HRRHiHiMKHisiaH wrm .. -^ IHB If' m m Mk^^mirilri 1 li 8 1 iLf^E^^M ■■---.-■"-. ,-,* .1 • /4 ■:= cc; o o rm 1 iiiMtt '■/ / 6iS GETTING TOGETHEE WITH LATIN AMERICA BY THE SAME AUTHOR THE BOOK OF THE WEST INDIES A Guide Book, History, and General Descrip- tion in One. Profusely Illustrated, with Maps, a Glossary, and a Compendium of Useful Information. Net $3.00 THE TRAIL OF THE CLOVEN FOOT A thoroughly good story of adventure, full of useful information. Illustrated by Hugh Spencer from photographs made by the author. Net $1.60 NEW YORK E. P. BUTTON & COMPANY 681 Fifth Avenue GETTING TOGETHER WITH LATIN AMERICA BY A. HYATT VERRILL author of "The Book of the West Indies" "The Tbail of the Cloven Foot," etc , • • • > New York E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 681 Fifth Avenue H^ 30^ ^-.^ D Copyright, 1918 By E: p. button & COMPANY All Rights Reserved t < c Printed in the United States of America CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I 1 II 13 III 28 IV 56 V 68 VI 95 VII 108 Appendix . . . ; 125 Argentine Republic 125 Bolivia 130 Brazil 136 British Guiana (Demerara) 145 Chile . - 150 Colombia 153 Costa Rica 159 Cuba 163 Dominican Republic 168 Dutch Guiana (Surinam) 171 Ecuador 174 French Guiana (Cayenne) 180 Guatemala 182 Haiti .185 Honduras 187 Mexico 189 Nicaragua 193 Panama 197 Paraguay 201 Peru 205 Salvador 209 Uruguay 211 Venezuela 216 INTRODUCTION In preparing this book no attempt has been made to go into all the details of Latin Ameri- can trade, and other conditions, or to prepare a complete and analytical treatise on onr past, present and future relations with the republics of South and Central America. To do that would require not one, but many, volumes, each far more comprehensive than the present work, for an entire book might be devoted to the business conditions in each republic. Al- though conditions, customs and affairs diifer greatly in the various countries of Latin America, yet the same generalities prevail, with but few exceptions, and I have endeavored to treat of matters in a broad and comprehensive manner Tvithout the finer distinctions which would relate to individual republics. Moreover, there are certain facts, and many conditions, existent in Latin America, and in our relation to Latin America, which should vi INTRODUCTION be brought to the public notice, and especially to those who desire to further our business and our friendship with the Latin Americans, and which are, I find, largely unknown, or at least, unappreciated. It is to present these matters in a concise, succinct, concrete form that this book has been written, and it has purposely been condensed as much as possible so that the reader may not have to wade through masses of statistical tables and historical data in order to discover w^hy things are as they are, and what we should strive to do in order to improve matters. No doubt I will be accused of being hyper- critical of ourselves and our attitude and of be- ing pro-Latin American. I have tried to be as impartial and as fair as possible; but, to teU the truth, I find far more to criticize in our atti- tude towards the Latin Americans than in their attitude towards us. There is much that might be criticized in Latin America; much that the Latin Americans might do to further mutual good feeling and confidence ; but we must bear in mind that this book is written primarily for North Americans and that, under these cir- INTRODUCTION vll cumstanees, our own shortcomings and a little wholesome advice as to what we should do, are of far more importance to us than the faults and failings of our southern neighbors. Doubtless I am somewhat pro-Latin Ameri- can for I have lived long among the Latin Americans and have mingled freely with all classes and I have invariably found them most courteous and friendly; most hospitable and trustworthy, and while I have not been blinded to their faults, yet, on the whole, I have found them most delightful. I am thoroughly in sympathy with them and I have yet to find the North American who has lived among them, w^ho has familiarized himself with their language, customs, history and viewpoint, and who has associated with them with an open, unprejudiced mind, who did not feel as I do. In addition, by living among the Latin Ameri- cans one can see our own faults and shortcom- ings far more clearly than when judging every- thing from our own viewpoint. As I have tried to make clear in the follow- ing pages, our attitude towards Latin America has always been one sided and we have ever viii INTRODUCTION tried to force tliem to our ways and have never seriously endeavored to propitiate them, and yet, the advantages to be derived by us are far greater than they will derive from us. More- over, in the past, a great many of our business men have found it *^too much trouble'' to bother about the Latin American trade, ap- parently overlooking the fact that anything worth while requires a vast amount of work and trouble. But the war, which will alter the face of Europe, is also bound to revolutionize condi- tions in Latin America and it has already bound the three Americas with closer ties and with more common interests than ever before. Let us hope, that with the dawn of peace, these bonds may be still further cemented by an ever-increasing friendship, respect, con- fidence and commerce between our southern neighbors and ourselves. But do not let us delude ourselves with the idea that we are going to have an easy row to hoe; that Germany's commerce and trade with South America is at an end, or that the close of the war will find us with a free hand and INTRODUCTION ix an open field in Latin America. Competition will be far greater than ever before in Latin America and only by taking advantage of the present conditions, by proving by word and deed that we are the best friends the Latin Americans have, by convincing them that we are sincere in our expressed sentiments for an enduring Pan-Americanism and that we are allies in more than name only, can we hope to win the commercial war which w^e must wage in order to secure and hold our prestige in Latin America and reap the benefits which should be ours. In order to provide an easy means of refer- ence, and to furnish my readers with the more salient facts regarding the various Latin American republics, I have added the Ap- pendix, wherein will be found an alphabetically arranged list of all the Central and South American countries, and the insular republics as well, with their areas, populations, products and other data which should be of value and interest to everyone interested in Latin Amer- ica or its trade. Although not properly in- cluded among the Latin American countries X INTRODUCTION yet tlie Guianas are so closely identified with them, and, moreover, present such wonderful opportunities for development, trade and busi- ness, that I have embodied them in the Ap- pendix. No doubt, errors may be found in the various statements and statistics given in con- nection with the various countries, for in many cases no definite official figures are available; in other cases the population and other statis- tics are merely estimated, and in the remain- ing instances the most recent obtainable figures are several years old. Moreover, great changes have taken place in Latin America since the war; certain exports have fallen oif; others have greatly increased ; great development has taken place in certain lines and values of vari- ous commodities and products have advanced by leaps and bounds. But on the whole, the figures and the data given will be found prac- tically correct and they, at least, will serve to give an idea of the comparative sizes, prod- ucts, resources, populations and other impor- tant details of the Latin American countries and which are all too little known to the average man. GETTING TOGETHER WITH LATIN AMERICA GETTING TOGETHER WITH LATIN AMERICA CHAPTER I Much has been said and written in regard to improving our relations with Latin America and securing a greater portion of South American trade and since the outbrealv of the European war, and more especially since our entry into the conflict and the declarations of war by various Latin American republics, our opportunities have been marvelously in- creased and have been more insistently urged than ever before. And yet, on the whole, w;e haye_ accomplished little, and despite the ex- ceptional chances offered us, we are still far behind hand in cementing enduring friendships with our southern neighbors and in securing their lasting trade. 2 GETTING TOGETHER To be sure, a certain number of manufac- turers and exporters have established lucrative businesses in Latin America and a far larger portion of South American purchases have been made in the United States than before the war, but, as a rule, this has been through necessity rather than through choice or any effort on our part and much of the existing commerce will revert to Europe eventually, unless we overcome our apathy and take the matter seriously into consideration. Why these conditions obtain is a rather diffi- cult question to answer for there are a multi- tude of factors entering into it. But in the following pages I shall endeavor to point out our shortcomings and their causes, as well as to suggest ways and means for overcoming them and, in addition, I will try to sketch con- ditions in Latin America as I have found them during the war. Many people have an inclination to place the blame on the Latin Americans, claiming they are pro-German at heart, that their professed sympathies with the Allies, and even their declarations of war and their severance of WITH LATIN AIVIERICA 3 diplomatic relations with Germany, are merely bluffs to serve mercenary ends and that, in reality, the Latin American countries do not wish to deal with us and secretly detest and hate us. But this is far from being the case, although, to tell the truth, if the majority oi Latin Americans really were pro-German rather than pro-American at heart we could scarcely blame them if we look at the matter from a broad-minded, impartial point of view. In the first place, the majority of Latin Ameri- can countries have suffered little if any from the horrors of war or from Teutonic brutali- ties and f rightfulness ; the war has been a dis- tant thing, and while it has cut off much of their trade and has caused immense losses and no little suffering, yet it has not been vividly brought home to them, while German propa- ganda, and lack of American propaganda to offset it, has had its effect. In the second place; our attitude towards Latin America in the past has not been such as to inspire a vast amount of confidence or love and we have done little and have made few serious efforts to overcome the natural racial prejudice and the 4 GETTING TOGETHER mutual misunderstandings which exist between the Latin and Anglo-Saxon races or between Catholic and Protestant countries. Europeans, on the other hand, — and espe- cially the Germans, — ^have always aimed to establish and maintain friendly relations with the Latin Americans and have adopted ways, means and customs, in so far as trade and com- merce are concerned, suited to South Ameri- can conditions. Moreover, vast numbers of Latin Americans have been educated in Europe and have visited the continent and have made enduring friendships there, and as a result, they naturally feel more at home with Euro- peans than with us and are more familiar with European than with North American customs, life and languages. But despite these facts, the Latin Americans are ready and willing to throw their lots with us ; to follow in our lead ; to establish true Pan- Americanism and to give us the bulk of their trade, provided we meet them half way. But before we can hope to accomplish much we must overcome all racial and religious prejudices and distrust and in order to do this we must acquire a more ac- WITH LATIN AMERICA 5 curate knowledge of our southern neighbors. And this knowledge should not be confined to the geography of their countries, to their lives, their language and their commercial wants, but should include a study of their history, litera- ture, arts and traditions, for to the Latin American tradition and history are sacred things and he is justly proud of his art and literature, and these matters have a far greater influence upon his customs, temperament and life than among ourselves. It is all very well to advocate the study of Spanish and Portuguese, but a knowledge of the South American tongues is but a stepping stone to the equally important study of their history and civilization. Indeed, of all fac- tors which have kept the North and South Americans apart, I would place ignorance first, for not only are we wofully ignorant of the Latin Americans, but they are oftentimes very ignorant of us. In fact, long association and dealings with Europe has left the Latin Americans with very erroneous ideas of the United States and its people, and in many cases these ideas have been insidiously instilled and 6 GETTING TOGETHER carefully fostered and nourished by Germans and other interested parties, prominent among whom are the turbulent, selfish politicians who resent any interference with their revolution- ary activities. And as the bulk of Latin Americans are a credulous, uneducated and simple lot the most impossible stories are given credence, while many of our past actions, and especially the outrageous behavior of ad- venturers and unscrupulous individuals, have proven excellent foundations of truth upon which to build vast fabrics of fiction designed to instil a hatred and distrust of all North Americans in the bosoms of the Latin Ameri- can masses. And here it may be well to call attention to our bumptious manner of abrogating to our- selves the term '^Americans,'' although we are no more Americans than are the natives of Canada, Brazil, Venezuela or any other land in the New World and yet, despite the fact that our whole country is smaller than one single South American republic, we take unto our- selves the name ** American" as if, forsooth, we were the only denizens of the New World WITH LATIN AMERICA 7 worthy of any consideration. Latin Americans invariably resent this attitude and politely call attention to our conceit by speaking of us as '* North Americans,'^ although, through cus- tom and long usage, the majority of South Americans now speak of us as ** Americans'* and of themselves as *^ South Americans/' But this is one of the least obnoxious of our irritating customs and our patronizing ways. Latin Americans are a very susceptible people and nothing hurts them worse than ridicule and yet ninety-nine out of every hundred of us constantly poke fun at Latin America and its people and ridicule the customs, ways, and manners of the inhabitants at every oppor- tunity. In addition, we treat them in a con- temptuous manner, look upon them as inferiors, criticize their habits, endeavor to upset or revolutionize their time-honored customs and consider ourselves superior and our own ways preferable, and openly speak of them as Greasers and Spigottis. Even in the Canal Zone and Panama, government employees, offi- cials and resident Americans speak of the natives as ** Spigottis '^ and yet, if it had not 8 GETTING TOGETHER been for these selfsame ^ ' Spigottis/ * the canal could not have been put through, unless we frankly and openly waged war and seized their lands, and it would be a mighty good thing for all concerned if the use of this obnoxious term by any Zone employee meant his immediate discharge. Worst of all, such behavior on our part is without the least reason or excuse. Latin American ways are not our ways, Latin Ameri- can civilization is not our civilization and Latin American nature is not our nature. But Latin American lives, customs, manners and habits have been evolved and brought about by environment, ancestry and temperament and are just as well suited to the people as are our own, and it is the height of effrontery on our part to try to alter them or to force the Latin Americans to our ways and manner of life, thought and business. No doubt, — to the Ger- mans, — Hun ''Kultur'' is the ideal state and Teutonic frightfulness is desirable, but we can't see it in that light and don't want it forced upon us and yet I doubt if Germanism or Prussianism would be any more distasteful WITH LATIN AMERICA 9 to us than North Americanism or Yankeeism to the Latin Americans. As an example of our overbearing and bumptious attitude let me cite a case which came under my own observation in Cuba. Here the natives have established a country club; a delightful place Avith palatial club- house, enormous grounds, splendid equipment and every luxury and convenience. Conceived and carried out by the Cubans, paid for by them and maintained at their owti expense, yet, with the customary Latin American courtesy, they permitted many resident Americans to become members and always welcomed strangers from the States. And with what result? Very soon the North Americans looked upon the club as theirs, they treated the native members with arrogance and contempt and they openly boasted that they were going to ^^ force the Cubans ouf and make it a strictly American club. And this is not an exceptional case for I could mention scores of similar instances; but one other will suffice. While I was in Panama a dance was given at the Tivoli Hotel to which 10 GETTING TOGETHER natives, North Americans and Army and Naval officers were alike welcome. There were pres- ent a number of officers of the Porto Rican regiment and one young American officer re- fused to dance with a young lady because she had danced with a Porto Rican and stated that he couldn't mingle with the natives and Porto Ricans as they were all ** niggers'' when, as a matter of fact, many of them came of far older and better families than his own. Such behavior as this will destroy more friendship and confidence in us than years of e:ffort will build up; but it is typical of the attitude of the majority of our citizens in Latin America. Of course Latin Americans have their faults, failings and shortcomings, just as we have ours; but their civilization is far older than ours, they are our superiors in many ways and because, in certain respects, they are not up to our standards of progress, business methods, sanitation, morality or industry, there is no reason to condemn or underrate them, for with equal logic they could turn the tables on us. Those who don't like Latin American WITH LATIN AMERICA 11 ways should by all means keep out of Latin America; but if we expect to accomplish any- thing of lasting value in the southern repub- lics we must- learn to see the good and the admirable of the countries and their people instead of seeing- only their faults and their failings. And there is much of good and much that is worthy of admiration and even of imita- tion in Latin America. In courtesy, honest business methods, hospitality and many other traits the Latin American is our superior, and in richness, fertility, resources, and in many places, climate, the Latin American countries are far ahead of the greater part of our own land. Moreover, their failings, as judged from our standpoint, are due largely to en- vironment and, as a rule, the North American who dwells in South America and starts out to revolutionize the local customs and habits, soon adopts the ways of the natives and goes them one better. We hear much of the **manana'^ tfabit of Latin Ajnericans, but my experience has been that this habit in its most exaggerated form is far commoner among our countrymen resi- 12 GETTING TOGETHER dent in South America than among the natives. A Latin American may put you off until to- morrow; but the transplanted North American puts you off "until next week and then doesn't keep his promise. In fact, a large part of what we think we know about South America is utter nonsense and the first thing we must do is to unlearn nearly all our accepted ideas of South America and its inhabitants. So let us cast aside all prejudice, all traditional foolishness and, with an open mind, consider the facts as they are and not as we would wish them and try to see wherein we have so signally failed to establish the mutual confidence and friendship, the brotherly relations and the lucrative commerce and business which should exist between the northern and the southern continents and then, having analyzed this side of the question, we may better understand what we must do in the future. WITH LATIN AMERICA 13 CHAPTER II It has become quite customary to blame the war for everything, and no doubt the war, which has done so much to further Pan- Ameri- canism, has also been a great factor in pre- venting its accomplishment. Lack of tonnage, embargos on exports and imports, and the general disruption of business in wartime, have done much to prevent us from developing our interests in Latin Amer- ica; but even considering these matters, we have not made the progress we should. By bitter experience we have learned that in time of peace we must prepare for war and we must also learn that in time of war we must prepare for peace, and one of the most important of these preparations is to establish such close relations with Latin America that they cannot be severed by Europeans, and will remain firm, unbroken and vital long after the war has become mere history. 14 GETTING TOGETHER I have already spoken of our erroneous ideas of Latin America and its inhabitants, and among the greatest of our mistakes is our habit of looking upon all Latin Americans as of the same race, with common characteristics, habits, customs and ways. As a matter of fact, there is a vast difference between the various peoples of Latin America. To be sure, they are all of Spanish or Portuguese descent, but the term ^' Spanish'^ covers a great variety of races, for in Spain there are Andalusians, Catalans, Gallegos, Basques, Castilians, Navar- rese, etc., each with their oAvn distinctive char- acteristics, ways, and dialects, and the various portions of Latin America were originally settled by immigrants from various parts of Spain with the result that to-day we find the dominant peculiarities of each provincial race still strongly in evidence. Thus, in Costa Eica, we find the fair-skinned, light-haired, blue-eyed Catalan type, while in neighboring Panama, the dark-haired, brown-eyed, olive- skinned type of southern Spain is predomi- nant. Moreover, through centuries of life in the WITH LATIN AMERICA 15 New World, and through an admixture with the aboriginal Indians and the colored race, the Latin Americans have developed a great variety in characters, appearances, tempera- ments, ideals, customs and even in languages. Many North Ajnericans labor under the delu- sion that all Latin Ajnericans have a large proportion of negro blood in their veins, but this is also a grave mistake which has largely been brought about by judging all Latin Ameri- cans by the few. In Santo Domingo, Cuba, Panama and else- where, and in the majority of South Ajnerican Atlantic coastal towns, the bulk of the popu- lation, — and that implies the bulk of the laboring classes, — is decidedly colored it is true, but there are many South American countries, such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Eica, etc., where the black or colored race is practically non-existent, and even in a repub- lic where colored blood predominates in some localities, one may find that in another portion of the same country colored people are seldom seen. Thus, in the Darien district of Panama, near 16 GETTING TOGETHER the Colombian border, the natives are nearly- all negroes, whereas, in the Veraguas and Chiriqui districts, north of the Canal Zone, the people are largely of pure Spanish blood or of mixed Spanish and Indian descent. An equally great variation in customs, manners and prog- ress is also to be found in Latin America, or even in different portions of a single republic. One may find the coastal towns dilapidated, dirty, poverty stricken and moribund, and yet, the inland cities and capitals may be thor- oughly modern, sanitary, clean, rich in mag- nificent buildings and palatial residences and filled with industry. Even those of our own people who actually have visited South Amer- ica are often sadly lacking in a true knowl- edge of the conditions and the people, for the average traveler seldom goes beyond the coast towns and chief ports and wrongly judges the whole country by the glimpses he obtains from a hurried drive or walk about the streets. As a rule, the coastal districts are the hot- test, most unhealthful and undesirable parts of the countries, and their inhabitants are WITH LATIN AMERICA 17 largely of tlie lowest and most ignorant class of laborers, and it is no more possible to form a true opinion of a Latin American republic by its ports than to judge the United States and its people by New York's waterfront or the lower East side. We would scoff at the foreigner who drew conclusions of Boston, Chicago, St. Louis or Washington from a brief visit to New York or CharlestowTi ; who at- tempted to judge of California's climate or customs from a few days in New England, or who wrote a book on the United States and its inhabitants after a journey from New York to Boston or Providence, and yet, we are con- stantly doing the same thing as regards Latin America. Indeed, what intelligent idea would a tramp obtain of our country by hiking from New York to Chicago, avoiding large towns and eating and sleeping at farm houses and laborers' shacks? What opinion could he form of our people or ways from the treatment afforded a tramp? He might be intelligent, educated, respectable, but the very fact that he was footing it, was dusty, travel-stained and roughly clad, would preclude his being treated 18 GETTING TOGETHER otherwise than as a tramp. Let any one of my readers try the experiment if he will. And suppose this same tramp was a South Ameri- can, perhaps tinged with colored or Indian blood, possessing a knowledge, but not a com- plete mastery, of our tongue, and looked upon with more or less suspicion and distrust by the ignorant, narrow-minded countrypeople, and we may imagine what sort of a story he would tell of North Americans and their ways. And yet, when one of our people assumes the manner and appearance of a tramp and makes a journey through the backyards of a small section of South America the result of his ex- periences and his observations are hailed as the last word and the truest insight into the lives, habits and conditions of our Latin American neighbors. Can we wonder therefore that such travel- ers, and such books and articles as they pro- duce, are thorns in the side of the Latin Americans and that they do an incalculable amount of harm and prove a most potent factor in preventing closer relations with South America 1 WITH LATIN AMERICA 19 But most of our ignorance of our South American friends is due to the lack of interest we have taken in them and to our smug, self complacency and conceit; to the misleading proportions of South America as compared to North America on our ordinary maps and geographies, and to a long cherished belief that South America is a hot, dangerous, un- healthful wilderness