disputants, instead of shoot
ing each other, would have each other
indicted for stealing steers. There was
seldom a conviction, but the prosecuting
witness gould put his enemy to the cost
and vexation of a trial, and enjoy the
roasting "which his victim would receive
from the lips of the lawyers. My client,
who was one of the wealthiest cattle
owners In Eastern Oregon, was absent lh
the East at the time the other man's
steers s'trayed into the Shirley herd, but
j an Indictment was tound nevertheless,
and I was engaged for the defense. While
we were preparing for trial, the jail and
Courthouse at Baker City was destroyed
by fire, and the Indictment was burned.
Its place could not -be supplied, and the
j grand jury had been discharged. The
I next evening, shortly after the arrival of
the "train from Portland Shirley came
over V the hotel, livid with rage, bring
ing with him a copy of The Oregonlan.
In the press dispatches was a special
from Baker City, saying: "The Court
house was destroyed by fire last night
and all the records wer burned. It is
generally believed that It was fired by J.
C. Shirley, In order to get rid of the in
dictment fotfnd against him for cattle-
stealing." Shirley wanted to sue yhe
Oregonlan and every paper pn the Coast
that contained the paragraph for libel,
and fill every jail in Oregon with editors.
He quieted down, however, at the sug
gestion that Tho Oregonlan would prob
ably retract, apologize and discharge its
malicious correspondent, all of which The
Oregonlan did promptly arid fully, not be
cause of Sulrley's demand, but because it
found, on investigation, that It had been
betrayed by ltscorrespondent-
Months afterward I met Shirley in San
Francisco. "I shall never get rid of that
thing, never," said he. "Last month I
was at the cattle-dealers' convention In
Cheyenne, and when I named a price for
cattle the other fellow would say, 'Why,
Shirley, you ask as much for steers as
though you had bought them,' and after
the convention adjourned three high
binders from Gunnison County came to
me and said they were a committee ap.
pointed to wait on me; that thCy had ah
old ramshackle Courthouse that they
wanted to get rid of, so they4 could erect
a new building; that they understood that
I had"' experience in the business, and
they wanted to know what I would charge
to go there and set fire to it.' " j
Jack Smith was a litigious butcher, and
his lawyer was'aTb"oh vlvant. The New
Year was fairly on its feet when Jake
bristled lito the attorney's office. "I
have called!" said he, "to settle my ac
count. Your meat bill for the year is
$6S5, and I will allow you $500 for your
legal, services." "Jake," replied the law
yer, "you can make out cluier your bill
or mine, just as you like, "but you, can
not make out both." "Oh, why didn't I
ask for your bill before I presented mine,"
said Jake. "It was imprudent," said the
lawyer, "but I am willing to favor you.
Suppose we jump .accounts, and' call it
square?" "Agreed," said the relieved
slaughterer-of cattle.
Is there an Oregonlan of the vlntage'of
1S60 who will fall to recollect Senator J.
W. Nesmlth? His crisp, compact, senten
tious speeches, his breezy style of ad
dresses, and his cautlc wit will be long
remembered by his colleagues of what is
now "the Millionaires' Club." Shortly
after his election to the United States
Senate, a New England Senator ap
proached him In the cloakroom, where he
was enjoying an after-lunch cigar, and
patronizingly inquired: "Well, Brother
Nesmlth. how does It feel to be a Senator
of theUnlted States?"
The Oregonlan looked up and exclaimed:
"Well, Senator, when I firat came 1
wondered how it could be that such a
man as I am could have been elected a
United1 States Senator. I have been here
three weeks, and I wonder now how any
of you ever got here."
Nesmlth used to tell his friends of his
having accepted an invitation to dine
with Jeremiah S. Black. The exigencies
of his life In Oregon never demanded
evening dress, for the old-fashioned, long
tailed, double-breasted, broadcloth frock
was the very summit of the fashion. But
Washington was different, so the Senator
placed a hurry order for a dress suit. It
. arrived just 4n- timet and with- his -stal-
wart form incased in it, he hurried to the,
home of the distinguished Pennsylvanlan.