inhabited by savages, wild beasts and semi-civilized, brigandish cut- throats who dwell in tumble-down, filthy, pest holes and whose sole occupations are highway robbery and bull fighting. This may seem like an exaggeration, but even in many of the geographies in daily use in our schools to-day, we will find less space devoted to the whole of South America than to some unimportant European colony in equatorial Africa, while the sole illustration depicts veritable menag- eries of wild beasts and gigantic reptiles in impossible jungles ; piratical-looking horsemen driving naked negro slaves in the fields, or earthquakes demolishing imaginary cities to the accompaniment of marvelous lightning, tor- rential rains and howling hurricanes. It is 20 GETTING TOGETHER high time that our schools devoted more atten- tion to Latin America and that our text books contained sufficient, reliable information on South America to instil an interest in the marvelous land to the south of ours. And when I state that the majority of North Americans know little or nothing of Latin America, and that what they think they know is usually erroneous, I am not exaggerating. If we look into the matter, and all we have to do to prove my statement is to ask our friends and our acquaintances a few questions, we will find a lamentable lack of knowledge, a marvel- ous ignorance and almost incredibly false ideas of Latin America even among otherwise well educated people and business men. How many can name the capitals of South and Central America; how many can tell their largest ports, or can even be sure if certain republics have seaports? Question your friends, among business men, as to the leading imports and exports of Latin America; ask them the num- ber of miles of railways in operation, or the time it takes to reach the countries; try to ascertain any facts in regard to them, and, WITH LATIN AMERICA 21 eight times but of ten, you ^11 find they have but the haziest ideas about anything in Latin America. Indeed, few of us have even the faintest true conception of the sizes of the South American Republics. We are so accustomed to thinking of them as remote, insignificant, little-account places that we haven't ever had the truth brought home to us. Moreover, we are so wrapped up in our national pride, and have been so impressed with the vast size, wealth and power of our own wonderful land, that we have quite forgotten that the United States doesn't occupy the larger part of the Western Hemisphere, or that our teeming millions don't form the largest and only worthwhile portion of the New World's inhabitants. But we shouldn't let national pride blind us to im- portant facts. Don't overlook the fact that of the hundred and fifty odd million people in the Western Hemisphere, over sixty-five millions are Latin Americans, and don't forget that these same Latin Americans occupy and own three- fourths of the twelve million square miles of earth which comprise the republics of the New 22 GETTING TOGETHER World. The United States is a marvelous land of immense proportions but that should not prevent us from remembering that our entire country, ^^haut Alaska, could be set down in Brazil and still leave room for New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Dela- ware to fill in around the edges. Recollect that the Argentine is equal in size to all the United States east of the Mississippi with the first tier of States west of it in addition. In little Bolivia we could find room for every State on the Atlantic coast from Maine to Alabama, while Uruguay, smallest of South American republics, is larger than New York and West Virginia combined and is twice the size of Portugal. Only by such comparisons, only by keeping such facts fresh in our minds, can we appre- ciate the size, the importance and the possibili- ties of Latin America. And, perhaps more important yet, especially to the business man, is the fact that these countries annually draw upon the outside world for over nine hundred million dollars worth of goods. That we can furnish practically all of this stupendous quan- WITH LATIN AMERICA 23 tity of material goes without saying, but not- withstanding this fact Europe controls, or did until the war, 86 per cent of these Latin Ameri- can imports. Why, we may ask, has France furnished five times as many motor cars, Germany twenty times as many iron beams and structural material and England twice as much machinery as ourselves? Why can we point to but 14 per cent of the export trade to Latin America as our share in the past, when there is notliing furnished by Europe which we cannot supply and which our geo- graphical, economical and industrial position should enable us to furnish cheaper and better than any other country? The answer is not far to seek, but the reason is due to many causes. Ignorance of Latin America is one, lack of effort is another; absence of cooperation is a third, want of organization is still another; improper repre- sentation is another, and finally, there is our inherent, long, but falsely fostered prejudice against the Latin Americans as a race We are brought up to believe that our south- ern neighbors are savage, dissolute, immoral, M GETTING TOGETHER bloodthirsty, lawless and dishonest ; that every- one in Latin America is lazy and that their countries are backward; that a foreigner's life and property is unsafe on Latin American soil, that revolutions are as much a part of the daily routine as coffee for breakfast, that the cities are pest holes of disease ; that venom- ous snakes and obnoxious insects swarm and that filth, disease and death menace the trav- eler at every step. It seems almost ridiculous to denounce such ideas as absolutely false, to brand stories of such things as unmitigated lies and to point out the utter fallacy of such beliefs. True it is that many of our sister republics have had difficulty in maintaining stable gov- ernments, that revolutions have been frequent and that unprincipled, dishonest men have been too often in power. But such conditions are not universal nor typical, and many of the Latin American governments are as stable, as honestly administered and have enjoyed as long periods of peace as any other countries. Even when revolutions do occur, the lives and properties of foreigners are seldom jeopard- WITH LATIN AIMERICA 25 ized, unless the said foreigners have been actively interested in politics or have taken part in an insurrection. As far as anti- Ameri- can feeling is concerned I have yet to find it, although one often finds mighty good reasons for it to exist. Also, the Latin American has a different code of morals from ours; but h'^ is seldom dissolute and it is rare indeed to -see an intoxicated person in Latin America, while serious crimes, such as highway robbery, bur- glary, rape, etc., are almost unkno^vn. Both in business and private life Latin Americans are as honest, and often far more honest, than ourselves; they are kindhearted, sympathetic and hospitable instead of bloodthirsty; their' seeming laziness is merely their sensible adap- tation to a climate which one must bow to; many of their cities are more modern, more beautiful and far more cleanly than our own and the mortality in most of them is lower than that of New York or Boston. Venomous snakes are perhaps the rarest living things in Latin America, the noxious insects are con- fined to the forests and the hovels and in few Latin Ajnerican countries or towns can we find 26 GETTING TOGETHER as many flies or mosquitoes as in our own cities. Many of our foolish misconceptions of Latin Americans have been brought about through our boyhood tales of blood and thunder in which the Latin American was invariably the villain with a knife in his boot and who was a treacherous, vindictive, swarthy cut-throat to whom all other men and women were legitimate prey. But such characters do not exist in real life. Few Latin Americans possess knives and still fewer possess boots, and those who have the wherewithal to own either, are educated, gentlemanly, law abiding, cultured men. And when we visit a Latin American country, and instead of the black-browed, greasy-haired, fierce visaged villains we have pictured we find light-haired, clear-skinned, blue-eyed men and the fairest of fair women we are almost shocked to find how erroneously we have judged our neighbors to the south. But even if we disabuse our minds of such silly beliefs, even if we are familiar with the sizes, the development, the importance of Latin American countries, we often fail througH ignorance of conditions and customs. WITH LATIN AMERICA 27 Our own business manners are so brusque, so devoid of courtesies, so separated from social life and are rushed through so rapidly, that we cannot understand or adapt ourselves to the totally different conditions which prevail in Latin America. I have said before that until we study the history, art, literature and language of Latin America we cannot hope to acquire a true in- sight into the Latin American people, and such studies should be a part of our common school education, or at least a selective study in the high schools. It may be argued that the average man or woman has no reason to take an interest in South America or has no cause to acquire a knowledge of our Latin American neighbors and their customs. This may be very true in a way, but neither has the average man or woman any real and valid reason for studying algebra, geometry or Greek, and yet, we consider them a necessary part of our edu- cational system. 28 GETTING TOGETHER CHAPTER III South Amekicans, as a rule, — that is the educated class, — are far better informed of the outside world than are we, and practically every Latin American of the better class has a speaking knowledge of French, and often of German, as well as of English and his own tongue, and it is little wonder that the Latin American laughs in his sleeve, being too courte- ous to laugh openly, at our boasted superiority and culture when he finds that we send diplo- matic representatives, and even salesmen, to his land, who cannot speak, read or under- stand any language save English. This matter of representatives is a most im- portant one, and especially as it refers to our diplomatic and consular service. Our consular service has been criticized and condemned for a long time and there is a popular idea that it has been vastly improved in recent years. But my experience in tropical America extends WITH LATIN AMERICA 29 over a period of thirty years and I cannot see that any real headway has been made in ap- pointing more capable or creditable repre- sentatives than in the past. Many of our con- sular officers are intelligent, hard working, conscientious men and splendidly fitted for their positions, provided they were assigned to the proper countries. But in a great many cases these men are misfits and are absolutely unable to accomplish results in the lands wherein thev are stationed. I know of one vice consul w^ho had been years in the service in Japan and China, where he acquired a thorough knowledge of conditions, customs and language, and who was then transferred to France, where his knowledge of French and his love of the people caused him to take an intense interest in his duties and where he should have been a highly valuable man. Then, without apparent rhyme or reason, he was shifted suddenly to a Latin American post. He was absolutely ignorant of Spanish, he de- tested the place and the people; he had no interest in his new duties and, being com- pelled to transact all his business through a 30 GETTING TOGETHER native interpreter, lie was thoroughly dis- gusted mth his lot, and made no effort to ac- complish anything and was dissatisfied, pes- simistic and a decided hindrance instead of a help. His was no exceptional case, for I have known of dozens of our consular representa- tives who have been shifted from pillar to post and from country to country until, in despair, they gave up all attempts to master the tongues of the people or to become familiar with local conditions. And no one can blame them. What incentive is there to learn a language and study conditions and politics when at any time one may be sent to some far distant post where all one's patiently acquired knowledge will go for naught? Not only does such a system lead to men being assigned to posts for which they are not adapted, but it tends also to lower the efficiency and value of the entire consular system by discouraging any attempts on the part of the individuals to equip themselves to deal with local conditions. Why cannot we keep our representatives in countries for which they are fitted? If a man speaks French why not transfer him from one WITH LATIN AMERICA U French-speaking conntry to another! If he speaks Spanish, let him remain in lands where Spanish is spoken. Surely this is logical and sensible and is also good business sense. But under our present system it would appear as if every member of our diplomatic corps was numbered and that when a vacancy was to be filled, or a change made, the numbers were shaken up in a hat and drawn by someone blindfolded. But a still more objectionable feature of our consular service is the fact that a large por- tion of our representatives are absolutely un- fitted for any post. Many of them are dis- solute, ignorant, narrow-minded, prejudiced, lazy or mere nonentities ; while many more are decent enough chaps, but having obtained their positions through political influence, they have no idea of their duties and appear to think that Uncle Sam is paying them to have a good time and to let the native clerk run the consulate. Consular conditions may be worse in Latin America than elsewhere, but they are so bad in Latin America that when one does find a conscientious, useful, courteous official S2 GETTING TOGETHER who upholds his post with dignity and who de- mands and receives respect for himself and our flag, one is filled with surprise and marvels at such a unique character. And it is not only among the underlings of the service that we find deplorable conditions. Can we wonder that the natives, and resident North Ameri- cans, have little respect for a United States Minister who is the subject of gossip, in- nuendos and scandal, or that our diplomatic force should be laughed at when a Second Secretary of Legation spends most of his time flirting with married women, or in the com- pany of native demi-mondaines, and whose be- havior was such that he became a public nuisance and was warned by the management of his hotel that unless his conduct was less objectionable he would be asked to leave. Still others of our representatives who should be weeded out are those who have per- sonal interests or investments in the countries to which they are assigned, and who for selfish motives, do all in their power to prevent others of their countrymen from embarking in busi- ness, development or any other industry in the WITH LATIN AMERICA 33 country. All of these various types I have met and have known and even among the few decent, capable, disinterested and efficient officers I have run across, I have found many who, through thoughtlessness or ignorance, have done much to prevent closer ties between the United States and the lands where they were stationed, or who were disliked by the natives omng to some act, word or deed of their own or their wives and which were quite unintentional. Thus, in one South American republic, I found the consul's wife was in the habit of holding religious services in the rooms over the consulate. To the natives of this Catholic country this savored of proselyting under the protection and official sanction of the United States government and the consul and his wife were consequently looked upon with distrust and dislike and were avoided and ig- nored on every occasion. Moreover, the people were convinced that our government was striving to overthrow their religion. This proved a splendid opportunity for Teutonic propagandists and the belief was fed and 34 GETTING TOGETHER fostered by the pro-German element. As a matter of fact, the consul's wife was perfectly innocent of the hornet's nest she was stirring up, but if she or her husband had possessed any common sense, or had been familiar with the Spanish language and local conditions, they would have held the services in some other building, and no harm would have re- sulted, although even then their actions would have been in bad taste. Where the blame for such conditions lies I cannot state, but I presume, that like nearly everything else in our dealings with Latin America, it is due to ignorance of conditions. At any rate it is not due to ignorance of facts for many persons, including myself, have pointed out most flagrant cases of unsuitable representatives, both officially and in print, and yet nothing is done and no attention paid to the matter. It is a very unwise plan to criticize without suggesting a remedy and the remedy in this case is simple. Appoint men to represent us who are worthy to do so and pay them enough to get good men. At present we pay starvation WITH CATIN AMERICA 35 wages, and unless a man lias an independent income, he cannot afford to accept a consulate position, if he^s good for anything. We are the richest country in the world and we pay our consuls the lowest salaries and we cannot expect to get good men unless we pay them salaries in accord with the qualifications they should possess. Then, having secured good men, we should use sense and discrimination in assigning them, and having once proved their worth and ability, keep them in countries with the language and customs of wliich they are familiar. And finally, cast aside a mass of red tape, for red tape is responsible for fully half of our nonsensical and short-sighted pol- icy towards Latin America. If three disin- terested, respectable people complain of a consular official, that official should promptly be removed, for it's morally certain there's something wrong, and a long official investiga- tion, and ponderous unwinding of countless layers of red tape, won't make it right, al- though the aforesaid red tape may so entangle the facts that the offending consular officer may retain his position, to the lasting detri- 36 GETTING TOGETHER ment of the service and our goverinneiit ^s reputation. And many of the business representatives which we send to South America are very nearly as bad as our diplomats. Exporters and manufacturers who have been dealing for a long time with Latin America have learned to discriminate and to select men who are fitted for the work to represent their houses and sell their goods. But a great many firms who are striving to secure a share of South American trade seem to think that any salesman is good enough for Latin America, while still others employ men who speak Spanish or Portuguese and deem that all sufficient. Of course the Spanish or Portuguese speak- ing salesmen have a great advantage over their competitors, who are obliged to depend upon interpreters, but speaking the language does not necessarily imply that the man can get orders. A knowledge of the countries visited, of the people, their customs, lives, and business methods, of the resources of the land and what they produce and what they require are all essential, and, in addition, to be really sue- WITH LATIN AMERICA ST cessful, tlie salesman visiting Latin America must be conversant with the transportation facilities of the countries, and the proper routing and the climatic conditions. There are hosts of splendidly competent salesmen travel- ing through Latin America but there are two poor men to every good one and many a firm has become discouraged, and has given up all efforts to secure Latin American trade, when the entire fault was the incompetency of its representatives. Moreover it is not alone our trade and busi- ness relations that suffer from improperly se- lected salesmen, for the matter has also a very direct bearing upon successful Pan- American- ism. Foolish as it is, the Latin Americans, like ourselves, are all too prone to judge the many by the few, and, in many parts of South Amer- ica, the only North Americans ever seen are traveling salesmen. Thus, it is easy to under- stand that an uneducated, ignorant, rude or patronizing man may cause the people to take an intense dislike for North Americans in general and to become firmly convinced that we are all *^Pigs." 38 GETTING TOGETHER Of course, a great many of these men do secure orders and a certain amount of trade, but this is not because of their personality, but in spite of it. The South American is seldom so shortsighted as to bite off his own nose and if his only opportunity to secure the goods he requires is through an objectionable or im- politic salesman he'll place his orders rather than go without. And this is unquestionably the reason why so many incompetents succeed in holding down their jobs. But getting orders is not by any means the most important factor in the establishment of a lasting Latin Ameri- can trade. The Latin American may be will- ing to sacrifice his finer feelings and overcome his repugnance towards boorish salesmen in order to maintain his business during the war, but he will not continue to do so after the war is over and trained, competent European salesmen once more enter the field, for, with few exceptions, the European salesman is gen- tlemanly, educated, familiar with the customs and language of the countries he visits, and in addition, is a born diplomat. He mingles with the people socially, he is well informed on WITH LATIN AMERICA 39 political, financial, and international subjects and he devotes as much or even more, of his time to establishing friendships and pleasant relations as to securing trade and placing orders. Of course many of our salesmen are also in this class and are just as competent and well equipped for their work as any of their European competitors. But the fact that the European is usually a superior salesman to our own is well recog- nized by many American firms and a number of our largest and most successful exporters employ British, French, Danish or other Euro- pean salesmen to represent them in Latin America. In many out of the way spots in Latin America business representatives are often the only foreigners known to the natives, and even in the better known and more cos- mopolitan towns, they are more closely in touch with the people than any other class of visitors. As a result, they possess unique and exceptional opportunities for influencing the attitude and opinions of the natives and for bringing us more closely in touch and sym- pathy with the Latin Americans. In fact, it is 40 GETTING TOGETHER no exaggeration to state tliat really good sales- men and business representatives are of more value and importance than the diplomatic representatives and that they have it in their power to do far more harm, or good, than our consular officers. Salesmen of the type we should send to Latin America are not common and they are not cheap, and the manufacturer or exporter who tries to economize on his representatives makes a tremendous mistake. I have known of hard-headed, keen business men objecting strenuously to an expense bill of a few hundred dollars for entertainments sent in by his repre- sentative in Latin America and yet, the value of the orders received through the expenditure was many times the cost of the entertainment. Social and business life are closely asso- ciated in Latin America, and the Latin Ameri- can is a free spender and the salesman who w^ould succeed must be in a position, both so- cially and financially, to entertain as lavishly and to spend as freely as the people he visits. To stop at second-rate hotels, to confine one's activities to business hours and to accept the WITH LATIN AMERICA 41 hospitality of tlie people and give nothing in return, or even to refrain from mingling mtli them in their pastimes, their recreations and their clubs is poor policy and poorer economy. Moreover, the puritanical, narrow-minded^ strait-laced individual mil never succeed in Latin America. Far be it from me to ad- vocate drinking, gambling and similar pur- suits, but the Latin Americans possess a dis- tinctly different moral code from ours and look upon such things as a matter of course, and they resent criticism, either spoken or implied. It is not necessary to become a drunkard in order to drink a glass of beer or a cocktail with Latin- American friends and one is not neces- sarily a gambler if he throws dice, plays poker or bets on horse races, and even if one's con- science will not permit one to do these things one may at least refrain from visibly and ostentatiously frowning upon them and preach- ing against them. Neither salesmen nor con- suls are sent to South America as moral censors or missionaries and yet many of them appear to think that they are, and make their presence obnoxious by the attitude of superior 42 GETTING TOGETHER righteousness they assume. There is little choice between such men and the dissolute, im- moral, degenerates I have mentioned, and, of the two, I believe the smug, canting Puritan is the worst. Nine times out of ten such men are hypocrites and the people know it, for it's a mighty hard job to keep one's feelings con- cealed in a Latin- American town where scandal and gossip are rife and where one's life is practically public throughout the whole twenty- four hours of the day. But even worse than such men are those who are continuously criti- cizing all things Latin American, who are constantly boasting of the superiority of their own people, their own land and their own customs and who hold themselves as aloof as though contamination would result if they mingled with the natives, though they are glad enough to book their orders and take their money. It is this class of men who constantly refer to the Latin Americans as ^^ niggers" and **spiggotis" and who can see nothing good in the Latin-American countries or people. And the worst of it is that the Latin American is too polite and courteous to retaliate, and in- WITH LATIN AMERICA 43 stead of taking np the cudgel in his own de- fense, or finding weak epots in our armor, he smilingly swallows the insults and ac- quires additional distrust and dislike for the ^ * Gringos. * ' A great many North Americans assume a most patronizing air when in any foreign country, and especially in Latin America, and appear to think that the Latin Americans are semi-wards of the United States and that they are under a tremendous and lasting obligation to us for what we have done for them. This is intensely irritating, for the Latin American is as proud of his race, liis country and his customs as are w^e of ours, and with just as good reason. His ways are not our ways, his race may be decidedly tinged with African and Indian blood and his country may be head over heels in debt, far behindhand and unde- veloped; but his independence was won by bloody battles in which red, white and black fought shoulder to shoulder with heroic bravery, and he loves his country with pas- sionate devotion and possesses a degree of patriotism we can never imderstand. And 44 GETTING TOGETHER when we get right do^m to brass tacks what have we ever done for Latin America to instil a