The servant shawed him Into the drawing-room
and took 'his card. Nesmlth
seated himself and waited for some time.
Finally Mr. Black appeared arrayed In
a dressing-gown and slippers. The twain
entered into conversation and conversed
and conversed and conversed. Seven
o'clock struck, then 8, then D, then 10.
By this time Nesmlth was thoroughly ac
quainted wlh the history of Pennsylvania
from the time of William -enn, and
Black was possessed of all the details of
the" Lewis and Clark expedition.
Shortly after 10 o'clock, Black arose
and said: "You will have to excuse me.
Senator, for I have an appointment with
a lady."
. "I wondered," said Nesmlth, "when din
ner would be ready; and I wondered more
what kind of a lady It was that Black
had an appointment with at that hour."
But the situation was fully explained
to me, when Black added; "You will not
forget. Senator, our dinner party tomor
row night."
A bumptious constituent seeing Ne
smlth conversing with a gentleman on
Pennsylvania avenue, and being unmindful
of the proprieties of the occasion, slapped
the Senator on the back and exclaimed:
"I say, Nes, if I had your cheek, I would
get any office in this Government." Ne
smlth replied, with dignity: "You are
mistaken, sir. If you had what you call
my cheek, with your limited amount of
brains, you would get kicked down Penn
sylvania avenue every day In the week."
New Natural Teeth at 93.
Philadelphia Record.
'To cut a third set of teeth at the age
of 93 Is a remarkable occurrence," said
a dentist, "but such things have-happened.
Samuel Croxallt the translator of Aesop's
Fables, died at 93 froma fever that the
cutting of his third teeth occasioned. I
used to know a Manayunk woman who be
gan to lose her second teeth at the age
of 23. She let them go, and, as one by ono
they went, one by one others succeeded
them, till this woman hadat 25 a third
full equipment of very white, strong teeth.
A man came to- me two years ago to show
me u. front tooth, a third one, that was
growing behind a second tooth. I pulled
out the second tooth, and the third, after
a little persuasion, came forward and
took Its place. One after another In this
way, this man got eight third teeth. To
get third teeth, therefore, is not an abso
lutely unheard-of thing, though it i3 un
common. The cutting of third teeth, by
the way, is attended with fceat pain."
Long Distance Printing Apparatus.
Berlin, Germany, will soon have an electric-distance-printing
apparatus as an ad
junct to the telephone. Through the con
tract with the Postofllce Department, of
which the telegrap"h and telephone system
Is a part, the Ferndrucker Company is
able to establish a special service for sub
scribers in Berlin and Its suburbs, who
can exchange communications in printed
Type by way of the main telegraph office.
The apparatus Is similar to a typewriting
machine. After connection 13 made, com
munication can be had by simply manipu
lating the machine like a typewriter; even
if the addressee be absent, the printing
goes on automatically on tape. The text
of the message Is duplicated on the text
of the sender, so that a correct record is
kept and mistakes in transmission are
avoided. The annual subscription is $119.
bank would get the bulk of the American
business, and would probably do well
from the start, as all foreign banks have
a good business.
A fast line of American steamers should
bo inaugurated to trade between New
York, and Buenos Ayres. It could make
the trip in 17 days, and it would have a
large part of the carrying trade of east
ern South America, which amounts to
more than $100,000,000 a year.
Paraguay and Uruguay.
The -whole valley of the Rio de la Plata
will be opened up in the future, and tho
trade of Interior Brazil will pass through
it on its way out to sea. At present wo
sell much to Uruguay, and we might sell
more If the trade were properly pushed.
That country Is ono of good credit. It Is
on a gold basis, the Uruguayan dollar be
ing worth more than our own. The Ur
uguayans have about the same wants as
those of the Argentines, and similar goods
are In demand.
Paraguay Is exceedingly rich, but far
behind the times along every line of de
velopment. The country has only about
700,000 people, but It could easily feed
7,000,000, and at present; not one acre in 20
Is under cultivation. The land is one of
rich pastures, a fine climate and great
possibilities In the raising of fruits. The
oranges grow wild In its woods, and all
sorts of troplcar fruits can be raised for
the markets of the cities in her south.