fawning gratitude in the hearts of the people? Not a few of tlie revolutions which have done so much to destroy Latin- American prestige and prosperity have been planned, financed and organized in the United States and by our citizens. On more than one occa- sion we have overawed the republics with our superior power and have compelled them to submit to most humiliating and unnecessary acts and apologies ; we have interfered in their politics and the administration of their laws and we have compelled them to pay indemni- ties, or to make redress, ^ for the taking of North American lives and the confiscation of our citizens' property in many instances when lives and property were justly forfeited. And to further our own ends, and to force our point of view upon them, we have even incited re- bellion or at least tacitly encouraged it, and then, having strenuously denied that we were a party to it, have acknowledged our duplicity by an indemnity to the aggrieved country. Indeed, our policy towards Latin America has, WITH LATIN AMERICA 45 in tlie past at least, been most contradictory and incomprehensible. We have refused to recognize executives on the ground that they were not legally elected and at other times have recognized and upheld executives who were just as ** illegally ' ' placed in office. It may be all very well to say that we can decide what is the right thing for the Latin Americans better than they can decide for themselves, but we wouldn't appreciate such actions from a larger and more powerful country under similar circumstances and, moreover, in many cases the despotic dictator may suit the conditions in a Latin-American country far better than a benign president. Or, for another example, take the ridicu- lously unfair manner in which we have dis- criminated against the citizens of Panama in the matter of their trade. Although the city of Panama is the capital and center of business and trade in the Kepublic, yet its importers and merchants cannot have their goods shipped directly to them. Instead, all consignments to Panama must be discharged at Colon, loaded on the cars of the Panama Railway and trans- 46 GETTING TOGETHER ported by rail across the Isthmus to Panama, and the importer must pay all the charges of unloading, dockage, reloading and railway freight in addition to the oceanic freight. When the goods are shipped from Atlantic points by vessels whose destination is Colon, this would be expected, perhaps; but the same rulings apply with equal force to cargoes on vessels bound through the Canal, or from west coast or Asiatic ports. Although these ships touch at Balboa, — the Pacific terminal of the Canal, yet the freights consigned to Panama, — only two miles distant, — cannot be dis- charged there but must be carried through the Canal, unloaded at Colon and shipped back to Panama by rail. Even if a ship enters the Atlantic end of the Canal bound for the Pacific with freight for Panama, yet the freight can- not be carried to its destination by the vessel but must be discharged at Colon for transpor- tation by railway across the Isthmus. As a result of this, the charges for unloading, re- loading, and railway transportation often ex- ceed the total oceanic freights and yet it could all be avoided merely by permitting ships to WITH LATIN AMERICA 4T discharge their Panama freights at the Pacific end of the Canal. On one occasion, a vessel reaching Balboa found it would be necessary to transfer her cargo to another ship for transportation across the Atlantic. The vessel to which the cargo was to be transferred was also at Balboa bound through the Canal, but the authorities refused to allow the cargo to be transferred from ship to ship and had it unloaded on the docks, reloaded on the train, shipped across the Isthmus by rail, unloaded again at Colon and once more put aboard the ship when she came through the Canal, and any pack- ages consigned to Panama were then re- loaded on the train and sent back to Panama again. If such childishly insane methods are our ideas of good business, economic transporta- tion or proper shipping methods, how can we hope to succeed as a commercial nation? The only reason for this utterly incompre- hensible state of affairs seems to be a desire to favor the Panama Kailway and while this might be expected where a privately owned 48 GETTING TOGETHER railway has a monopoly, as the Panama Eail- way is a United States Government institution it seems like pretty small business to go out of our way and employ unnecessary labor, pile up uncalled for expenses and handle freight many times over for the benefit of the railway, and it certainly is no way to win either the trade or confidence of the people. It may be claimed that to offset such things, and to make up for such shortcomings in our dealings with Latin America, we have really done a great deal of good and have given our southern neighbors many benefits. I admit that, in a way we have. We helped to free Cuba and placed her in a position Avliich in- sured her prosperity and we have pledged our- selves to maintain her independence and in- tegrity. We have pacified Haiti and Santo Domingo and have set them on the road to prosperity. We have prevented the spolia- tion of Venezuela by Germany and Great Britain. We have enforced the Monroe Doc- trine and we have transformed Cuba, Porto E-ico, Haiti and Panama from pest holes to clean, healthful, sanitary countries. But how WITH LATIN AMERICA 49 mucli of this has really been from disinterested motives ? How many of these things have we done for the sake of Latin America? It is a popular belief that we cleaned and sanitized Panama free of charge and that the Panamanians should be under a lasting debt of gratitude for our philanthropic work. The Panamanians are under a lasting debt, both of gratitude and cash, for we charged them for every cent's worth of improvement we made and they are still paying us off mth interest, and mil be for many decades to come. Not that the Panamanians objected to the arrangement, I believe there was but one dis- senting voice when the proposition came up for vote, and the Panamanians, the Cubans, the Haitians and the Dominicans are thoroughly alive to the benefits and the advantages that have resulted from the improvements we in- stituted and established and for which they paid; but they object strenuously to being looked upon or treated as wards, dependents or ingrates. They were mlling to pay for what they got, and, having done so, consider 50 GETTING TOGETHER that they are under no more obligation than in any other business deal and we would feel exactly the same way if the conditions were reversed. Do we feel under an obligation to the builders of our subways, our railways, our sewer systems, our Hudson tubes? We pay for these, we use them, we appre- ciate them, but do we blazon the names of their promoters on our memories and bow down to them as superior beings and allow them to tell us what a crowd of stupid, slothful, backward people we were not to have conceived and car- ried out such things without their help? The truth is, we find it mighty difficult to see ourselves as others see us, or to look at mat- ters from the Latin- American standpoint, and the same being true of the Latin Americans, we have failed to get together as we should. Moreover, we North Americans are not by any means as adaptable as we should be or as we think we are and in this respect the Latin American is far and away our superior. Latin Americans come to the United States and within a few weeks have adopted our ways, manners, customs, habits and language, and WITH LATIN AMERICA 51 even our slang, and, in a measure, they acquire the North American point of view and our ideals. But how about the average North American who goes to South America! Even when he speaks the native tongue he is still aggressively North American and goes about, figuratively, wrapped in the American flag. He does not fraternize with the people, he takes little or no interest in local affairs, he selects his fellow countrymen for his asso- ciates, he finds fault with every local condition, habit and mode of life; he curses the native cookery, the native shops, the native methods of business, and the natives themselves, and when he isn't damning them he ridicules them, with the result that he is irritating to himself and the people and becomes firmly convinced that there is nothing good in the place. And then there is the other extreme, the man who falls so naturally and easily into native ways that he adopts all their worst features and few of the best. He frequents the lowest resorts, he loses all sense of morality, he gambles and drinks, becomes dissipated, slovenly, dirty, lazy and is soon a byword and an object of 52 GETTING TOGETHER contempt for the natives and the North Ameri- cans alike. Then, as an excuse, he blames the climate and the people, and his fellow country- men, — who don't know better, — believe him and become imbued with a holy horror of any- thing Latin American. Kare indeed is the North American who adapts himself to Latin- American conditions in such a way as to retain his self-respect and the respect of the natives ; but when we do find such men we find no con- tempt for the Latin Americans, no patronizing or overbearing manners, no complaints, but instead, praise of many things, criticism of few and an ever-increasing love of Latin America and its people. South Americans are emo- tional and nothing pleases or flatters them more than appreciation and praise of their be- loved countries and customs, and the man who treats them fairly, who can see things from an unprejudiced point of view and who ex- presses his admiration and fondness for their countries and inhabitants is assured of true and lasting friendship, a warm welcome and a marvelous confidence on the part of the Latin Americans. WITH LATIN AMERICA 53 So, if we are sincere in onr efforts to bring about more intimate relations with Latin America, and are really anxious to secure an enduring South American trade, we must select our diplomatic and our business representa- tives with care and foresight ; we must demand that they possess the needed qualifications to deal with Latin America, we must abandon our patronizing and superior attitude ; we must cease prating and boasting of what we have done ; we must be honest with the Latin Ameri- cans, and with ourselves, and finally, we must learn to adapt ourselves, or at least those Vv^ho have dealings with Latin America must adapt themselves, to Latin- American life, climate and conditions. And, most of all, we must, to use a slangi expression, ^*get busy.'' Eegardless of the present conditions there is going to be a tre- mendous competition for South American trade when the war is over and the develop- ment of South America's resources and natural wealth is going to alter the economic condi- tions of the world. We have dilly-dallied along, our interests have been lukewarm and 64 GETTING TOGETHER we have subordinated our efforts in Latin America to our more important war work. But while we must strain every sinew, must devote every energy and must give every dollar pos- sible to carry our campaign to a victorious finish, yet we should not abandon everything in our promotion of the war, nor lose sight of what will come afterwards. Scores of busi- nesses, of manufactures and of enterprises go on with scarce an interruption and, despite the lack of ships, South America is still in regular communication with the United States and commerce still continues. To maintain and improve our relations with Latin America is a most important matter and doubly important during the war. Despite the fact that they have been longer at war than ourselves, that their finances and resources have been far more depleted than ours and that they have suffered immeasurably more in loss of ships, men and trade, yet the European nations have maintained a small army of representatives in Latin America ever since the outbreak of hos- tilities; their credits have been kept up, their business houses and banking systems have WITH LATIN AJVIERICA 65 managed to survive and when peace is declared Europe will, in many ways, be in a better posi- tion to reap the benefits and profits of South American trade than will we. 56 GETTING TOGETHER CHAPTEE IV ! I ) We have long been deluding ourselves with | the idea that the war has eliminated German i interests from Latin America and that it has reduced all European trade to such a point j that we could step in, and with scarcely any , effort, secure practically all the business of i South America. I It is true that active European trade with ; South America has largely been destroyed, but I despite this, Europeans have never lost inter- ; est in their Latin-American trade and com- merce and have maintained their hold and have ] kept themselves in such a position that they ; are fully prepared to resume their commercial ' relations the moment peace is declared, and, moreover, they are prepared to carry on many i times as much business as before the war. j Throughout the period of the war the British ] WITH LATIN AMERICA 57 exporters, bankers, manufacturers and other business men have managed to keep constantly in close touch with Latin America through their representatives, even booking orders, establishing credits and preparing for a post- bellum trade campaign of immense and unpre- cedented magnitude, for England and France realize that after the war there is going to be a tremendous boom in South America and they intend to have their share of it. In addition^ England, with a sadly depleted treasury ancj the superabundance of small vessels which will unquestionably be on her hands, will find in Latin America the best opportunities for mak- ing money rapidly and for holding the control of shipping to South America. Even Ger- many's interests have by no means disap- peared from Latin America. Her ships have disappeared from the seas, her business houses have been placed on the Black Lists, her citi- zens' properties have been seized and her out- ward and visible signs of trade activities have ceased; but nevertheless, German interests in Latin America are not dead, but have merely slumbered. 58 GETTING TOGETHER In those republics which have declared war against Germany what is being done is through unprincipled natives ; in those countries which have merely severed relations, or are neutral, Germans still hold their own and prosper, and throughout Latin America, German spies and propagandists swarm. The Allies can bo^^cott German trade, German commerce and German ships for five or fifty years after the war, but the South Americans, with few exceptions, have not really been touched by Teuton fright- fulness and brutality and they do not feel the intense hatred and horror of the Hun which fills the hearts of our people and our Allies. And, consequently, their trade will not be withheld from Germany after the war, pro- vided Germany can produce and furnish the goods they want at prices lower than for simi- lar goods from other countries. And even during the war an immense amount of German-made goods have found their way to the Latin- American markets. To be sure such goods have come from Spain and are marked *'Made in Spain,'' but they are produced by Germans, they are the prod- WITH LATIN AMERICA 59 net sof German firms, they are umnistakably German in quaKty and appearance and the profits from their sale goes into German pockets. Many German firms had branches in Spain before the war and many others moved bag and baggage into Spain after the war broke out, or just before it, and ever since have been producing and shipping to Latin America. A great preponderance of the lead- ing merchants in Latin America are Spaniards and many of these men are decidedly pro- German in sentiment and will gladly handle German made goods whether they come from Spain or elsewhere, and they see, or imagine they see, great favors accruing to them from this attitude after the war is over. German trade, German influence and German money have obtained such a firm and widespread hold in South America and have controlled matters for so long that it will be a mighty hard matter to destroy them and unless we take advantage of the opportunity offered us at the moment, and so establish ourselves that the Teutonic ulcer cannot spread after the war, we might just as well give up and content ourselves with 60 GETTING TOGETHER the little share of Latin- American trade which has been ours in the past. And we cannot de- feat German influence and German interests in South America by defeating her armies and her navy, nor by a gigantic merchant fleet, nor by producing better goods than hers, unless we establish ourselves in the confidence of the Latin Americans and win their respect and convince them that their interests and ours are the same. We will assuredly be the victors in the war, but no matter how greatly Germany is crushed we cannot and would not control her industries, her banks, her commerce, after peace was declared, and if she cannot dominate the world by naval or military means, she will assuredly strive the more to dominate as much of it is possible through her manufactures and her commerce. It may be argued that Germany will be too poor to be a dangerous rival after her long and exhaustive war, but will she? Does anyone really know her finan- cial condition? We must not forget that the greater part of the money she has spent in carrying on the war has been spent within her o\vn borders and has, figuratively speak- WITH LATIN AMERICA 61 ing, been taken out of one pocket and put in the other. She may be depleted in man power, in supplies, in raw products, in ships and in a thousand other ways, but her population is numerous still, her people are noted for their large families; her soil, her mines, her forests and her factories will still exist, and to make up for her losses she will strain every effort to produce, to create and to recoup. Her losses in men will mean just that many less mouths to feed, just that many less to sup- port, and while it may be argued that man shortage means labor shortage, we must re- member that Germany was overpopulated be- fore the war and that countless thousands of men were employed in munition and gun fac- tories, in navy yards and in the army and navy and that if her military and naval power is destroyed all the labor which once was de- voted to supplying these will be diverted to industrial work. Moreover, there is not the least doubt that German scientists, German in- ventors and German manufacturers have made marvelous strides in the production of numer- ous articles, both in methods and in economy. 62 GETTING TOGETHER It would be childish not to admit this, for the Allies have done so and they have not been half as hard pressed as the Huns and, for the Germans, necessity has unquestionably proved the mother of invention, even more than with ourselves, with France and with England. Germany's loss of ships has been most serious and many seem to think that this loss assures us an easy commercial victory, but are we sure that Germany has not been building ships dur- ing the war? Can we know how many big vessels are now ready, or are under construc- tion, within her borders or can we be positive that when the end of the war comes our enemy may not have a merchant marine almost equal to that she has lost? We must be prepared for any such eventuality; must be ready to wage as hard and as relentless an economic and commercial war against the Teutons' de- sire for world trade as against their lust for world power and to do this successfully we must have all Latin Americas as our Allies and must have them with us, heart, soul and body. Finally, the boycott which the Allies will en- force against German goods will cut off many WITH LATIN AMERICA 63 of her markets and will compel her to seek greater sales in Latin America. And Germany is not the only competitor we shall find in Latin America, there will be other European nations and, in addition, a very strong competition from Asia. Japan, like every insular nation, is bound to be a com- mercial nation and already her splendid ships sail every sea and steam between Nippon and our ports and to every important port in South America. The Japanese can out-German the Germans in producing cheap goods and, un- like the mass of German cheap goods, the Japs give good value for the money. Her people are progressive, keen business men, clever artizans, marvelous imitators and skilled fac- tory hands, while their incredible patience and perseverance and the supply of cheap labor enable them to take hold of almost anything and to produce it as good or better and far cheaper than anyone else. The bugaboo of a Japanese invasion has, let us hope, been killed for all time and the splen- did behavior of our Oriental allies has no doubt convinced the most skeptical that we 64 GETTING TOGETHER have nothing to fear in the way of armed con- flict with Japan, but an amicable commercial and trade war is quite a different matter. The Oriental diplomat is immeasurably supe- rior to ours, the Asiatic is far more adaptable to local conditions, his patience is greater and in his facility for acquiring languages, and for grasping facts, he is a marvel. Moreover, the urbane, unobtrusive, ever-smiling Japanese salesmen is a joy to behold in comparison with our brusque, often boorish, loud-voiced, pat- ronizing and offensively North American rep- resentatives, for the Japanese, no matter what he may be in private life, is outwardly always a gentleman. Already, in a great many South American cities, the largest stores are those of the Chinese and Japanese and a large proportion of the dry goods and other merchandise sold are made in Japan and China. Japan has probably suffered less than any of the Allies and is, in many ways, far better off than before the war and the same opportunities in Latin America which the war has brought to us, have been brought even more favorably to Japan; and she, very WITH LATIN AMERICA 65 sensibly and rightly, is taking advantage of them. Still another of our serious competitors for Latin-American trade is Spain. Many of us labor under the delusion that after the Span- ish-American war Spain became an impotent, poverty-stricken nation; that her lost colonies, and the Latin Americans generally, detested her and her people. Nothing could be further from the truth; the loss of her colonies was really a tremendous relief to Spain and it en- abled her to devote the men and money, which had formerly been necessary to maintain order in her colonies, to commercial and industrial pursuits. There have been stupendous changes in Spain since the conflict with us; her manu- factures, her development and her finances have increased incredibly and to-day Spain is a strong, rich and powerful nation. The bulk of Latin Americans are of Spanish blood and are intensely proud of it and their sympathies, their characters and their tastes are all pre- eminently Spanish. There is no dislike of Spain in Latin America, no prejudice against the Spanish, and the ties of blood and language 66 GETTING TOGETHER which bind the Spanish- American to old Spain have never been, and never will be, broken. With wonderful natural resources at her dis- posal and with her favorable geographical position, Spain is bound to be a tremendous factor in the trade with Latin America. She has a merchant marine which is not to be despised, the Spaniards are excellent mari- ners and her business men have the tremendous advantage of inborn familiarity with Spanish- American life, customs, language and senti- ment. Although a great many of Spain's present exports are of German parentage yet Spain does not intend to permit Germans to make her a catspaw and reap the profits of a trade which might be hers and her motto is ^' Spain for the Spaniards. '^ As a nation she is not pro-German, but a large number of her people are, and they imagine they see great advantages in keeping the Teuton's friend- ship, but as a whole she has maintained a very fair neutrality under most trying and difficult circumstances. A few of her ships have been destroyed, a certain amount of her trade has been cut off; but she has really suffered but WITH LATIN AMERICA 67 little from the war and, in many ways, has been benefited, and already she is making huge strides in securing a lucrative and enduring trade with Latin America. 68 GETTING TOGETHER CHAPTER V What, it may be asked, must we do in order to secure the bulk of Latin- American trade, to cement our friendship with the Latin Americans and to defeat the menace of a post- bellum renewal of German commerce? In the first place, we must be prepared to do as much as the Germans, and to less extent, other countries, have done in the past; we must organize, cooperate and adjust ourselves to local customs and conditions. If we look the matter squarely in the face we must admit that Germany's success in South America (and England's as well) was due to the liberal treatment accorded the natives and to efficient organization and co- operation. Probably the German banking system in Latin America was the greatest factor in her successful trade, and while we have vastly improved our own banking sys- WITH LATIN AMERICA 69 terns in Latin America we are still far behind the Europeans. Not only were the British and German banks scattered everywhere, even in the most remote spots, but they were not hemmed about with the conservative methods and red tape which bind our banks. Ajiy merchant or exporter in South Ajuerica could obtain credit from a German bank for the ask- ing, the goods exported or ordered being suffi- cient security, and, moreover, a man desiring to establish a business could secure credit if his proposition looked reasonable. In addi- tion, if, when his loan came due, he found him- self unable to meet it, and his failure to do so was owing to unforeseen causes beyond his control, he had no difficulty in securing a longer credit or even an additional loan. I know of one man in Bolivia who wished to establish a branch house in a remote district and applied to the German bank for a loan of $150,000. He stated his views, his plans and his pros- pects and within forty-eight hours received his credit for six months. At the expiration of that time he not only found himself unable to meet his obligations but was actually several 70 GETTING TOGETHER thousand dollars in debt. But the prospect was still promising and the bank had no hesi- tation in advancing an additional $50,000, and extending his first credit for another six months. As a result, the man is to-day a mil- lionaire and, while he is a loyal and patriotic citizen of the United States, he cannot be blamed for having only kind feelings for the German bankers and for advocating their methods. What American bank would have done this? There would have been delays, in- vestigations, publicity, and even if the loan was at last made, the opportunity would have passed and someone else would have reaped the profits. We are far too conservative in our banking and other methods in Latin America and think it necessary to follow out the same customs and rules as in the United States. It's all very well to be cautious, but if we are to succeed we must take chances. No doubt the British and German banks now and then lost, but the gains more than offset the losses, and, as a rule, the Latin American is a most punctilious and honorable man when it comes to matters of business, and especially of loans. WITH LATIN AMERICA 71 In a great many Latin-American countries no promise in writing, no written order, no sig- nature to an agreement, is ever necessary or expected and the word of the majority of Latin Americans, and especially of the Span- ish merchants, is as good or better than their bond. One of the greatest bugaboos of Latin- American trade has been the question of credits. This is a matter wliich has been grossly exaggerated and overrated, a sort of bogie which should not affect our dealings in the slightest. That our business men balk at the credits asked and expected by many Latin Americans is unquestionable; but this is due entirely to ignorance of conditions in the southern republics and not because they can- not afford to give the credit asked. — ^- In the larger countries, and more especially in the business centers and capitals of Latin America, financial methods and banking sys- tems are practically the same as in New York, Paris or London. In such places, credits are secured by the various banks through accept- ances and business may be carried on as 72 GETTING TOGETHER readily and as systematically as in any part of the world. There are now branches of European and of North American banks in all the larger cities of Latin America and the financial standing of any local firm may be established through the banks or through Dun's. In the first place, the prevalent idea that Latin Americans cannot be trusted, that long or short credits cannot be granted without fear of loss, is absolutely without foundation in fact. The Latin American, and the Spaniard in business in Latin America, is far more punctilious in his business methods than the North American, and he guards his business honor more carefully than his life, for it is looked upon almost as a sacred thing; a thing which has been handed down from father to son for generations, and he would as soon think of violating the honor iof his business as the honor of his family. To deal successfully with Latin America we must be prepared to meet the people in their credit system, which is quite different from our own and which has been brought about and is 1 WITH LATIN AMERICA 73 \ f essential through conditions which do not exist i with us. In order to understand why the \ Latin- American credit system is in vogue, we 1 must understand Latin-American customs, . life, industry and business conditions. A vast number of the producers in Latin Ajnerica are j men of small or moderate means, or of none ' at all, and who own or lease a few acres of | land on w^hich they raise the crops which they sell to the merchants and exporters in the • towns. These small farmers live from hand to mouth, their crops barely serving to supply them with the necessities of life, and they have no working capital and no resources on which : to draw, other than their crops. But they are ' absolutely honest and hard working and the merchants never hesitate to grant them credit against their crops by furnishing them the i supplies they require until the crops are ready to harvest. As the merchant cannot realize I on the crops until gathered and shipped, and i as he is obliged to maintain his stock in trade i to supply the planters and farmers, as well : as his other customers, he must, in his turn, I secure an equally long credit from the ex- \ 74 GETTING TOGETHER porters from whom he obtains his supplies. In doing this he bases his ability to meet his obligations on his expectations of the crops on which he has advanced credit. If the crop comes up to expectations the bills are paid off, both by the farmer and the merchant, and a new credit account is started all over again. But if, on the other hand, the crop is short, or the prices of the commodities have dropped, the merchant cannot meet his obligations in full, or must borrow from someone to meet them, and as the planter will look to him for his next season ^s supplies, or go to the wall, and as the merchant must maintain his stock or fail, an extension of credit is asked. It is very seldom indeed that the shrewd merchant overestimates the value of the crops or grants credit to its full appraised value and while such things may happen, and unforeseen events may transpire, yet, on the whole, no one loses, the accounts are carried along for year after year, the farmer increases his holdings and his crops, the merchant adds to the volume of his business and the exporter, who meets this de- mand for credit, is sure of a lucrative and WITH LATIN AMERICA 75 lasting trade. It is largely because the Euro- pean is willing to grant long credits, is ready to advance cash, — through his banker, on crops, and is not afraid to carry running ac- counts for years, that Latin Americans have given Europe the bulk of their trade in the past. Therefore, the sooner we realize why the Latin American, outside the largest cities, must receive the credit to which he is accus- tomed, the better for us and the sooner we unlearn that we cannot trust the Latin Ameri- cans in business matters the better for all concerned. Who first originated the idea that the respectable Latin American was any less trustworthy in business than any other nation- ality, is not known ; but the idea has taken root and flourished until it is as firmly established as many another myth and, like many another myth, it must be uprooted, cast aside and for- gotten for all time. Another thing we must do is to pack and ship our goods carefully and properly, for the fact that Europeans attended to such matters and that their goods reached their destinations in far better condition than ours, had a great 76 GETTING TOGETHER deal to do with Europe securing such a large percentage of Latin-American trade. Notwithstanding that so much has been said and written of this subject in the past, yet the bulk of North- American shippers continue to pack their goods in the most flimsy and clumsy manner. For the first few times such igno- rance might be forgiven, but when the atten- tion of the exporters is repeatedly called to the deplorable condition in which the goods are received and they still continue to follow the same methods, we can scarcely blame the Latin Americans if they give up in disgust and place their orders elsewhere. , Such a state of affairs can only be accounted for on the grounds of sublime indifference, or sublime ignorance, and as it seems incredible that any exporter should be indifferent to his own interests, we must assume that ignorance is at the bottom of it. The merchant may know that his goods travel a certain number of miles by sea, a certain distance by rail and *^^ye days by mule train''; but this conveys no adequate idea of what his boxes, bales and cases must undergo ere they reach their final WITH LATIN AMERICA 77 destination. He is accustomed to shipping to far more distant points in Europe and the United States by steamer and rail, by truck and by various other means of transportation, and he cannot understand why he should alter his ordinary system of packing merely because his shipments are going to South America. But if he could only accompany his shipment on its journey he would be filled with wonder that any box built of wood and nails ever sur- vived complete annihilation. From the mo- ment the goods leave the truck at the steamer docks they are banged, smashed, pounded, mauled and maltreated in every conceivable manner, as if the stevedores, sailors, donkey- engine men and everyone else had conspired to destroy them and were to receive a reward proportionate to the destruction wrought. Our own stevedores are rough enough, it would seem, but they are careful, painstaking, gentle men compared to the Herculean blacks who unload the cargoes at the other end of the voyage. If they can let a box or bale drop a score of feet onto a stone quay, so much the better for them, for in picking up the wreckage 78 GETTING TOGETHER tliey may have a chance to pocket a tin of edi- bles, some piece of wearing apparel or a valu- able bit of hardware. In many places, too, the vessels do not come alongside the docks, but discharge their cargoes into open boats or lighters alongside. Usually, in such ports, the *^ harbor'* is an open roadstead exposed to the ocean swell and, as the ship rolls and the sling runs down, it alternately smashes against the vessel's side and dips into the waves until, at last, more by luck than good management, the cases and bundles are dropped into the lighter. Then, like as not, a heavy case of machinery, or perhaps a bundle of iron rails or pipes, is dropped with a rush on top of fragile cases of porcelain or glassware, a playful wave slops over the lighter and drenches all, a leaky drum of chemicals or a carboy of acid is tumbled in to top off the load and the lighter heads towards the shore. Here, if all goes well, the packages are hauled, hoisted and banged upon a flimsy dock or are piled helter skelter on the beach and later are carted to the warehouse. If their destination is reached by railway the worst of the troubles are over, unless the train WITH LATIN AMERICA 79 rims off an embankment, is wrecked by a land- slide or tumbles through a bridge, all of which incidents are merely part of the day^s work in Latin- American railroading. But if the destination of the shipment is off the beaten track, and the goods must be trans- ported by ox-cart or mule-back, their maltreat- ment has but just begun. For long days they will journey over the mountains and across plains, alternately exposed to torrential rains and blazing sunshine. Rivers will be forded with the water swirling above the bottoms of the carts or the saddles of the mules; trails will be followed where packs graze jutting rocks as sharp as glass and ragged as gigantic saws; mules will stumble and fall and ox carts will break down, but ultimately, the shipment will reach its consignees and what remains of the flimsy pine cases and the thin muslin bags will be delivered triumphantly in the interior town. And this is no exaggerated account of the ordinary treatment which goods shipped to Latin America must undergo, and shippers must learn to pack their goods to withstand it. I have seen sewing machines, crockery and 80 GETTING TOGETHER heavy machinery unloaded at South American ports and enclosed only in the lightest of open crates. Such packing might serve if the goods were shipped from one city in the United States to another, but imagine the shape they are in after being exposed to the conditions I have pictured. The European shipper, and more especially the German, devotes the greatest care to proper packing and spares no trouble or ex- pense in providing suitable cases to insure against loss by breakage and dampness. Time and time again I have seen stout boxes from Europe which contained neat, soldered, tin or zinc cases which contained tightly sealed bun- dles of waterproof paper covering cheap cotton prints and the care and money expended on such matters is well spent, for the losses are almost nil. The same care that should be used in pack- ing should also be exercised in marking the goods, in making out invoices and bills of lad- ing and in complying with all requirements of the laws of the countries to which the goods are shipped. Whatever else they may be. WITH LATIN AMERICA 81 Latin- Amerioan ofi&cials are most punctilious chaps when it comes to matters in writing and if an invoice, bill of lading or other paper does not correspond with the shipments there will be endless troubles and vexatious delays. Such mistakes are inexcusable, for anyone can secure reliable and full information, as well as aid in filling out papers, by making in- quiries at the consulate of the country to which the goods are to be shipped, and it^s far easier and cheaper to have matters right at this end than to straighten them out afterwards. One of the most frequent questions asked by our exporters and manufacturers is ^^What are the duties in this or that country f Here again is ignorance of Latin America and its conditions. The matter of duties has prac- tically no bearing on our trade with Latin America for, in nearly every case, the duties are for revenue only; there is no protective tariff, no reciprocity exemptions and goods from all countries pay the same duty. The Latin- American merchant does not expect you to quote prices with duties paid. He knows just what they are, he expects to pay them 82 GETTING TOGETHER himself, lie can attend to the details far better than you or your representative and he figures the duties in on the profits he expects to make. Another matter which we must improve, and in which the Europeans have excelled us, is organization, for, with few exceptions, our people work independently and in a hit or miss fashion without any definite object or knowl- edge and thereby waste a vast amount of time and money. A few of our larger firms have seen the necessity and the advantage of or- ganization in dealing with Latin America, and they have prospered greatly thereby, with the result that they practically control Latin- American trade in their special lines. For example, take the Singer Sewing Machine Company; their machines are found in daily use in every city, town, hamlet and settlement in Latin America and even in the most remote camps and huts of the primitive Indians. Their calendars, advertisements and literature are seen pasted on the walls of the poorest peons' shacks and are hung in the salas of the best houses, and their name is a household word through the length and breadth of the JVITH LATIN AMERICA 83 southern republics. And this has all been ac- complished through cooperation and complete organization. Their work is carried out with military exactness and their organization is marvelous in its efficiency and perfection. Before a branch or agency is established, a representative looks over the ground; he finds out the population, the average wages, the financial conditions, the freight costs, the transportation facilities, or lack of facilities, the rental of offices, the cost of help and every other fact which may be of interest, and he leaves nothing to guesswork or hearsay. From the data thus obtained are estimated the number of machines that should be sold, the costs of selling and of placing them on the ground, the expenses of the local office, and the profits which should result. If the figures warrant it, an agency is established and a manager placed in charge. If then the sales fall short of the estimates, if the profits ex- pected do not work out, or if in any detail the *^ scheme'^ does not tally with results, a satis- factory explanation must be given or a new man is placed in control or else, if for some 84 GETTING TOGETHER unforeseen reason the agency proves iinre- mnnerative, it is promptly abandoned and the district placed under some neighboring agency. Competition may be the life of trade, but in Latin America, cooperation is much more im- portant. One often finds the representatives of half a dozen competing firms trying to sell the same sort of goods in a tiny Latin- Ameri- can town. Each ** knocks'^ the other's goods and praises his own, when the probability is, that all are equal in quality, value and price. As a result, the trade is split up among half a dozen firms, each securing a small order, the profits from which will not pay the cost of the salesman, whereas, by mutual cooperation and the division of territory, each firm could con- trol the entire trade of a certain locality. But cooperation of our exporters and manufac- turers is of less importance than cooperation with the Latin Americans. The European salesman is ready and willing to take orders for goods the Latin American wants, but the North American salesman trys to sell the people what he has, regardless of their wants. The European manufacturer does not hesi- WITH LATIN AMERICA 85 tate to produce goods especially for Latin- American trade, he even makes them to order to suit local conditions and demands; but the North American doesn't want to bother and as- sumes the attitude that what's good enough for us is good enough for Latin America and re- fuses to deviate in the least from his standard product. The North American manufacturer may think it very foolish for a Latin American to insist on cloth of ''vara" width instead of the standard yard, but it's a most important matter in a country where no one ever heard of a ''yard." He may consider it childish for the natives to demand an ax, machete or tool of a certain peculiar shape, weight or pattern when the standard is far superior; but the Latin American has his reasons, he is con- servative and he wants what he wants when he wants it, and exactly as he wants it, and if the North American won't furnish it the European will It is this lack of cooperation, this refusal to meet the local demands, that has prevented us from getting a great deal of trade and we must be ready and willing to furnish just what the 86 GETTING TOGETHER Latin American wants and not try to force our ideas down his throat if we are to succeed. But even if we take the trouble to study Latin America and the Latin Americans, if we cast aside our prejudices, our patronizing manners and our erroneous ideas; if we learn to pack and ship our goods properly and meet the Latin Americans in the matter of credits and are willing to furnish them what they want; even if we revolutionize our consular system and possess a huge merchant marine, still, unless we are willing to adapt ourselves to Latin- American conditions and to abide by their customs when dealing with them, we can have but little hope of securing the trade we should. Two things the Latin American and the Spaniard will not change and these are his language and his customs. No matter how modernized he may be, no matter how up to date his country may become; no matter how much he may travel or how many tongues he may speak, yet, his time-honored customs and his beloved Castilian are as enduring as the everlasting hills and as unalterable as the laws of the Medes and Persians. Particularly is WITH LATIN AMERICA 87 this true of his business ways and whoever es- says to deal with him successfully must realize this and adapt himself to conditions. In Latin America, business is closely inter- woven with social customs and, moreover, the Latin American, be he merchant prince or barefoot beggar, is a gentleman first, last and all the time, for he has never acquired our custom of being a gentleman in private life and a boor in business and he expects others to be as courteous as himself. If you are to deal with him successfully, and wish to keep his trade and his confidence, you must not attempt to push your business or make it most impor- tant. You should call on him as though for a friendly chat, you must allow him to con- sume an hour or so in flowery, complimentary Spanish nothings; you must be prepared to discuss the questions of the day, the war, the politics of your country and the places you have visited; you must respond in kind and you must curb impatience and refrain from mentioning your business until the propitious moment arrives. Of course he knows you have come to secure his orders, and he knows that 88 GETTING TOGETHER \ you know that he knows it, but the ^^costumbre i del pais'' (custom of the country) is a most I sacred thing and must be observed, and two, ' or even three, visits may be necessary before , the real subject is broached. Of course you I may rush in with a curt '*Good morning," or ! its Spanish equivalent, you may fling yourself ! in an easy chair and elevate your feet on the table, you may whip out your orderbooks, your j price lists and your catalogs and you may se- j cure his orders; but if you do, it will be be- ; cause he knows it is to his own advantage, or j because he has no choice, and he'll secretly curse you for an ill-bred *^ Yankee pig" and I will place his subsequent orders with some \ salesman who is more * * simpatico. " If you | would succeed in Latin America you must learn to take things as they are, you must learn politeness, courtesy and patience; you must be willing to act, talk and think **maiiana" and you must adopt, as your motto, '^In Eome do as the Eomans do." And don't delude yourself with the idea that the smiling, courteous, low-voiced, innocent gentleman is a fool or is lacking in business WITH LATIN AMERICA 89 acumen or shrewdness. The Latin American, and more especially the Spaniard in business in Latin America, is the smartest, keenest, hardest-headed business man in the world. He may be scrupulously honest, his spoken word is as good as his bond, but remember the old Spanish proverb that ''It takes two Jews to beat a Greek and two Greeks to beat a Gellego.'' Not that he will *'do you" in a dis- honest or underhand way; he will drive the sharpest bargain possible and expects you to do the same, and he wdll feel grieved, and robbed of half the pleasure of the transaction, if you don't beat him down or up. And don't try to ' 'put anything over on him. ' ' Beat him in a fair deal and he'll have no ill feelings and will appreciate you and admire you the more; but work off an underhand trick and, sooner or later, he will repay you ten times over, even though he smiles and treats you like a life- long friend or a brother. Spaniards and Latin Americans are born diplomats and can give our cleverest men cards and spades and then beat them hands down, and the salesman or firm who tries to cheat them, or to put through 90 GETTING TOGETHER a shady deal with a Latin- American customer, might as well abandon his hopes of success at once. You may do it once but not the second time and in dealing with Latin America you will invariably find that honesty is not only the best, but the only, policy. All these matters I have mentioned were potent factors before the war, but with their European trade cut off, the Latin Americans w^ere compelled to take what they could get from whoever could furnish it. No doubt, in good time they would have become accus- tomed to our ways, they would have managed to meet us in regard to credits, they would have suffered in silence from losses caused by careless packing, they might even hav^ over- looked the boorish ways of many of our sales- men. But unfortunately much of the headway we were making, during the early years of the war, has been stopped or curtailed by our own entry into the conflict and our war-time rules and regulations. Far be it from me to criticize our Administration or to find fault with the vari- ous embargos placed on exports and imports, WITH LATIN AMERICA 91 but there seems to have been a very short- sighted lack of discrimination which has re- sulted in a setback to our success in Latin America which will be very difficult to re- trieve. As long as ships make trips between the United States and Latin America I can- not see any valid reason for preventing them from carrying cargoes, rather than to sail with almost empty holds, and I do not believe that true conditions were known when some of our regulations were made. Why, for example, should the embargo against the exportation of beans, rice and flour be enforced in Panama when there was such an oversupply of these foodstuffs there that rice and beans were daily being destroyed because they were full of weevils? More important than such matters, however, is our embargo on the exportation of currency. There never was a time when the develop- ment of South American resources was as important, both from a public and private standpoint, as at present. Mines which could not have been profitably worked before the war can now be operated at great profits, and 92 GETTING TOGETHER many of the minerals of South America are essential to our success in the war. Tungsten, vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, platinum and many other rare metals are of the utmost importance and are found in most abundance in Latin America, and many of the deposits have never been worked. But how can these be developed, how can the metals be shipped to us, how can the output be increased, if we are not allowed to take out the money with which to finance them? The reply of our authorities is **get bills of exchange"; but they don^t stop to realize, or don't care to, that with embargos on exports and imports, and under war conditions, bills of exchange would be prohibitive in their rates on large sums. It is a wise plan of course to conserve our currency but if the investment of that cur- rency is to result in the increase of essential war materials why should there be any hesi- tation in permitting it to be so utilized? Per- haps our Government has reasons of its own for enforcing such drastic rules without dis- crimination, but whether it is merely an arbi- WITH LATIN AMERICA 93 trary ruling carried out without looking into local and special conditions or otherwise, the result in a tremendous loss of opportunity which can never be regained, and unfairness to many of the Latin-American countries. Latin America possesses immense supplies of raw materials, in minerals, forest products, foodstuffs, etc., which are of vital importance to us during the war and the output of which could be vastly increased by North American capital. Moreover, we should appreciate the sentiment which Latin America has shown to- wards the Allies and should not do anything to curtail her exports and imports except when strictest necessity compels it. Latin America may have taken but little active part in the war, but those countries which have arrayed themselves on the side of Democracy have helped our cause tremendously. They have interned German residents, have seized the German ships in their ports, have stamped out a vast amount of German propa- ganda and have made huge sacrifices in so do- ing, and we should use every care to see that they do not suffer any more than possible and 94 GETTING TOGETHER should provide commissions of competent, im- partial men familiar with Latin America and Latin- American conditions, to pass on each in- dividual case and with authority to use com- mon sense and discrimination in our war-time dealings with our Latin- American allies. Conservation and increased production are our watchwords and there are vast opportuni- ties for both in Latin America, while, aside from all such considerations, is the fact that we now have an unprecedented opportunity to build up a more lasting trade, a more intimate association, a greater confidence, and a truer understanding with Latin America than ever before, and we should make every effort to grasp this opportunity, aside from actually jeopardizing our own interests and those of our Allies in Europe. WITH LATIN AMERICA 95 CHAPTER VI There is no doubt that in the past we have been greatly handicapped in our relations with Latin America through lack of ships. Prac- tically all the commerce with South America has been carried on by European ships and it was rare indeed to see the Stars and Stripes flying from a vessel in a Latin- American port. Most of the ships flew the British or German flags, a