At present most of the cottons and wool
ens come from England and Germany,
and It is the same with hardware, though
much of that now sold Is made after
American patterns and marked with
American trade-marks. All over South
America our hardware is considered the
best, and the Yankee revolver, ax and
sewing machine bring the highest prices.
Our Trade With Chile.
Crossing tho continent to the west coast
the most promising country Is Chile. It
has 3,000,000 population, and its inhabit
ants are the most advanced in business
and enterprise of the South American
continent It has a number of good-sized
towns. The capital. Santiago, has now
about 300,000, Valparaiso has 132,000, and
there are a number of other towns rang
ing In size from 50.000 to 15,000.
Chile is a land of rich men. There are
scores of great estates, more than 30,000
persons each owning a farm of 100,000
acres and upward. Some single planta
tions" are worth $1,000,000, and many of the
landowners are millionaires. On some of
these farms the finest agricultural ma
chinery is used. Including steam plows
and steam threshers.
The owners know what good machinery
Is, and a large quantity of our farming
Implements are sold. We also sell mining
machinery In the coal and sliver regions,
and windmill pumps alontx the edge of the
desert. We have furnished a vast amount
of rails and rolling stock for the railways
of Chile. The roads there belong to the
government, which is friendly to tho
United States. It recently Imported 400
freight cars, GO passenger cars and 16
locomotives.
At the same time the Germans and Eng
lish are pushing their trade. In that part
of the world. The Germans are said to
have $25,000,000 Invested In Chile, and
German merchants are to be found in
every town. Valparaiso has so many that
it has German clubs and German book
stores, and the same Is true of the Eng
lish. Foreigners, both English and Ger
man, own large properties in Northern
Chile. Ono of the richest gold miners of
South America Is a Yankee, who lives at
Iquiqui.
Foreigners In Peru.
Both the English and Germans are do
ing a big business In Peru. The greater
part of the coast lands aro desert, but
the Irrigated valleys, fed by the snow
waters of the Andes, have rich sugar
plantations, which largely belong to the
English. Many of these are equipped
.with. American machinery- One planta
tion, which has buildings costing over
$1,000,000, buy3 all Its machinery of Phila
delphia firms.
There are several American syndicates
Interested In Peruvian mines. One large
ly composed of New York and Philadel
phia parties has coal mines in the Andes,
and has projected a railroad to bring the
coal down to the sea. The engineers are,
I believe, now on the ground. Another
syndicate has large silver mines, and
there Is an American smelter back of
Lima on the Oroya Railroad, about 14,000
feet above the sea. 'This railway, which
Is the highest of the world, was built by
an American, who constructed some of
the chief roads on the Western Coast of
the continent.
An English syndicate has a concession
for 5,000,000 acres lying- on the eastern
side of tho Andes, which It proposes to
turn into coffee and rubber plantations.
A large number of trees have been al
ready set out.
Bolivia and Colombia.
The bulk of the foreign trade of Bo
livia is in the hands of the Germans, who
sell all sorts of American goods, Includ
ing sewing machines, typewriters, hard
ware and firearms. The country is un
developed, and there should be a good
opening- there for our hardware, farm
tools, and wagons. - At present there are
some Americans mining In Bolivia. The
country is filled with minerals, Including
gold, sliver, copper and tin. Several
mines are operated with American ma
chinery, which has been brought in pieces
to the seacoast, and there put on the
backs of mules and carried up to the
mines In the mountains.
We sell some goods In Ecuador, and
quite a lot In Colombia. If tho Panama
Canal scheme is carried out, our trade in
the latter country will be greatly In
creased. Colombia Is one of the richest
states of South America, both In fertility
and in mines. More than $700,000,000 worth
of cold has already been talon out of It,
J and the average height of land is so
far above the sea that the climate Is de
, lightf uL FRANK G- CARPENTER.
Jl - fCoaarrfsht, 1003.).
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