great many were Spanish, many more were French; numberless tramps and freight- ers flew the Norwegian or Danish flags and there was a goodly sprinkling of Dutch, Swed- ish, Russian, Brazilian and other nations rep- resented among the shipping. To-day, the British ships predominate; American vessels are next and the Japanese, Chinese, Peruvian, French and Spanish are coming to the fore, while the Scandinavian countries still abound. But a great many of the ships flying our flag 96 GETTING TOGETHER are not strictly American vessels, but are British ships which sought safety by coming under the American flag after the war broke out, and these cannot be counted as American ships, for it is very questionable if they do not exchange Old Glory for the Union Jack as soon as peace is declared. The lines which are truly American are still few and their number has not greatly increased since the beginning of the war. The Porto Eico, Ward, Red ^*D,'' Grace, Panama Railway and a few others have always been American, but the bulk of Latin-American commerce is still in the hands of European companies, regardless of the flags flown by their vessels. About the only change that the war has made, as far as shipping is concerned, is that the Germans, who formerly controlled a very large portion of the trade, have been forced from the seas. I have often been asked why the German lines had such a hold on the Latin- American com- merce. In the first place, the German ships gave better service than any others ; they main- tained their schedules, they served excellent meals, they were clean and comfortable, their WITH LATIN AMERICA 9T rates for freight and passengers were low and, most important of all, perhaps, they visited practically every port and provided such good connections that the traveler could go from any port to another without vexatious delays and roundabout routes. Any other line, or lines, which would provide as satisfactory ser- vice could secure just as great a control of Latin- American commerce and perhaps, after the war, the British or American lines may do this, but heretofore, they have been content to run when and where they chose, their rates have been high and their service and cuisine none too good, their schedules have been un- certain and irregular and passengers have been subject to innumerable petty vexations and annoyances. Indeed, the majority of them have appeared to think it a great favor to take passengers at all and most of them have con- sidered their cargoes as of far greater im- portance than their passengers. This is par- ticularly true of the British ships, which are primarily cargo boats, for outside of the Cuban and Porto Eican lines, which have been exceptional in their service, few American 98 GETTING TOGETHER ships pretend to carry on a regular service with Latin- American ports. And when I say British ships I include those which, like the United Fruit Company, only use the American flag for their own interests. Indeed it is diffi- cult to say just what nation really controls these ships. They are manned and officered by British, they fly the American flag, not a little of their stock is owned by Germans and their avowed policy is to curry favor with the Latin-American politicians, even if American citizens who are passengers are humiliated, annoyed or even openly insulted thereby. If there ever was an objectionable trust it is the Fruit Company for they have their fingers in every Latin-American pie, they practically control the politics, the markets, the finances and the transportation in the countries where they have their interests, and they have it in their power to do just about as they please and let the public be damned. They prate patriotism and food conservation, but they did not hesitate to turn profiteers when the op- portunity offered and forced the price of bananas to unheard of figures just when the WITH LATIN AMERICA 99 fruit should have been a great help in food conservation. I have known them to leave thousands of bunches of bananas to rot on the docks at Limon, and in New York as well, just to keep the price up, and the outsider who is so foolish as to attempt to compete with them, and who tries to raise or ship fruit inde- pendently, is a doomed man. Of course like every other trust they have done some good. They have brought several Latin-American republics from penury to prosperity, they have established hospitals, cities, wireless stations, and other public improvements; they have built railways and improved transportation; they have employed thousands of men and have expended millions of dollars, but every- thing they have done has been for their own benefit and profit and their service is the worst, in many 'ways, of any line, bar none. If we are to build up a large commerce with Latin America we must not only have the ships, but we must also show consideration to the passengers we carry and to the shippers who provide the cargoes, and we must be able to put a stop to shipping trusts and the dog 100 GETTING TOGETHER in the manger attitude which now prevails. As long as such things are allowed to exist there can be no true freedom of the seas and a monopoly like the Fruit Company is almost as inimical to our increased trade with Latin America and to the hope of a successful mer- chant marine in South American waters as is Prussianism. But provided we possess the vessels, pro- vided we can guarantee equal chances to all lines, can we secure the crews and officers to man our ships? Under war conditions and with the salaries now paid to seamen there is little 'difficulty on the score, but how will it be \ after peace comes and wages fall to normal, or even to near normal! Even to-day, many of the ships flying the American flag are manned and officered by Europeans and while we may be able to train a sufficient army of j men to officer our ships, can we induce such ' men to remain navigators at ordinary wages? j The normal pay of sailors, either crew or i officers, is pitiably small and any man who has [ enough intelligence to become a competent | officer or any man who is able to perform the j WITH LATIN AMERICA 101 duties of a sailor, can earn far better wages ashore and under far better conditions and with less work and shorter hours. The argu- ment is often advanced that as we had a merchant marine and merchant mariners in the past we can have them again, but our merchant mariners of olden times lived under far dif- ferent conditions than exist at present. In those days our greatest population was along our seaboard and the bulk of our business, our manufactures and our production was in our Atlantic ports. As a result a certain number of men found the sea the only calling open, but with the rapid development of our coun- try, with the building up of our Western States and with the demand for labor, men gave up the sea in favor of other occupations and their places were taken by the cheaper and less in- telligent seaport natives of Europe. It is a most difficult task to overcome natural condi- tions and economically, geographically and in many other ways the United States is not and never will be a great maritime nation in com- parison to England, Scandinavia, France, HoUand or the other European nations. In 102 GETTlKG TOGETHER the first place England is bound to be a great maritime nation from the very fact that she is insular and that her existence depends on her commerce. The Scandinavians are a race of mariners and always have been, while the other European countries which possess a sea coast turn quite naturally to commerce as they cannot expand in any other direction and as there is always an oversupply of labor. Our own case is very different. To be sure we have a tremendous extent of coast and we have innumerable ports and our export trade is immense, but we are self-supporting or nearly so, our country is vast, there is plenty of room for expansion, and labor is always in demand at good wages. In fact we are a na- tion of producers, not of sailors, and while we can produce ships as well and far more rapidly than any other country in the world, we cannot hope to produce seamen in the same way. Sailors are born and not made and while, under the present stress of circumstances, we may turn out officers and crews, there is no more chance of our becoming a maritime nation be- cause of this than of our becoming a military WITH LATIN AMERICA 103 despotism because we have produced a marvel- ous army in such a miraculous way. But do not for a moment think I am belit- tling the importance of a merchant marine, or am not in favor of sending forth our products in American ships. No true Ameri- can can see the Stars and Stripes floating from the taffrail or peak of a ship or steamer in a foreign port T\dthout a thrill of joy and pride, and every true American treasures in his heart the glorious history of our splendid clipper ships and our brave seamen; but times have changed since Yankee ships and Yankee sailors roamed the seven seas and carried the Stars and Stripes to every land and made the names of Salem, Portland, Boston, New Bed- ford, Nantucket, New Haven and countless other New England towns familiar in every port of the world. Let us have ships by all means; let us ship to the utmost corners of the universe in American bottoms; let us own the greatest merchant marine the world has ever seen, but let us look the matter squarely in the face and be prepared to man our ships with Europeans if need be. It is far better 104 GETTING TOGETHER to have a merchant marine manned by for- eigners than to have no merchant marine at all and it really doesn't make much difference where the crews were born, it's the flag on the ship that counts. But even assuming that our proposed mer- chant marine did not eventuate; presuming, for the sake of argument, that we could not find men for our ships and would not permit them to be manned by foreigners, how would it affect our trade expansion with Latin America? Personally I do not believe it would greatly hamper us. Of course it would be preferable to carry on our Latin- American trade in American bottoms; unquestionably it would do much to cement our friendship, to increase our influence, to further our interests and to build up our prestige in South Amer- ica; but if we have the goods the Latin Americans want, if we can convince the Latin Americans that it is to their advan- tage to deal with us, if we can establish a true Pan-Americanism, we can control the Latin-American trade whether our goods are carried in American, British or any other ships. WITH LATIN AMERICA 105 Production is the chief factor, proper repre- sentation is almost as important; honest deal- ing is essential and low prices, reasonable profits, meeting local requirements, proper packing and attention to details all follow. Add to these a willingness to give the people what they want, a sympathy with them, a knowledge of their ways, lives and point of view and a true and whole-hearted desire to get together and Latin- American trade and business will be ours. But trade and commerce offer by no means the greatest opportunities in Latin America. Even greater rewards await us in the develop- ment of natural resources in the southern re- publics. Very little of the entire area of South and Central America has been settled or developed and there are vast areas in South America which are absolutely unknown and unexplored. The war has done much to draw our atten- tion to the resources of South America and unsuspected possibilities have been discov- ered. Without certain raw materials from Latin America we would have been sadly handicapped in our struggle, and South 106 GETTING TOGETHER America has provided ns with many of the sinews of war. From her mines we have drawn vast stores of copper, manganese, tungsten, nitrates, vanadium, platinum, molybdenum, tin, and many other valuable and rare metals. From her forests we have obtained the balsa, mahogany, green-heart, fustic, cocobolo and other woods necessary for our airplanes, our gunstocks, our ships and many other pur- poses; from her pampas we have secured beef; from her coastal lands has come enor- mous quantities of sugar; our ambulances, our motor trucks and our automobiles are tired with rubber from South America. Our boys *^over there*' would fare badly indeed were their supplies of South American coffee and cocoa cut off and in short, we have to thank South America for much that she has made possible in our progress in the war. And yet not one minute fraction of South America's wealth has been exploited, not one-thousandth of her resources are known and her natural wealth has scarcely been scratched. There are undreamed of riches in her mountains, her forests and her plains; there is a chance for WITH LATIN AMERICA 107 capital and development such as the world lias never known and the true awakening of Latin America, and the greatest profits and advan- tages to us, mil come when we look beyond the commerce and the trade and go forth to our southern neighbors with Yankee energy and Yankee capital to develop and exploit their resources for their benefit and ours. 108 GETTING TOGETHER CHAPTER Vn It might be pointed out that we are not wholly to blame for our relations with Latin America ; that we should not be expected to do everything to increase the business, the friend- ship and the mutual confidence of the three Americas. It may be argued that, in many ways, the Latin Americans are to blame for the conditions which prevail, that they have not been willing to meet us half way, have made no efforts to better themselves and that they cannot guarantee protection and fair treatment to foreigners, and that they dis- criminate against North Americans. To prove these accusations, attention might be drawn to a recent case in Panama, when a United States soldier was sentenced to twenty years for murdering a jitney chauffeur while a Pan- amanian woman served seven days for killing two Americans. But even here there was some reason, for the soldier murderer killed his vie- WITH LATIN AMERICA 109 tim in cold blood for the purpose of stealing his automobile while the woman claimed, whether truthfully or not, that she acted in self defense. But even granting the injustice and discrimination, are such cases not largely due to our own actions! What efforts did our consular officials make to secure justice? How many American women have we executed for crimes as bad as those for which foreign- born men have been legally put to death or lynched! Or, for that matter, are our own laws always administered so justly and with such impartiality that we would impose the same sentence on a white American woman who killed two colored Panamanians, and claimed self defense, as we would mete out to a colored Panamanian who murdered a white American chauffeur and made off with his car! Theoretically and ethically of course we would, but can we honestly lay claim to having reached the Utopian ideal where justice is not influenced by race and sex! It is far easier to see the faults in others than in ourselves and while I do not pretend that Latin Ameri- cans have not at times shown discriminations 110 GETTING TOGETHER against our citizens and have not been gnilty of gross miscarriages of justice, is that after all any excuse for looking upon them all as semi-savages or for blaming all for the faults of a few? And my claim is, that, had we al- ways treated the Latin Americans with justice, had we always endeavored to win their friend- ship and confidence and had we always meted out justice to those of our citizens who vio- lated Latin- American laws we w^ould have no cause to complain of any discrimination against us nor of any lurking anti-American sentiments on the part of our southern neigh- bors. But admitting that there are occasional cases where there is rank injustice shown to our citizens and that, under certain conditions, foreigners are not protected in Latin America, yet the idea that we are not safe in Latin America or that the Latin Americans dis- criminate against us is, as a whole, erroneous and without foundation and, like so many other things relating to Latin America, should be unlearned. Again, take for example the question of WITH LATIN AMERICA 111 revolutions and their bearing on the question. This has perhaps, been the greatest single factor in frightening our capitalists and busi- ness men out of Latin America, for the unstable conditions of some of the governments, and the uncertainty of concessions under ever- changing administrations, have had a tre- mendous influence on the development of Latin America's resources and business. But if we look into this matter we will find that not only has this hete noire been tremendously exag- gerated, but that the deplorable conditions which have prevailed were not due to the Latin Americans themselves but to conditions which they could not control, and that every educated, intelligent Latin American deplores them and is fully alive to the necessity of stable, honest government. There is no denying that insur- rections and revolutions have been frequent and numerous and, all too often, the so-called republics have been despotisms under the rule of unprincipled tyrants who did not hesitate to abrogate promises and agreements to suit their own ends. Perhaps it is no exag- geration to state that the revolutionary ten- 112 GETTING TOGETHER dency of the Latin Americans has been their worst fault, their greatest curse and the chief factor in keeping them poor, and their lands undeveloped and backward. But the Latin Americans, as a whole, cannot be too greatly blamed for this state of affairs. When we study the history of South America; when we look into the past and realize the con- ditions which existed before, and just after, the liberation of the various colonies from Spain; when we understand the complexity of the people, their temperaments, their char- acters and their traditions, and w^hen we know the countries intimatelv, we do not wonder that they have been torn by strife and bloodshed, that they have been turbulent and unstable, that their pockets have been ruthlessly picked by unscrupulous politicians or that they have, as a whole, remained behind the rest of the world in development, progress and government. Eather do we marvel that they have survived at all, that their people have not reverted to savagery and that maiiy of the republics have gone steadily forw^ard and now lead the world in many ways. WITH LATIN AMERICA 113 Cnished beneath the yoke of Spain (or Portugal), overtaxed, tyrannized; with no rights of their own; with slavery on every hand; impoverished by the Crown and the Church, the people, with superhuman heroism and sacrifice, wrought their independence by a series of bloody battles which for bravery, endurance and self-sacrifice have never been excelled. But the very characteristics which had enabled their leaders to urge the people to victory despite the most awful hardships and the most terrific odds, prevented them from establishing peaceful, orderly governments after the wars were won. Bolivar, San Martin and the other generals were fanatical patriots, but arrogant, conceited, vindictive and cruel and while magnificent soldiers they were totally unfitted for the duties of rulers. Moreover, the close of the wars against Spain found the countries overrun with bandits and independ- ent chieftains; business was totally dislocated, estates had been destroyed or had gone to ruin; whole families had been wiped out of existence, towns had been destroyed, treasuries had been depleted and thousands of men, who 114 GETTING TOGETHER had been engaged in active service, found them- selves without homes, friends, money or occu- pations. In addition, there were countless factions, in- numerable parties and no end of individuals, no two of whom could agree as to what they wanted, and, truth to tell, they didn't know themselves. There were the old Spanish fami- lies who were still loyal to the Crown; the Creole Spaniards who looked down upon all natives not of pure Castilian blood, and who could not bear the thought of racial equality or of a colored or Mestizo ruler; there were the natives of mixed, colored or Indian blood, and finally, the pure Indians and negroes. These last had been slaves, or little better than slaves, and many still were retained in slavery. The Mestizos and colored mixtures who had hitherto been ground down almost to the level of beasts found themselves free, independent and on a supposed equality with the whites, and, as a natural result, there were intrigues, plots, open hostility and a general lack of peace and coordination everywhere. To maintain any sort of order and to afford any appearance WITH LATIN AMERICA 115 of safety to lives and property the rulers were obliged to be severe, to take the law into their own hands and to imprison or execute of- fenders or supposed offenders of the law in a most summary, and often secret, manner. Such a course not only tended to create tyrants and despots, but it also led to greater discon- tent, to further intrigues and plots and to revolutionary movements. Then quarrels oc- curred between the various republics, wars ensued and the people, once having acquired the spirit of warfare, found time hanging heavily on their hands when there were not some hostilities going on. In theory, the idea of the republican form of government was ideal and promising; but with the preponder- ance of the population consisting of ignorant, semi-savage Indians and half-breeds, true re- publics were impossible. Aspirants for office soon found that the gullible peons were excel- lent tools for their purposes and could be swayed or bribed, while the peons soon found, that once in power, the politicians cared not the snap of their fingers for those who had aided them and, as a result, they took the only means 116 GETTING TOGETHER available and started revolutions to enforce their demands. And as a matter of fact it usually made no great difference to the peon who he was fighting for. If he was fairly well fed and clad and had a few centavos to spare he was happy and quite willing to fight anyone or everyone for the man or party that clothed and fed him. Soon, too, the rulers and their partizans found that their tenure of office was liable to be brief and, deciding to make hay while the sun shone, robbed and fleeced the people right and left and, when the time came, retired with a goodly sum tucked away for future needs. It was this chaotic, ever-changing state of affairs which bred the revolutionary tendency of the Latin American, a tendency which found ready growth in the Latin- American character with its complexity of Spanish, Indian and African blood and in which the courtesy and gallantry of generations of Castilian grandees struggled with the barbarity and savagery of naked Indian and primitive African. And that the revolutionary tendency still lingers, that the inheritance of intrigue, treach- WITH LATIN AMERICA 117 ery and public dishonesty still persists, is not surprising, for such things die hard, especially when they operate to one's personal benefit. Moreover, to the Latin-American mind, such matters as insurrections, unstable govern- ments, dishonest politicians and even despotic tyrants do not appear in the same light as they do to our minds. Indeed, the average Latin American seems to think that it is part of the politician's business to make all he can while he can, regardless of how he does it, and his ancestors — both Spanish and Indian — were so long taught that might makes right that it doesn't appear to him as wrong, and he also finds relief from his too effervescent spirits in insurrections. It is useless to compare Latin Ajnerica and Latin- American conditions with our own. In the first place, the Latin temperament, the Latin point of view and the Latin code of morality is totally distinct from the Anglo- Saxon. Still more distinct from either is the character, the temperament, the point of view and the tradition of the Indian, while still dif- ferent from all is the Negro character. Into 118 GETTING TOGETHER the melting pot of Latin America all these contradictory and variable units have been cast, to come forth, a new alloy which forms the bulk of Latin Americans. Were the Latin Americans of onr race; had the conditions under which they and their countries have been evolved been the same or even similar to ours, then, perhaps, we might compare them to our- selves ; but even then, there would be the great factor of climate and environment to consider, and this has a tremendous influence upon de- velopment. But supposing that conditions had been the same, would we have done better? If, after our revolution, our states had quarreled among themselves; if the Tories had plotted to overthrow our Colonial government and to reestablish the British rule; if we had at- tempted to declare the Indians and colored people equals; if we had found Washington a tyrannical vindictive despot, would our infant republic have grown to manhood in peace and prosperity as it did? But to get back to the present: most of the stories of Latin- American revolutions, of tyran- nical rulers, of wholesale robbery by politicians. WITH LATIN AMERICA 119 of maltreatment of foreigners and of uncer- tainty of concessions are of the past. With few exceptions life and property are just as safe and secure in Latin America as anywhere else, and in many of the countries, the people have almost forgotten what a revolution is like, while in others the revolutions that have oc- curred have been bloodless and not one-half as exciting as our regular elections. And if the Latin Americans see fit to appoint their executives in their own way what business is it of ours ? No doubt many countries think our ways as strange, as wrong and as subject to criticism as we think the Latin Americans ' and yet we certainly would resent their interference. As long as the lives and properties of our citi- zens are not molested I cannot see any valid excuse for trying to force Latin Americans to our methods and ways, and there are mighty few instances of American lives or property being injured without good and sufficient rea- son. All too often, we hear but one side of the story and form our judgments hastily and from a prejudiced viewpoint when, were we to inves- tigate, we would find that were the cases re- 120 GETTING TOGETHER versed and a Latin American had done the same things in the States he would have been treated with even greater severity. But, most of all, we must ever bear in mind that the Latin American is temperamental, emotional, passionate, quick tempered and spec- tacular, and that to him a thing may seem per- fectly right and proper which to us appears grossly wrong and vice versa. Anyhow, we are not going to alter the Latin- American tem- perament, or the Latin- American point of view, by words or deeds, any more than he is going to alter ours, and if we expect to get on with our southern neighbors and secure their trade we must take things as they are and make the best of them. Moreover, we must remember that the advantages accruing to us from a better under- standing and a larger trade with Latin America are far greater than the benefits which the Latin Americans will receive. It is to our own inter- ests to do all we can, but there is no denying the fact that there is much which the Latin Americans must also do. If they want us to go to their lands and invest capital and de- velop their resources, if they want us to fur- WITH LATIN AMERICA 121 tlier tlieir interests and be with them, they mnst do their part. They mnst learn that foreigners, and North Americans in particular, love comforts and luxuries which do not appeal to Latin Ameri- cans, and they must provide hotels or stopping places wherein the traveler may be comfort- able at least. They must be willing to clean and sanitize their towns and cities, they must be willing to sacrifice certain prejudices and customs in accord with the ideas of the rest of the world; they must afford us the same oppor- tunities for business, for trade, for investments and for development as are possessed by their own citizens, and they must be one with us in stamping Germanism from the civilized world. Moreover, for their own benefit as well as ours, they must establish more schools and must im- prove those they have ; they must be willing to give us concessions to establish railways, steam- ship lines and other means of transportation; they must keep in touch with the outside world and must broaden their ideas and they must overcome racial and religious prejudice just as much as we must throw aside ours. Far too 122 GETTING TOGETHER many of tlie Latin Americans, especially in the ontlying districts, live in the past and think as did their forefathers three centuries ago. They have never learned that the days of the Inquisition are over; they look upon a Protes- tant as beyond the pale of law or consideration, and, to them, every foreigner is an object of suspicion and distrust. They are steeped in superstition and are fanatical in their religious and racial antipathy to all others, and they are still as completely under the rule and thumb of the Church as ever. Lack of transportation has kept many portions of Latin America com- pletely isolated from the rest of the world, but with railways and river steamers all this will be changed. One of the prime necessities, one of the first things to be done in establishing better relations with Latin America is to de- velop the transportation systems of South America, and to do this, let both the North and South Americans work shoulder to shoulder. Perhaps no other factor has been so detri- mental to Latin America as the difficulties of transportation, and to us this is a most vital matter. Without transportation facilities WITH LATIN AMERICA 123 South America cannot expand, she cannot de- velop and she cannot export her products, and without it, we cannot reach the interior people and markets, we cannot secure the raw goods and we cannot develop the trade we should. The majority of Latin Americans keenly realize this and they are willing to give us every op- portunity to remedy it, for they are not short- sighted nor fools, no matter what their other faults may be. The Latin American may lack initiative, or may be rather inclined to let things go as they are and to be content with the ways of his ancestors, but once started in the right way, he goes into it as fervently as he went into the wars for his independence, and he certainly knows a good thing when he sees it. The Latin Americans are ready and waiting for us, they are willing to meet us more than half way; they have goods we want and must have, and we have goods to sell them which they require. The Panama Canal has linked the two oceans, it has cut freights and long voyages in half, it has brought the two Amer- icas closer together than ever before, and the war has, for the time at least, driven European 124 GETTING TOGETHER competition from Latin America. Now is the time of all times to seize the opportunity pre- sented us. The Latin Americans are willing to do their part, they are anxious for our friend- ship, confidence and business. If we are in earnest, if we want the South American trade, if all our talk of Pan Americanism, good will and mutual interests has been sincere; then let us clasp hands with our southern neighbors in true friendship, and forgetting all differences, unite all the republics of the New World in an inseparable, enduring bond by making our motto **A11 America for all Americans." WITH LATIN AMERICA 125 APPENDIX* Latin-American countries, including the Guianas and the Caribbean Republics, alpha- betically arranged with the most important facts and figures regarding them. ARGENTINE REPUBLIC Area. — 1,112,684 square miles. About equal to all of the United States east of the Mis- sissippi with the addition of the first tier of States west of it. Six times the area of Spain, Germany or France. Ten times the size of Great Britain or Italy. ♦ The statistics given are the best obtainable, but in many in- stances they may be incorrect. In some cases no official censuses nor reports have been made for several years; in others, such figures are merely estimates, while in a few, no data could be secured. Moreover, great changes in exports and imports, in comparative values and in leading products have taken place since the war. 126 GETTING TOGETHER Chief Exports. — ^Animals, beef and hides; agri- cultural products; lumber and timber; minerals; products of fisheries and the chase. Value of Exports.— Ahovii $500,000,000. Value of Imports.— About $200,000,000. Population. — About 9,000,000 of whom about 575,000 are foreigners. Capital. — Buenos Aires with about 1,700,000 in- habitants. Language. — Spanish. Currency. — Argentinian, the standard being the gold peso equal to $0,965 U. S. The common paper peso in circulation is worth approximately $0.4246 U. S. Weights and Measures. — Metric system. Physical Chakacters Argentine is very largely a fairly level coun- try of vast plains or pampas; but it rises to- wards the west to the Andes, the highest point of which, and the highest peak in the New World, is Mount Aconcagua, 23,300 feet, on Argentinian territory. Towards the north WITH LATIN AMERICA 127 there are heavily wooded areas, while in the south is the region of old Patagonia which, in- stead of being sterile and barren, \s well adapted for grazing and farming. Climate The climate is generally temperate; but in the northern portions of the Republic, which are within the tropics, it is hot, while the south- ern extremity is cold. The great central plains have a climate very similar to our Southwest- ern States, but less severe in winter, while the areas devoted to sugar and grape cultivation possess a climate of perpetual spring. Government One of the five American republics which have adopted the federal form of government, the others being the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. Army and Navy The peace strength of the standing army is 22,000 men. Military service is compulsory 128 GETTING TOGETHER from the twentieth to the forty-fifth year, with one year of active service as a rule. The Na- tional Guard is composed of all citizens be- tween 30 and 40 years; the Territorial Guard of those between 40 and 45 years and mobilized only in case of war. The war strength of the army is estimated at 260,000 men. The navy consists of approximately 68 vessels of various kinds in addition to the ^^Rivadavia'^ of 28,000 tons and its sister ship the ** Moreno'^ both built in the United States. The personnel of the navy numbers 8,272, with a naval reserve of 11,411. Tkanspoktation, Etc. Total length of railways about 22,000 miles. Argentina thus stands ninth among the world's nations in railway mileage and it is possible to travel from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires and hence across the Andes to the Pacific by railway. There are also over 43,000 miles of telegraph lines and over twenty wireless sta- tions in the Republic, Argentina being the first country in South America to adopt wireless telegraphy in 1903. WITH LATIN AMERICA 129 Education Education is very well advanced in the Argentine, primary instruction being compul- sory between the ages of 6 and 14 years and, in addition, there are numerous higher schools and secondary colleges, besides special schools of science, agriculture, etc., as well as five splendid universities and seventeen normal schools ; schools of mines, schools for technical training, professional schools, military and medical colleges, etc. About 12 per cent of Argentina's total annual expenditures are de- voted to education. Resources and Industries Argentina is primarily an agricultural coun- try for more than one-third of its entire area is arable; another third is adapted to cattle raising and the remainder is covered with forests, lakes, mountains or cities, or is barren and unproductive. In 1904 over 26,000,000 acres were under cultivation. The principal products are wheat, grains, sugar, wines, live 130 GETTING TOGETHER stock, dairy products, gold, silver, copper, borax, tungsten and petroleum. The principal industries are related to the grain and cattle industries such as freezing, chilling and can- ning plants; packing plants, breweries, furni- ture and shoe factories, tanneries, etc. BOLIVIA Area. — About 708,195 square miles. Nearly three times the size of Texas. Six times as large as the combined areas of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Chief Exports. — Tin, silver, copper, bismuth, zinc, lead, gold, tungsten, rubber, cacao, tobacco, sugar, coca, quinine, etc. Value of Exports.— About $37,132,037. Value of Imports.— About $8,804,081. Population.— (1915) 2,267,935. Capital. — La Paz with a population of 82,000. Language. — Sp ani sh. Currency. — Bolivian, the standard being the Boliviano of 100 centavos and equal to about $0,389 U. S. currency. WITH LATIN AMERICA 131 Weights and Measures. — Metric system as standard, but Spanish ^^Vara" (32.91 inches), and "Arroba'^ (25.36 lbs) in com- mon use. Physical Characters The most noteworthy feature of Bolivia's topography is the great central plateau which extends over 500 miles in length at an average altitude of 12,000 feet above the sea and which lies between the two great Andean chains which traverse the country from north to south* Other mountains traverse the country in all directions, while three of the highest peaks in the western hemisphere — Illampu, Illimani and Sajama — are witliin the boundaries of the Re- public. There are many navigable rivers, the combined length of these being over 12,000 miles. Climate Owing to the great difference in altitude be- tween the lowlands of the Amazon basin and 1S2 GETTING TOGETHER the Andean regions there is a great variation in climate. The mean temperature of the low- lands is about 74° F. while that of the plateaus is but 50° F. There are well defined wet and dry seasons, the rainy season being from De- cember to May. The climate on the high plateaus is cool, healthful and invigorating, al- though many northerners cannot withstand the rarefied atmosphere of the great elevation. GOVEKNMENT Eepresentative Eepublican with three dis- tinct and coordinate branches — legislative, ex- ecutive and judiciaL The President is elected for a term of four years. Army and Navy There is a standing army of 4600 men and officers. Military service is compulsory, all citizens between the ages of 20 and 50 years being compelled to serve first in the regular and later in the reserve forces. As Bolivia has no sea coast there is no navy. WITH LATIN AMERICA 133 Transportation, Etc. About 840 miles of railway are in operation and some 376 more are in course of construc- tion, while about 2000 more miles are pro- jected. The chief line is the Antofogasta and Bolivia Railway from Antofogasta, Chile, to Ollague on the frontier and thence to Oruro, where it connects with the Bolivia Railway which continues to Viacha at the junction of the Guaqui & La Paz Railway, thus forming a through route to La Paz, a total distance of 719 miles, which is through some of the finest mountain scenery in the world. The main line is carried to a height of 13,000 feet above the sea and a branch line reaches an altitude of 15,809 feet. A regular line of steamers is maintained on Lake Titicaca, situated at an altitude of 12,900 feet, and which has an area of 4000 square miles, and is the highest navi- gated lake in the world. Bolivia also possesses a network of rivers which afford excellent com- munication and transportation facilities, the total length of navigable streams being about 12,000 miles. Interior travel, especially in the 134 GETTING TOGETHER mountainous districts, is mainly by mule back or llamas. There are about 4259 miles of telegraph lines; several wireless stations and extensive telephone systems. Education Public instruction is compulsory beginning with the 6th year and there are 1265 primary schools with an attendance of nearly 60,000 pupils. For secondary instruction there are three schools at Chuquisaca, ^ve in La Paz, two in Cochabamba and one each at Potosi, Oruro, Santa Cruz, Tarija and Trinidad. There are universities at La Paz and Chuquisaca ; normal schools at Sucre, a school of agriculture, a na- tional institute of commerce at La Paz; the national institute of languages at Potosi; the school of agronomy and veterinary surgery at Cochabamba; the schools of mines, conserva- tory of music, academy of drawing and paint- ing ; the school of arts and crafts, the school of dressmaking, etc. Whenever considered advis- able by the Government students of particular merit are sent abroad to continue their educa- tion at Government expense. I WITH LATIN AMERICA 135 Kesoueces and Industeies Althougli Bolivia is rich in agricultural and forest products yet her chief wealth is in her minerals. Nearly all the known metals occur in the Republic and from the earliest days the country has been famous for its gold and silver mines. The annual gold production is valued at about $349,200, and for years Bolivia was third among the silver countries of the world, but her production of the baser metals is far more valuable than the silver and gold output. The Bolivian tin, copper and bismuth mines are the richest in the world. Bolivia now pro- duces about one-quarter of the total tin output of the world and in 1915 her output of bismuth amounted to 663 tons. Of recent years tung- sten and other rare metals have added greatly to Bolivia's wealth. Next to her metals, rubber is the chief product of the Republic, the annual export value in recent years amounting to over $6,000,000. Another most valuable product is coca, from which cocaine is extracted, and coffee and cacao are also grown and exported in large quantities. Llamas, sheep and cattle 136 GETTING TOGETHER are raised extensively; cotton is becoming re- munerative and considerable upland rice is grown, as is wheat and many vegetables. There are several breweries and a shoe factory in the Republic, and in addition, there are numerous minor industries. BRAZIL 'Area, — Over 3,292,000 square miles or a trifle less than the entire United States with Alaska and over 200,000 square miles larger than the United States without Alaska. Larger than the whole of Euro- pean Russia. Chief Exports. — Coffee, rubber, cacao, rice, cotton, tobacco, cabinet and dye woods, diamonds, gold, manganese and rare metals. Hides, skins, beef, etc. Value of Exports.— (1915) $257,176,851 divided as follows: Animals and animal products . . $20,656,596 Minerals and mineral products 5,697,197 Vegetable products 230,823,058 WITH LATIN AMERICA 137 Value of imports.— {1915) $146,082,483 divided as follows: Live animals $208,010 Primary materials, etc 38,522,588 Manufactures 52,407,225 Foodstuffs 54,944,660 Popiilatio7t.—Ahout 24,000,000, including 500,- 000 aborigines; over 400,000 Germans; 1,500,000 Italians and about 400,000 Span- iards. Capital. — Rio de Janeiro with about 1,500,000 inhabitants. There are twenty cities each with a population of over 200,000. Language. — Portuguese. Currency. — Brazilian, based on the unit mil- reis which is written 1$000. The gold mil- reis is equal to $0,546 United States cur- rency and is the unit used in financial reports and foreign exchange. The ordi- nary currency is the paper milreis of a nominal value of 16 pence British or $0.32 U. S. A ^^Conto'' is 1000 milreis and has a value of $546 in gold or about $320 in paper. 138 GETTING TOGETHER Weights and Measures. — Metric as standard, but the Portuguese '^ Libra'' of 1012 pounds and the '^Arroba'' of 32.38 pounds are in use. Physical Chaeacteks Eoughly, the surface of Brazil may be divided into two principal regions; that of the east and central parts being generally high, while the northern and western portions are mainly ex- tensive plains and valleys. The central plateau, which covers nearly half the entire area, is from 1600 to 3200 feet above sea level. North of this is the vast Valley of the Amazon stretching from the Atlantic to the Peruvian Andes and drained by the largest river in the world, with a length of over 3850 miles and with more than 200 tributary streams, one hundred of which are navigable, and which drain an area of over 800,000 square miles. Although not a mountainous country compared to the Andean republics, yet there are many lofty ranges in Brazil; peaks in the southern portion of the country reaching an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet. WITH LATIN AMERICA 139 Climate Although entirely within the tropical and temperate zones the climate of Brazil, owing to its physical characters and its enormous area, is extremely diversified. The tropical portions, although lying under, and close to the geographical equator, are in reality below the thermal equator, or line of extreme heat (which runs through Central America), while the vast river system and numerous elevated lands modify the climate so that in most places it is pleasant and healthful. But between the north- em boundary of about 5° north of the equator and its southern extremity in south latitude 33° every variety of climate may be found ex- cept extreme cold. Average annual tempera- ture at Eio is about 70° F.; the rainfall about 59 inches. In many places in the tropical dis- tricts the rainfall is excessive, while in other parts long droughts are common. On the north- em lowlands and certain portions of the coast the heat is often oppressive. 140 GETTING TOGETHER Government The Constitution, adopted Feb. 24th, 1891, provides that Brazil is a federal union of twenty states, a Federal District and the Territory of Acre. Army and Navy The peace strength of the army varies, but is about 32,000 men. Military service is compul- sory from the twenty-first to the forty-fourth year, and hence the war strength of the country exceeds 300,000 men. The navy consists of 57 vessels, with a complement of over 13,000 men* Eailways, Telegraphs, etc. There were over 21,394 miles of federal tele- graph lines in operation in Brazil in 1914, and in addition there were approximately 40,000 telephones with over 110,360 miles of wires. There are also numerous wireless stations, that at Belem (Para) being able to communicate directly with the United States, its range being WITH LATIN AMERICA 141 over 4000 miles. The total railway mileage is about 14,595, and one may travel by rail from Kio directly to Montevideo, a total distance of 1967 miles. The need of railways is not felt so greatly in Brazil as in many countries, owing to her im- mense system of natural waterways. The Amazon is navigable for nearly its entire length, and ocean steamships run regularly to Manaos, over 1000 miles from the sea, and to Iquitos, Peru. There are over 10,000 miles of navigable waterways open to ocean-going ves- sels and river steamers and 20,000 miles addi- tional open to light draft vessels. Education There are over 13,000 schools in Brazil with an attendance of about 750,000 pupils, besides many agricultural schools. Kesources and Industries Brazil is one of the richest countries in the world in natural resources and is one of the 142 GETTING TOGETHER few countries wliicli could be absolntely self supporting. Its tropical areas produce all tlie fruits, vegetables and other products of the tor- rid zone; there are vast forests of valuable woods; it has marvelous areas of cattle lands, and its mineral wealth is stupendous. Much of the interior is unknown and its forest and min- eral resources have scarcely been touched. Brazil's chief revenues are derived from its agriculture, and at present coffee, cacao, rice, cotton, sugar, tobacco, Paraguay tea, man- dioca and rubber are the most important. Kubber and coffee are the principal exports, the average coffee crop exceeding 12,000,000 sacks of 132.76 pounds each. Among the minerals found in Brazil are the following: Agates, Amethysts, Andalusites, Antimony, Aquamarines, Arsenic, Atopite, Barium, Bismuth, Blende, , Cadmium blende Chalmersite, ! Chrysoberl, Cymophane, WITH LATIN AMERICA 143 Chrome, Molybdenite, Cinnabar, Nickel, Citrine, Opal, Coal, Palladium, Cobalt bloom, Phenakite, Columbite, Platinum, Copper, Pumice, Cyanide, Eock crystal, Diamonds, Ehodonite, J^mery, Buby, Epidote, Kutile, Euclase, Salt, Jb'luorspar, Saltpetre, Garnet, Sapphires, Galena, Silver, Gold, Spliene, Graphite, Spinel, Iron, Spodumene, Jasper, Stibnite, Kaolin, Stolzite, Lewisite, Talc, Manganese, Tin, Marble, Topaz, Mica, Tourmalines, Monazite, Tungsten, 144 GETTING TOGETHER TJranium, Wolframite, Vanadium, Zircon. In manufactures Brazil is rapidly progress- ing. The leading manufacture is cotton goods, but there are also tanneries, shoe factories, hat factories, foundries, furniture factories, etc. The five larger cotton mills in the Federal Dis- trict employ over 8000 operatives and have an output of more than 80,000,000 yards. Another mill employs 1500 operatives and utilizes over 1500 horsepower. Four mills in Petropolis manufacture an average of 18,000,000 yards, while in Sao Paulo, twenty-four mills produce over 84,000,000 yards. In Sao Paulo there are also sugar, alcohol, beer, jute, chemical, hat, paper, match, shoe, leather, furniture, lace and silk manufactures. There are also flour mills, shirt, collar and stocking factories; plants for making hydrogen gas; a railway assembling works, a fiber plant, steam laundries, etc. la Parana the lumber industry, although still in its infancy, produces over $2,000,000 worth of lumber annually. WITH LATIN AMERICA 145 BRITISH GUIAJSTA (DEMERARA) Area. — About 90,000 square miles, or about the size of New England with New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland in addition. Chief Exports. — Sugar, gold, diamonds, rub- ber, balata, rice. Total Value of Exports.— About $13,000,000 annually, divided as follows: Sugar and by-products $9,000,000 Gold 1,000,000 Diamonds 1,000,000 Balata 1,000,000 Rice and other products 1,000,000 Toial Value of Imports.— Ahout $10,000,000 annually. Population.— Ahout 300,000, divided as follows : Portuguese, about 10,000 Other Europeans 4,000 East Indians 130,000 Chinese 3,000 Blacks 115,000 Mixed races 30,000 Native Indians 15,000 146 GETTING TOGETHER Capital, — Georgetown, with a population of about 60,000. Language. — English. Currency. — British, but prices and accounts usually carried in dollars and cents. Royal Bank of Canada and Colonial Bank of London notes in $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 and upwards in universal use. British copper, silver and gold coins as in England; but three-penny pieces uncommon, while four- penny pieces, coined especially for use in the colony, supplant them. Many of the people know the half-penny only as a **cent" and the four-penny pieces as * ^ bits. ' ' The term * ' guilder ' ' is also widely used, the value of the British Guiana <^ guilder*' being .32 (one shilling and four pence), or four ^'bits.'' Weights and Measures. — British. Physical Characters Physically, British Guiana may be divided into three belts: the low lying, flat and swampy WITH LATIN AMERICA 147 area of the coastal region; the more elevated, broader area of sand hills and clayey soils back of the coastal belt, and the elevated tablelands and mountains of the interior. There are no definite mountain ranges; the mountains con- sisting of disconnected groups and isolated peaks rising to a height of about 8000 feet in Mount Roraima and Mount Kukenaam. Climate Very healthful and seldom oppressive, even on the coasts. Very equable and with no well defined rainy seasons. Rains excessive in places and liberal everyw^here. Mean temperature of coast, 79° F. to 82° F. Mean maximum, 83° F. to 87° F. A temperature of 90° F. has been reached only on half a dozen occasions. Aver- age humidity at 9 a.m, 79.6; at 4 p.m., 76.9. Average annual rainfall for entire colony about 100 inches. Hottest months, September and October; coolest, December, January and Feb- ruary. Dryest months, from middle of August to middle of November and from early in Feb- ruary to middle of April. 148 GETTING TOGETHER GOVEKKMENT A British Colony administered by a Governor appointed by the Crown, and assisted by the Executive Council, the Court of Policy and the Combined Court. Eesources and Industeies One of the richest of South American coun- tries in natural resources. The soil is exceed- ingly fertile and almost anything can be grown. Vast forests of valuable timbers cover most of the colony and in the interior and along most of the rivers near the coasts are immense grassy savannas suitable for raising enormous herds of cattle. Much of British Guiana is unexplored and unknown, and aside from a narrow strip along the coasts and the lower reaches of the rivers, the country is unsettled and undeveloped, and only about 300 square miles, or one three-hun- dredth of its total area, is under cultivation. Among the forest products are greenheart, purpleheart, lignum vitae, crabwood, locust, WITH LATIN AMERICA 149 letter-wood, wallaba, mora, bnllet-tree, cedar, balata, rubber, Tonka beans, vanilla, sarsapa- rilla, Brazil nuts, locust gum, gum-ellemi, palm- oil nuts, pita hemp, anotto, and many medicinal and dye woods and plants. Its mineral wealth is also very great and is scarcely known. Gold and diamonds are worked and exported exten- sively, but in a primitive and crude manner; there are immense deposits of bauxite now being developed; iron, manganese, copper, mica, graphite, antimony, spinel rubies, sapphires, tourmalines and other minerals occur and there are huge deposits of kaolin, ochre, clays, etc., with indications of petroleum and asphalt. Transportation There are but three railways in the colony with a total mileage of less than 200 miles, but the many large and navigable rivers furnish adequate transportation near the coasts and settlements. Nearly all the rivers are navi- gable for ocean-going vessels for nearly fifty miles from the sea and for small boats for many miles further, or until the first rapids are 150 GETTING TOGETHER reached. Beyond these all travel must be done by means of canoes or in small, open river boats, necessitating immense labor, great risks and enormous expense. CHILE Area, — About 292,341 square miles, or four times the size of Nebraska. Would cover our western coast States from San Diego^ Cal., to middle Alaska, with the width of California. Chief Exports. — Nitrate of soda, copper, borax, wines, flour. Value of Exports.—Ahout $118,000,000. Value of Imports.-^Ahout $55,000,000. Population.— About 4,000,000. Capital. — Santiago,' with about 400,000 in- habitants. Language. — Spanish. Currency. — Chilean gold peso of 100 centavos, equal to $0,365 U. S. Actual currency is paper that averages $0.22 to the peso. WITH LATIN AMERICA 151 Weights and Measures. — Metric, as standard, but Spanish '^Vara'' (32.91 inches) and *^ Quintal'' (101.41 lbs.) in use. Physical Chaeactees Chile, with its enormously long coastline ex- tends from the Antarctic to the tropical regions, but its physical characters are more or less constant. Along the sea the land rises from a narrow coastal strip through hills to the heights of the Andes which extend along the entire eastern portion of the country. Al- though sections are fertile, the general effect of Chile is of a barren country and in fact, Chile is a country of rugged scenic attractions, rather than of luxuriance. Climate The climate of Chile is healthful and in most places delightful. Although it can boast of the most southerly city in the world, Punta Arenas, yet even in its most southerly portion it is not extremely cold, while in the north it is sub- 152 GETTING TOGETHER tropical. Like other west coast republics, the climate varies according to the altitude, but its dryness, and the influence of the Pacific on one side and the barrier of the Andes 'on the other, gives Chile a more equable climate than most countries. GOVEENMENT Republican. Tkansportation, Etc. There are about 4000 miles of railways in Chile with many more in process of con- struction or survey. The most noteworthy line is the Transandean railway from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso which crosses the Andes through the Cumbre Tunnel more than 10,000 feet above the sea. Resoukces and Industries Although Chile's greatest resources are her mineral riches, especially her vast nitrate fields and copper deposits, yet her agricultural WITH LATIN AMERICA 153 wealth is great. Outside of mining and a num- ber of minor industries, in which articles for local consumption are manufactured, there are several large flour mills and Chilean flour is now exported, not only to the other Latin- American Eepublics but also to the United States and Europe. COLOMBLA Area, — About 476,916 square miles, or about the size of Germany, France, Holland, Den- mark and Belgium combined. Chief Exports, — Coffee, cacao, rubber, vege- table ivory, Panama hats, sugar, tobacco, bananas, platinum, emeralds, gold, silver, metals, liides, cattle, etc. Value of Exports.— (1915) $31,579,131. Value of Imports.— (191^) $17,840,350. Value of principal exports. — Coffee $16,616,686 Emeralds 1,000,000 Gold 2,066,941 154 GETTING TOGETHER Hides 3,575,051 Bananas 1,667,213 Platinum 1,456,648 Population.— {1912) 5,472,604. Capital. — Bogota witJi about 150,000 inhab- itants. Language. — Spanish. Currency. — Colombian, based on the peso (gold) of approximately $0.98. The ** pound *' is $5.00 and there are silver coins of 50, 20 and 10 centavos, as well as 1, 2 and 5 centavos pieces of nickel. The or- dinary medium of exchange is the paper peso convertible at, and representing, the gold peso. Weights and Measures. — Metric standard. Old Spanish measures of *^Vara'' (33.38 inches), ^'Libra'' (1.014 lbs.) and '^Ar- roba'^ (25.36 lbs.) still in use. Physical Chakactees Colombia is largely high, elevated land crossed by three chains of mountains and with WITH LATIN AMERICA 155 an extensive low coastal line on the Caribbean Sea and a narrower belt on the Pacific Ocean. In the eastern portion there are extensive plains sloping to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, while in the west, the Andes reach an elevation of 18,400 feet at Mount Tolina. Climate Although Colombia lies close to, and partly under, the equator, yet the varied character of the country results in a climate which ranges from the hot, tropical lowlands to the cool, temperate plateaus and snow-clad mountains. The temperature at Bogota, at an elevation of 8564 feet, averages about 58° F., while the tem- perature at Cartagena, on the Caribbean, aver- ages from 73° F. to 89° F. The rainfall in the interior is excessive and in places practically continuous. Average rainfall, 144 inches. Government Under the constitution of Aug. 4th, 1886, the Republic of Colombia abolished the Federal 156 GETTING TOGETHER Union and tlie sovereignty of the various states and adopted the unitary republican form of government with legislative, executive and ju- dicial branches. Akmy and Navy The standing army consists of 6000 men, but the President is authorized to increase the force to 20,000 if necessary. Military service is com- pulsory, one-third of the standing army's quota being drafted every year, so that the entire army is renewed every three years. Total armed strength estimated at 120,000. The navy consists of five cruisers, three gunboats, one troopship and other auxiliary vessels. Transportation, Etc. There are about 700 miles of railway in Co- lombia, but the bulk of transportation is by water. The most important waterway is the Magdalena Biver, which is navigable for ves- sels of considerable draft for over 600 miles and for light draft vessels for 300 miles further. WITH LATIN AMERICA 157 The Atrato is navigable for 200 miles and the Sinu for 110 miles. Many of the interior high- ways are excellent, but the majority can only be traversed by mule trains and primitive ox carts. Education- There are about 5225 schools in the Republic with an attendance of about 335,480 pupils. There are also 21 normal schools in Colombia, Medellin and Pasto each having mining schools, and there are universities in Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena, that at Bogota having been founded in 1572. ReSOUKCES and iNDUSTErES Potentially Colombia is very rich. Vast for- ests of valuable timber cover much of the coun- try; much of the land is very fertile; there are large areas of grazing lands and enormous mineral wealth abounds. Vegetable ivory and rubber are among the most valuable forest products; coffee, cacao, 158 GETTING TOGETHER sugar-cane, tobacco and bananas are raised. Gold is found in every department of the Ke- public and silver, mercury, copper, iron, asphalt, lead, coal, petroleum, and platinum occur. Colombia stands second as a producer of platinum and first as a source of emeralds. There are also extensive salt mines and valuable pearl fisheries. In the interior highlands, apples, peaches, berries, potatoes, wheat, barley and other temperate products are raised. Next to Brazil, Colombia is the largest coffee produc- ing country in the world, the annual crop amounting to about 1,000,000 bags of 132 lbs. each. Much of the interior has never been ex- plored and nothing is known of the mineral and other resources of these districts. The platinum output of Colombia is only exceeded by that of Russia and since the outbreak of the war she is the chief producer. Nearly all the world's supply of emeralds comes from Colombia, the annual output of the mines being about 768,938 carats. Colombia's manufactures are not very impor- tant, but there are factories turning out textile WITH LATIN AMERICA 159 goods, glass, earthenware, matches, iron cast- ings, flour and sugar. COSTA RICA Area. — ^About 23,000 square miles or nearly the size of the aggregate areas of Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Chief Exports. — Bananas, coffee, gold and silver, woods, hides and skins, rubber, cacao, tortoise shell, pearl shell, man- ganese. Value of Exports.— About $10,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahout $10,000,000. Population. — About 400,000. Capital. — San Jose with 30,000 inhabitants. Language. — Spanish. j Currency. — Gold standard ''Colon'' of 100 j centavos equally nominally to $0,465 U. S., \ but greatly depreciated at present. j Weights and Measures. — Metric, standard; but Spanish ''Vara'' (33 inches), "Libra" ' (1.014 lbs.), and "Arroba" (25.36 lbs.) in ] use. \ 160 GETTING TOGETHER Physical Chakacters In general, Costa Rica is a lofty plateau traversed by many mountain ranges; but with rich alluvial plains along both its coasts. The main mountain range extends in a northwest- erly to southeasterly direction and culminates in the volcanos of Irazu and Turrialba which attain the height of 11,200 and 11,000 feet re- spectively; the mean elevation of the main plateau being about 3500 feet above the sea. Climate The climate is hot and moist on the coasts, but is temperate and delightful in the interior, varying from an average of 68° F., at San Jose to 78° F. on the coasts, but every variety of climate and temperature may be found accord- ing to the altitude. The rainfall on the Pacific slopes and the central plateau is greatest from May to November, while on the Atlantic slopes, it is almost incessant. At San Jose the average annual rainfall is from 60 to 70 inches. WITH LATIN AMERICA 161 GOVEENMENT The Eepublic of Costa Eica is divided into seven provinces, which are as follows: San Jose, Cartago, Heredia, Alajuela, Guanacaste, Punta Arenas and Limon. Transportation, Etc. There are about 500 miles of railways in op- eration in the Republic. The main line runs from Port Limon to San Jose, a distance of 103 miles, and it continues to Alajuela, 14 miles farther north. The Pacific Railway extends from San Jose to Punta Areiias, on the Pacific, a distance of 70 miles, thus affording through traffic from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and making the sixth transcontinental railroad in the two Americas. There are also 16 navigable rivers in the Republic. Telegraph and telephone systems connect all principal towns and there are wireless stations at the ports. 162 GETTING TOGETHER Education Costa Eica possesses many excellent public schools, as well as higli schools, technical and manual training schools and universities, and the people are, as a whole, better educated than in the majority of the Latin- American coun- tries. Eesources and Industries Costa Rica is well named, for it is one of the richest countries in natural resources. The coastal lands on the Atlantic are very fertile and produce enormous crops of bananas; there are extensive grazing lands near the coasts and in the interior, especially on the Pacific side of the divide; the interior valleys and the pla- teaus are exceedingly rich and nearly every product of the tropical or temperate zones may be grown to perfection. There are also vast areas of forests rich in valuable woods, and the country's mineral wealth is great. Gold mines are in operation and have been for a century, and iron, petroleum, silver, copper and manga- nese are known to occur. WITH LATIN AMERICA 163 CUBA Area, — 45,881 square miles, or a trifle larger than Pennsylvania. If placed on the map of the United States, Cuba would reach from New York to Indianapolis with an average width equal to New Jersey. Chief Exports. — Sugar, tobacco, citrus fruits, iron, manganese, copper, asphalt, woods, etc. Value of Exports.— Ahout $300,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahout $150,000,000. Population.— Ahout 3,000,000. Capital. — Havana with about 500,000 inhabit- ants. Language. — Spanish. Currency. — Cuban, gold standard. Dollar of 100 centavos, on par with United States currency. United States coins and notes extensively used and interchangeable with the Cuban currency. Weights and Measures, — Metric as standard, but old Spanish and standard United States measures used considerably. 164 GETTING TOGETHER Physical Characteks The topography of Cuba is varied, the coastal districts being low, the central portions consist- ing of broad plains and low hills, and the south- eastern portions rising to the mountains of the Sierra Maestra, which reaches an altitude of over 8000 feet. In the Pinar del Rio district of the west are numerous conical hills and iso- lated mountains, mainly of limestone forma- tion ; the central portion from Havana to Cama- guey is largely level and the district about Santiago is extremely rugged. In a general way the land slopes upward from the northern to the southern coasts, but even along the north- ern coasts there are many hills and low moun- tains. Climate Throughout most of Cuba the climate is de- lightful and very healthful. Indeed, Cuba is the most healthful country in the world, the mortal- ity being but ten per thousand, as against six- teen per thousand in the United States. On the coasts it is often uncomfortably hot, and it is WITH LATIN AMERICA 165 not "ancommon to have it so cold in winter that overcoats and furs are required; in fact, the climate of Cuba is, as a whole, far more tem- perate than torrid. The maximum temperature ever recorded was 98^ F. The minimum re- corded was 47° F. The average temperature for the hottest and coolest months over a period of six years was June, 80° F.; July, 80° F.; August, 81° F.; September, 80° F.; January, 70° F. Average rainfall 54 inches per year. Almost any desired climate may be found in Cuba. In the high lands it is cool, whereas on the coasts it is hot; but there is usually a good breeze and the humidity is low. Government Cuba is an independent republic with its autonomy and integrity guaranteed by the United States. Transportation, Etc. Cuba is well supplied with railways, the main line running from Havana to Santiago, a dis- 166 GETTING TOGETHER tance of about 800 miles, while branches con- nect all principal ports and towns on both coasts. In addition there are several lines con- necting Havana with the ports of Matanzas, Batabano, etc., while another line extends to Pinar del Eio with branches to various ports on the coasts. Telegraph and telephone lines con- nect all towns and cities and coastwise steamers ply between the ports. Education Cuba's school system is excellent. There are primary schools throughout the island, second- ary and high schools in the larger towns and colleges and universities, as well as schools for training in special arts, sciences and trades. Resoukces and Industries Cuba's resources are almost unlimited. There are vast mineral riches, important fisheries, valuable woods, enormous agricultural oppor- tunities and immense areas of grazing lands. The heaviest forests are in the eastern part of WITH LATIN AMERICA 167 the island, the greatest mineral deposits are in the mountains of the southeast; the best grazing lands are in the central portions and the west- ern parts are best adapted to tobacco and sugar. The forests contain a vast number of valuable woods, such as mahogany, cedar, lig- num vitae, etc. All the tropical and most of the temperate fruits and vegetables are raised. The sponge fishery is important; pearls occur abun- dantly; tortoise shell is an important product and the food fisheries are very large. Among the mineral riches are iron, copper, gold, man- ganese, cinnabar, lignite, asphalt, petroleum, etc. There are many important manufacturing industries in Cuba. Aside from sawmills, sugar mills, foundries, wood-working mills, machine shops, shipyards, furniture factories, etc., there are immense breweries, fan factories, cement- making plants, brick yards, rubber tire fac- tories and a huge bottle factory with an output of over 100,000 bottles per day. 168 GETTING TOGETHER DOMINICAN KEPUBLIC Area.— 19,325 sqnare miles. About two-thirds as large as Maine. About the size of Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island combined. Nearly twice the size of Bel- gium. Chief Exports, — Sugar, tobacco, coffee, cacao, hides, honey, woods, wax, fruit. Value of Exports.— Ahovit $15,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahout $10,000,000. Population.— About 1,000,000. Capital. — Santo Domingo City with 20,000 in- habitants. Language. — Spanish. Currency. — Standard adopted is the gold dol- lar of the United States. Weights and Measures. — Metric as standard, but Dominican ''QuintaP' (101.4 lb.) and ^^Vara'^ (32.91 inches), as well as United States measures, in common use. WITH LATIN AMERICA 169 Physical Chakacteks Santo Domingo, of which the Dominican Re- public forms the eastern two-thirds, is the most mountainous and loftiest of the West Indies, the highest peak being Mt. Loma Tina, which rises to about 11,000 feet above the sea. There are, however, large areas of level plains, especially in the eastern and central portions; broad coastal areas, vast fertile valleys and im- mense elevated tablelands. Climate The climate varies greatly according to the locality, but is healthful in nearly all parts of the republic. In the interior it is cool and springlike, but on the coasts it is very hot, and in places, extremely dry. Government An independent republic but practically under the protectorate of the United States, 170 GETTING TOGETHER which controls the customs, polices the republic and maintains order, credit and law. Transportation, Etc. There are several railways in the republic; one from Puerta Plata to Santiago; another from Sanchez to La Vega; another from the capital to Macoris and several shorter lines. The highways are very poor, but are being rapidly improved by the United States authori- ties. The telephone system is excellent and connects all cities and towns. Education Education has been greatly neglected and a large percentage of the people are very igno- rant, but educational opportunities are being improved under our administration. Resources and Industries The resources of the Republic are almost un- limited. Vast mineral wealth abounds, but is undeveloped. Gold, silver, amber, copper, iron, WITH LATIN AMERICA 171 nickel, salt, petroleum, lignite, asphalt, cinna- bar, tin, manganese and other minerals occur, and, in the old Spanish days, the island was the greatest source of precious metals of all the West Indian colonies of Spain. Vast forests of pine cover the interior mountains and there are great quantities of valuable cabinet and dye woods in the immense forests which cover a large portion of the country. There are also immense areas suitable for grazing and the agricultural possibilities are tremendous, for every product of the tropic or temperate zones may be grown. The industries, aside from agri- culture, are few, but there are match, soap, furniture and other factories; breweries, ma- chine shops, sawmills, sugar mills, etc. DUTCH GUIANA (SURINAM) Area, — About 46,000 square miles, or a little larger than Pennsylvania. Chief Exports. — Sugar, cocoa, coffee, rice, balata, rubber, cocoanuts, gold, timber and mangrove bark. 172 GETTING TOGETHER Population. — (Estimated) About 98,000, di- vided as follows: Javanese and East Indians 22,000 Native Indians and Bush Negroes 10,000 Blacks and colored 20,000 Whites and other races 46,000 Capital. — Paramaribo on the western bank of the Surinam river about 20 miles from the sea and with about 36,000 inhabitants. Language. — Dutch, but English spoken consid- erably in Paramaribo, while the Bush Negroes and native Indians speak a pe- culiar jargon known as ^ ^ Talky-talky. ' ^ Currency. — Dutch, but British and United States coins and banknotes p^ss at face value on a basis of about .40 to the Guilder. Physical Characters Near the sea the country is level and swampy; back of this area are higher rolling lands and further inland are hills and mountains without any definite ranges and not reaching to any great height. WITH LATIN AMERICA 173 Climate Hot, but not unhealthful on tlie coasts and cooler in the interior. Rainfall very heavy and with no very distinct wet and dry seasons. Average temperature of coastal districts, 79° F. Mean minimum temperature, 75° F. Mean maximum, 91° F. Government Dutch Colonial, administered by a Governor appointed by the Queen of Holland, and assisted by an Executive Council of four members and a Legislative Assembly, the members of which are elected for six-year terms by the citizens. Eesources Dutch Guiana is very rich in natural re- sources and much of the country is covered with immense forests of valuable woods. There are large savannas suitable for stock raising; there are elevated fertile lands where temperate products may be raised and there is vast min- 174 GETTING TOGETHER eral wealth. Gold workings are carried on ex- tensively ; there are large and valuable deposits of bauxite; iron, antimony, graphite, and cop- per have been found and in many of the streams are rich pebbles of cinnabar. Tkansportation Only one railway in the colony, a short line of about 100 miles running from the capital into the interior. No roads outside of the immedi- ate vicinity of the coastal towns. Practically all travel is done by small steamers, launches and canoes upon the numerous large rivers and their tributaries. ECUADOR Area. — Estimated at 116,000 square miles or about as large as New England with New York and New Jersey in addition. There are 160,000 square miles in addition which are in discussion with Peru. WITH LATIN AMERICA 175 Chief Exports. — Cacao, coffee, metals and ores, Panama hats, ivory nuts, rubber, forest products. Value of Exports.— Ahout $13,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahout $10,000,000. Population.— Ahout 2,000,000. Capital. — Quito, mth 80,000 inhabitants. Language. — Spanish. Currency. — Gold standard, *^ Sucre'' of 100 centavos equal to about $0,487 U. S. cur- rency. Ten Sucres are equal to one Condor or one pound sterling. Weights and Measures. — Metric as standard, but the old Spanish measures are widely used. Physical Characters Ecuador is traversed from north to south for over 500 miles by the two parallel ranges of the Andes. Some of the peaks of Ecuador are among the highest on the continent. Chimbo- razo is 20,498 feet; Cotopaxi is 20,000 feet, and the great plateau between the Andean ranges 176 GETTING TOGETHER varies from 7000 to 9500 feet above the level of the sea. There are also extensive areas of lowlands covered with dense tropical vegeta- tion. Climate The climate may be divided into four zones, as follows: 1, the ''Tierras Calientes/' or hot lowlands; 2, the ^'Templadas," between six and nine thousand feet; 3, the '^Frias," which in- cludes the fertile plateau of Quito at an eleva- tion of 9371 feet, and 4, the *'Nevadas/' com- prising the snow-capped peaks of the Andes. In these various zones every diversity of cli- mate may be found from the tropical heat to the wintry cold of the everlasting snows. Government Ecuador is a centralized Eepublic with legis- lative, executive and judicial branches. The President is elected by direct vote for a term of four years and cannot be re-elected, except after a lapse of two terms. WITH LATIN AMERICA 177 Abmy and Navy The permanent army consists of 7500 men and officers and the first and second reserves of about 100,000. A mining and torpedo section, a sanitary section and a telephone and tele- graph corps were created in 1910. The navy consists of one cruiser, the ^^Cotopaxi,'' of 600 tons; a torpedo destroyer, the *^ Bolivar," of 1000 tons; one torpedo boat, the ^^Tarqui," of 56 tons; three launches and one auxiliary ves- sel, with a total equipment of about 200 men. Tkansportation, Etc. The total extent of railway lines in Ecuador is about 400 miles, but considerable additional mileage is under construction. Most of the rivers are navigable for considerable distances, the Guayas being navigable for river steamers to Bodegas, 40 miles from Guayaquil, while smaller vessels can proceed a further 200 miles during the wet season. The Duale Eiver is navigable for 60 miles; the Vinces for 50 miles, and the Ecuadorean portion of the Amazon, 178 GETTING TOGETHER known as the Marafion, is navigable almost in its entirety, and thus the eastern slope of the Ecuadorean Andes may be reached from the Atlantic by way of Brazil. Local steamers also connect all ports. The telegraph system has an extent of 3500 miles, while there are two tele- phone systems in Guayaquil and one in Quito, with long distance service between the two cities. Education School attendance is compulsory. There are about 1600 public schools for primary educa- tion in the Kepublic with an attendance of over 100,000. For secondary education there are 35 schools and there are also 9 higher schools with commercial and technical schools in Quito and Guayaquil. At Quito there is a university and faculties for higher education are maintained in both Guayaquil and Cuenca. Resources and Industries Ecuador is very rich in both agriculture and mining possibilities, but the latter have been WITH LATIN AMERICA 179 greatly neglected, owing to lack of transpor- tation facilities. Among her minerals are nearly all the metals known. The country is wonder- fully adapted to cacao, while ivory nuts, cof- fee, rubber and other tropical products grow to perfection. The forests are also rich in hard woods, medicinal plants, fibers, etc. Grape growing is also an important industry, as is cattle raising, and among the most important of the country's exports are the so-called Pan- ama hats, the finest of which are made in Ecua- dor. Besides the hat industry, Ecuador's manufactures are represented by foundries, ice plants, sugar refineries and a number of flour mills, while a few small plants are engaged in making woolen and cotton blankets, ponchos, carpets, felt hats, laces, embroideries, shoes, furniture, matting, saddles, wagons and carts. There are also factories for the production of vermicelli, chocolate, biscuits, beer, soap, can- dles, bags, cotton fabrics, shoes, matches, ete. 180 GETTING TOGETHER FRENCH GUIANA (CAYENNE) Area, — About 30,500 square miles, or about the size of South Carolina. Chief Exports. — Scarcely any, except gold which amounts to about $2,000,000 an- nually. Cocoa, sugar, rosewood, oil, coffee, spices, etc., are grown to a limited extent. Population. — About 50,000, of whom about 8000 are convicts or freed convicts; 4000 are Indians; between 600 and 700 are soldiers and military officials and about 14,000 are gold seekers, mainly colored West Indians. Capital. — Cayenne with about 15,000 inhab- itants. Language. — French officially and among the better classes ; but Creole or Patois French among the lower classes. Currency. — French, with certain local coins and bank notes. Weights and Measures. — Metric. WITH LATIN AMERICA 181 • Physical Chaeactkrs More hilly than Dutch or British Guiana with some rocky shores and with the swampy areas back from the sea among the sand hills. Climate Hotter than either Dutch or British Guiana, but not in itself unhealthful, although lack of sanitary conditions and criminal neglect have caused Cayenne to become a *^ white man's tomb. ' ' GOVERNMBKT French penal colony administered by a Gov- ernor from France and assisted by a council of officials and a legislative elective assembly of 16 members. Eesoueces The soil near the coast is not so fertile as that of the neighboring Gnianas; but it is rich 182 GETTING TOGETHER in the interior and capable of producing large crops. Vast forests of valuable woods cover much of the country. Aside from gold little is known of its mineral resources. Tkansportation No railways and few roads except near the towns. Travel is mainly by small boats and steamers on the rivers. GUATEMALA Area. — ^About 48,290 square miles, or nearly the same size as Mississippi. Chief Exports. — Coffee, cacao, fruits, hides, sugar, woods, chicle, rubber. Value of Exports.— About $14,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahout $10,000,000. Population.— About 2,000,000. Capital. — Guatemala City with 90,000 inhabit- ants. ' Language. — Spanish. WITH LATIN AMERICA 183 Currency.— Gold peso of 100 centavos, equal to about $0.9642 U. S. The silver peso fluctuates in value, the average being about $0.45 U. S. Common currency in use is paper of depreciated value, a paper peso being worth about $0.06 U. S. The '^ReaP' is one-eighth of a peso or 121/2 centavos. Weights and Measures.— Metric as standard, but Spanish *^Vara'^ and ^^Arroba'' in common use. Physical Chakacters Topographically, Guatemala is very similar to the other Central American republics, con- sisting of a fairly level coastal plain, high table- lands and lofty mountains and volcanoes in the interior. Climate Varies from the hot coastal districts to the cool, spring-like climate of the high interior. 184 GETTING TOGETHER Government Nominally republican, but like the majority of Latin-American countries, is on a military basis. Teansportation, Etc. Guatemala has about 500 miles of railway in operation with through lines from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts. Eesoukces and Industries Guatemala's resources are very great, but as the country is sparsely settled and largely un- developed, little is known of the mineral wealth. The forests are full of valuable woods, the soil is very fertile and will produce all of the tropi- cal and most of the temperate fruits and vege- tables, and there are extensive areas of excel- lent grazing country. In general, the resources of the country are more like southern Mexico than the rest of Central America. WITH LATIN AMERICA 185 HAITI Area. — About 11,000 square miles. Chief Exports. — Logwood, coffee, cacao, cotton, sugar, vegetables, fruits, lignum vitae, honey, etc. Value of Exports.— About $15,000,000. Value of Imports.— About $10,000,000. Population.— About 2,000,000. Capital— Fort au Prince with 75,000 inliabit- ants. Language. — French and French patois. Currency. — Gold *' Gourde'' equal to about $0.25 U. S., but United States currency in common use. Weights and Measures. — Metric system as standard, but United States measures in common use. Physical Chakacters Like the rest of the island of Santo Domingo, Haiti is very rugged and mountainous in char- 186 GETTING TOGETHER acter, about the only level land being.tlie coastal plains and the interior elevated valleys and tablelands. Climate Similar to Dominican Republic, but hotter and less healthful on the coasts owing to the mountains shutting off the trade winds. Government Nominally a republic, but practically a mili- tary despotism until the United States took charge and established a protectorate. Transportation Previous to the United States' intervention there were but a few miles of railway in Haiti and the few roads were in terrible condition. Under our direction, several railways have been constructed and excellent highways have been built between the principal towns. WITH LATIN AMERICA 187 Resoukces and Industries The resources of Haiti, as well as its products, are practically the same as those of the Domini- can Republic, but her mineral wealth is not so great. HONDURAS Area, — About 46,250 square miles, or about the size of Pennsylvania. Chief Exports. — Bananas, cocoanuts, coffee, woods, gold. Value of Exports.— Ahout $3,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahout $4,000,000. Population. — About 600,000. Capital. — Tegucigalpa with 35,000 inhabitants. Language. — Spanish. Currency. — Silver Peso equal to $0.40 U. S. The Real of 12i/^ centavos, or one-eighth of a peso, is nominally equal to $0.05 U. S. Weights and Measures. — Metric system as standard, but the Spanish measures and weights are in common use. 188 GETTING TOGETHER Physical Chakacters Extremely mountainous in the interior, with high tablelands and low coastal plains like Costa Rica and the rest of Central America. Climate Very similar to that of Costa Rica. Government Republican. Transportation, Etc. Aside from the banana railways of the Atlan- tic coast district there are few railways in Hon- duras and the capital has the distinction of being one of the few capital cities of the world which is without railway communication in any direction. Resources and Industries Tlie resources are great and are like those of Costa Rica, but tlie country is mainly unde- WITH LATIN AMERICA 189 veloped and unexplored and little is known of its possibilities. MEXICO * Area.— 767,097 square miles. About the size of all the Atlantic States from Maine to Florida. Larger than California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Idaho combined. More than three times as large as Germany. Chief Exports,— Ores and metals, petroleum, agricultural products, woods, cattle and animal products. Value of Exports.— About $150,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahout $100,000,000. Population.— About 15,000,000. Capital.—M.exico City with about 500,000 in- habitants. Language. — Spanish. * Owing to the present disturbed condition of Mexico it is impossible to secure any reliable or up-to-date information or statistics and the figures above are merely of interest in com- parison with the other countries. 190 GETTING TOGETHER Currency. — Peso of 100 centavos, equal to about $0,498 U. S. currency. Weight and Measures. — Metric standard, but old Spanish system in use. Physicajl Characters Mexico is a country of extremely varied and diversified topography with immense low-lying coastal plains and swamps; far-stretching prairies and vast dry desert-like plains; enor- mous elevated tablelands and numerous rugged, lofty mountain chains. The northern portion is somewhat like our southwest; further south the country becomes rich and well watered, and in the south, it is luxuriously tropical. Climate Owing to its geographical position and to its varied physical character, Mexico possesses practically every climate from the hottest trop- ical to the cool temperate, while in the loftier mountains one may find a climate of perpetual ice and snow. In a broad way the climate may WITH LATIN AMERICA 191 be divided into three zones: The ^'Tierras calientes'' or hot lands of the coasts; the ''Tierras templadas^' or temperate lands of the elevated plains and plateaus, and the ''Tierras frias^' or highlands of the mountains. Many of the coastal districts are very unhealthful, but the bulk of the country, especially the central plateau, has a delightful, healthful climate of perpetual spring. Government Nominally republican, but for many years a military despotism under a dictator. Transportation, Etc. Mexico possesses about 16,000 miles of rail- ways providing transportation facilities be- tween all important places, and many of the highroads are excellent. Telegraph and tele- phone systems are numerous and connect all important settlements. 192 GETTING TOGETHER Education The educational system in the large cities and towns is well advanced, but in the outlying districts and throughout the greater portion of Mexico, education has been neglected and the people are wofully ignorant. Eesources and Industries Mexico's natural resources are almost un- limited. Her mines have been famous for cen- turies; her vast forests are rich in valuable woods and timber; her soil is capable of pro- ducing enormous crops of all the tropical and temperate products, and there are limitless plains and prairies, where tremendous numbers of horses and cattle are raised. Although not a manufacturing country, Mexico has numerous manufactures, including cotton mills, hat, shoe and clothing factories; saddlery and hardware factories; fan and lace manufactures; furniture and pottery factories; paper mills, sugar mills, fiber mills and countless other local industries. WITH LATIN AMERICA 193 NICAEAGUA ^Area. — About 49,200 square miles or about the size of New York State. Chiej Exports. — Coffee, gold, bananas, hides and skins, rubber, woods, sugar, cacao, cocoanuts, cotton, etc. Value of Exports.— About $4,000,000. Value of Imports.— About $5,000,000. Population. — About 600,000. Capital. — Managua, with a population of about 35,000. Language. — Spanish. Currency.— Gold, '^ Cordoba'' equal to $1.00 U. S. silver; ''Peso'' of 100 centavos, equal to $0.40 U. S. Weights and Measures. — ^Metric as standard, but old Spanish system in use. Physical Characters The most striking character of Nicaragua's topography is the great depression which ex- tends across the continent, the altitude of the 194 GETTING TOGETHER divide at its lowest point being less than Panama. The bulk of the northern and cen- tral portion of the country is hilly, with low mountains, which are continuations of the Cordilleras of Honduras and which, in the west- ern part, attain an altitude of 7000 feet, but decline in a series of terraces to the east, and reach the sea at Monkey Point. South and west the mountains decrease to a height of about 700 feet along the shores of Lake Nica- ragua, while on the Pacific coast is a lofty vol- canic range. Many of the peaks are volcanic cones, several of which are active. The most notable volcanoes are Cosiguina, which in 1835 erupted with a terrific explosion heard in Bo- livia, more than a thousand miles distant; Viejo, Telicia, Momotombo, Momotombito, Mombacho, and Ometepe and Madera, the last two being situated in the waters of Lake Nica- ragua. Along the Caribbean coast are alluvial plains adapted to sugar cane and banana culti- vation, and there are numerous large rivers, the most important being the Bluefields, navigable for ocean steamers for 60 miles; the Wanks, navigable for 240 miles ; the Eio Grande, etc. WITH LATIN AMERICA 195 Climate The climate of Nicaragua is, as a rule, pleas- ant and healthful, except in the swampy coastal districts. On the Atlantic slopes and the hot lands the summer begins in January and ends in May, but it rains more or less heavily throughout the year. There is also a drier sea- son in August and again in October. On the Pacific side and in the lake region the rainiest season is from the middle of May to the middle of November, with a short dry spell in August. The rainfall is as high as 297 inches annually at San Juan del Norte; 97 inches at Rivas, and 96 inches at Metagalpa, in the mountains. At San Juan del Norte the average temperature for the year is 77° F. Government Republican. Although Nicaragua has had a stormy political history, yet it can boast of being the only country in America which en- joyed an uninterrupted peace for the thirty- four years from 1859 to 1893. 196 GETTING TOGETHER Teansportation, Etc. There is but one railway of importance in Nicaragua, the National Railway, which, with its branches, totals about 200 miles. The road starts at Corinto on the Pacific, runs northwest- erly for 12 miles to Cinandega, and thence southeasterly to Leon, Managua, Granada and Diriamba. Most of its distance is through stock raising and agricultural districts, but about 20 miles of the southeastern section runs through the rich coffee district of the moun- tains. Regular steamers ply on the rivers and on Lake Nicaragua. Resources and Industries Nicaragua is rich in resources, but her wealth has been little developed. There are immense forests full of valuable woods, including ma- hogany, cedar, rubber, etc. There are rich de- posits of gold, silver and other minerals; there are large areas suitable for stock raising and the agricultural possibilities are very great. Bananas are grown very extensively on the WITH LATIN AMERICA 197 Caribbean coast, cacao and coffee are important crops; sugar, coffee, tobacco, cochineal and in- digo do well ; corn and rice are grown exten- sively for local use and the soil is admirably adapted to citrus fruit cultivation. The manufacturing industries are limited mainly to the production of goods for local use. There are tanneries, hat, hammock and rope factories; boot, shoe, furniture, tile, soap, cigar, match and other small factories, and one textile factory. PANAMA Area.— About 32,380 square miles. About four times the size of Belgium or twice the size of Vermont and New Hampshire com- bined. Chief Exports.— AgTicultural products, animal products, minerals. Value of Exports.— Ahoni $5,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahont $10,000,000. Population. — About 500,000. 198 GETTING TOGETHER Capital. — Panama with about 65,000 inhabit- ants. Language. — Spanish, but English generally spoken in the large cities. Currency, — Gold ''Balboa'' equal to $1.00 U. S. Silver ' ' Peso ' ' equal to $0.50 U. S. United States currency in circulation at par value and with fractional coins based on the gold Balboa. Weights and Measures. — -Metric standard, but United States weights and measures used. Physical Chakacters Physically the Eepublic of Panama consists of a more or less broken mountain chain with numerous foothills extending in places to the coasts and with level plateaus and plains near the coasts, especially in the Darien and Chiri- qui districts. The mountains in the north, near the Costa Rican boundary, reach an altitude of over 7000 feet, while at the Canal they decrease until but a few hundred feet in height, the lowest point on the continent except the pro- posed canal route across Nicaragua. WITH LATIN AMERICA 199 Climate The climate is variable, but in most places is pleasant and healthful. On the coasts it is moist and warm, but on the Caribbean it is always tempered by the Trade Winds. The coastal temperature varies from 78.80° F. to 82.40° F., while in the elevated districts the average is 64.40° F. There are well defined wet and dry seasons, the hottest and rainiest months being from the end of April until the middle of Jan- uary, while the coolest months are the driest. Although the rainy season is prolonged, yet it does not rain continuously, and there are often ten or twelve successive rainless days in the midst of the rainy season. Government Republican. Transportation, Etc. There is but one important railway in Panama, the Panama Railway, which runs from Colon on the Caribbean to Panama on the 200 GETTING TOGETHER Pacific, a distance of 48 miles, and wliicli is owned and operated by the United States Gov- ernment. The United Fruit Co. owns and oper- ates a banana road of 144 miles in Bocas del Toro, while the David-Boquete railway is 32 miles in length. The total mileage of railways in Panama amounts to about 200 miles. Tele- graph and telephone lines connect all places of importance; there are various steamer and launch lines connecting coastal and river ports and several of the rivers are navigable for small boats for considerable distances. Eesources and Industries Panama has great natural resources, al- though largely undeveloped. Her greatest rev- enue is derived from commerce and the Canal, but there are immense quantities of bananas shipped from Bocas del Toro; there are exten- sive cocoanut plantations on the Caribbean coast, and ivory nuts, chicle and woods form an important part of the exports. The forests are very extensive and contain many valuable products, such as cocobolo, fustic, rubber, cedar, WITH LATIN AMERICA 201 mahogany, etc. There are large areas of mag- nificent cattle lands; the soil is extremely fer- tile, and would produce tremendous crops of both tropical and temperate vegetables and fruits; the pearl fishing industry is a source of great possible wealth and the mineral resources are very rich. Much of the interior, and es- pecially the mountains, is unknown and unex- plored. Among the minerals which are known to occur are iron, manganese, copper, tin, gold, silver, platinum, emeralds, petroleum, kaolin, cinnabar, etc. PAEAGUAY ^^ea.— 196,000 square miles. About four times the size of Indiana or nearly the size of Spain. Chief Exports. — Fruits, Yerba-mate or Para- guay tea, beef and hides, woods, tobacco, etc. Value of Exports.— Ahout $8,624,269. Value of Imports. — About $2,333,711. 202 GETTING TOGETHER Population. — About 800,000. Capital. — Asuncion, with about 90,000 in- habitants. Language. — Spanish. Gurani Indian used largely among the common people. Currency. — Nonconvertible paper, the basis of which is the Argentine gold peso equal to about $0,965 U. S. The paper peso is worth from one-eighth to one-fifteenth of a gold peso. Small coins and Argentine currency in circulation. Weights and Measures. — Metric system com- pulsory. Physical Chakacters Paraguay, which is one of the two inland countries of South America, has no coasts, but is reached by the Paraguay River, the capital, Asuncion, being nearly one thousand miles from the sea. There are several mountain ranges, while the Gran Chaco forms an immense plain suitable for both pasturage and agriculture. WITH LATIN AMERICA 203 Climate The climate is largely subtropical, the north- ern portion of the Republic being in the tropics, while the rest of the country lies in the south temperate zone. Owing to its situation the tem- perature is generally high during the day, while the nights are cool. Government Eepublican, with legislative, executive and judicial authority. The Presidents are elected for terms of four years. Akmy and Navy The army consists of 2600 men and officers, but there is also a National Guard, all citizens being liable to military service between their twentieth and thirty-fifth years. The navy consists of a small dispatch boat and two transports. ^04 GETTING TOGETHER Education Education free and compulsory. About 800 public schools with an attendance of about 50,000. At Asuncion is a national college with about 500 students. The Government also main- tains about 50 scholars in Europe and America for the purpose of giving them a higher tech- nical education. Transpoktation, Etc. The only railway is the Paraguay Central, with a total mileage of about 232 miles, but making through rail connection between Asuncion and Buenos Aires, thus shortening the route, which by river requires five days, to two days. Transportation by river is impor- tant, the Parana being navigable for vessels of twelve feet draft to Corrientes, a distance of 676 miles, and for small vessels for 600 miles further. The Paraguay is navigable for twelve- foot draft vessels to Villa Conception and for smaller vessels for almost its entire length, a distance of about 1800 miles. WITH LATIN AMERICA 205 E/ESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES Paraguay's resources are mainly agricultu- ral, although iron, sulphur and other minerals occur. The forests contain many valuable tim- bers, dye and cabinet woods and forest prod- ucts, while there are great opportunities for cattle raising and agricultural development, especially in cotton. PERU . Ari^a. — About 679,600 square miles. Would cover all the Atlantic States from Maine to Georgia. Equal to the area of Cali- fornia, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Ari- zona, Utah, and Idaho combined. About the size of France, Germany, Spain, Portu- gal and Ireland combined. Chief Exports. — Cotton, copper, and other min- erals, gums, petroleum, sugar, wool, etc. Value of Exports.— Ahout $68,638,128 (1915). Far greater to-day, owing to increase in value and demand of metals. ^06 GETTING TOGETHER Value of Imports.— Ahout $15,044,347 (1915). Population, — About 4,500,000 of which about 50% are Indians and only about 15% white. Capital. — ^Lima, with a population of about 150,000. Language. — Spanish ; Queehua Indian in use in many districts. Currency. — *^ Libra'' or Peruvian pound equal to the pound sterling or about $4.86 U. S. The Libra is 10 Soles of 100 centavos. Weights and Measures, — Metric as standard, but many old Spanish measures in use. Physical Chakacteks The character of Peru is varied, the coastal region, which extends for 20 to 80 miles in- land, being rugged and hilly and bare of vege- tation owing to the fact that it never rains in this zone. There are, however, a few sugar and cotton plantations supplied with irrigation systems. The inter- Andean or *^Puna'' region WITH LATIN AMERICA 207 comprises the western slopes of the Andes and the eastern slopes of the coastal chain. This plateau or Puna, which is from 3000 to 13,000 feet above the sea, is cold at night, averaging 20° F. during the winter, but is warm during the day and there is an abundant rainfall from November to April. During the winter all moisture disappears and the country becomes a gray savannah. The Amazonian or Montana zone is the largest and most important of the three and can be subdivided into two sections: the mountainous and the eastern slopes which extend to a great plain. The upper regions are covered with everlasting snows, while the lower portions are watered by great rivers bordered by vast forests which are largely un- known and unexplored. Climate Aside from its mountainous districts Peru possesses a temperate climate throughout the year and while situated near the equator there are no tropical conditions, except on the eastern slopes of the country. 208 GETTING TOGETHER Government Eepublican. Teanspobtation, Etc. There are about 2000 miles of railway in Peru and the country can boast of the two most wonderful and scenic railways in the world. The Central, which pierces the Andes at 15,865 feet above the sea, and the Southern, which traverses the most historic region of South America and the Lake Titicaca district about three miles above sea level. Peru's waterways are also important, with an aggregate of about 4000 miles navigable for vessels of from 8 to 20 ft. draft. Iquitos, on the upper Amazon, can be reached by direct steamships from New York by way of Brazil. Other steamers maintain a regular service on the Amazon, or as it is known in Peru, the Maraiion, as far as Mayo only 325 miles from Lima. WITH LATIN AMERICA ^09 Resources and Industries Although Peru exports large quantities of agricultural products its greatest wealth is its mineral deposits. Practically all known metals occur and gold, silver, lead, antimony, bismuth, sulphur, zinc, mercury, iron, coal, petroleum, borax, tungsten, manganese, vanadium and copper are worked, the Peruvian copper de- posits being probably the most extensive in the world. SALVADOR Area. — About 7225 square miles, or about the size of New Jersey. Chief Exports. — Coffee, gold, sugar, etc. Value of Exports.— About $10,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahout $4,000,000. Population.— Ahout 1,700,000. Capital. — San Salvador, with about 60,000 in- habitants. Language. — Spanish. 210 GETTING TOGETHER Currency. — Silver Peso (equal to $0.44 U. S.) of 100 centavos. Weights and Measures. — Metric, standard, but old Spanish much in use. Physical Chaeacteks Like the other Central American republics Salvador is low and fairly level along its coast and is broken and traversed with high moun- tains in the interior. Climate Hot and tropical near the coasts, but tem- perate, healthful and delightful in the interior. GOVEKNMENT Republican. Transportation, Etc. There is a railway connecting the port of Acajutla with San Salvador 65 miles distant \ JVITH LATIN AMERICA 211 and with a branch, line 25 miles long extending to Santa Anna. The capital is also connected with Santa Tecla by a road 9 miles in length. Work is also being pushed on a line to con- nect Salvador with Guatemala and which will ultimately furnish through transportation from Mexico and the Atlantic coast. Eesoukces and Industries Salvador, although so small, is rich in natural resources which have been greatly neglected. There are forests of valuable tim- bers, rich agricultural lands and valuable mineral deposits. UEUGUAY Area. — About 72,210 square miles or larger than New York and West Virginia com- biaed. Larger than North Dakota and twice the size of Portgual. Smallest of South American republics. 212 GETTING TOGETHER Chief Exports. — Agricultural and animal prod- ucts, beef, hides, wool, grains, etc. Value of Exports.— Ahout $76,000,000. Value of Imports.— Ahout $37,000,000. Population. — About 1,400,000. Capital. — Montevideo with 400,000 inhabitants. Language. — Spanish. Currency/. — Peso of 100 centissimos equal to about $1,034 U. S. There is no coinage of gold; and foreign coins circulate at face values. Weights and Measures. — Metric system ob- ligatory. Physical Characters Almost the entire surface of Uruguay consists of undulating plains broken in the north by low mountain ranges separated by wide luxuri- ant valleys. Climate The climate is delightful, temperate and healthful. Average temperature for the entire WITH LATIN AMERICA 213 year about 62.5° F. Mean temperature for summer 72.2° F. ; for winter 55° F. Average annual rainfall 37.19 inches. Tropical vegeta- tion is found in the northern provinces. GOVEKNMENT The Constitution of Uruguay dates from July 18th, 1830 and provides for a republican government under a President elected for a term of four years assisted by a Senate and House of Representatives. Akmy and Navy The army numbers 7500 men and 600 officers. The National Guard can muster 100,000 men. The navy consists of 12 ships, 60 officers and 600 men (1916). Education Primary education is free and compulsory. The Republic has 1059 public schools with an attendance of about 100,000 pupils. There are 214 GETTING TOGETHER also secondary and preparatory schools for advanced instruction. Moreover, there are normal schools, schools of arts and crafts, a military college, a fine university, etc. The Eepublic expends about $5,000,000 annually for educational purposes. Transportation, Etc. There is a total of about 1580 miles of rail- ways in Uruguay and over 100 miles addi- tional are in process of construction, or are being surveyed. The extensive river system of the country also provides an important source of transportation for there are over 700 miles of navigable waterways in the Republic, the most important being the La Plata and Uru- guay which together furnish over 500 miles. On the Uruguay there are ten ports open to interoceanic trade. There are regular steamer lines on Lake Merim, on the Brazilian border. There are also over 2240 miles of national and over 3000 miles of state highways most of which are adapted to motor traffic. Telegraph and telephone systems connect all principal WITH LATIN AMERICA 215 towns and there is a large wireless station at Montevideo with a range of 621 miles. Resoukces and Industries Unignay is primarily a cattle and agricul- tural country and its chief industry is live stock raising. Among the agricultural products the first is wheat, but immense amounts of corn, barley, oats, linseed, bird seed, tobacco, cotton, etc., are raised. The animal wealth is esti- mated at, cattle, 8,200,000; sheep, 27,000,000; hogs, 600,000. The forests are also rich in valu- able woods and there are very rich and valu- able mineral deposits which are undeveloped. Coal, gold, petroleum and precious stones be- ing among the known minerals. The manufacturing industries are largely in connection with the live stock industry, but there are several flour mills, boot and shoe factories, brick, tile, cement and coke works and large glass and bottle factories. Several woolen mills are in operation. 216 GETTING TOGETHER VENEZUELA Area. — About 393,976 square miles, or about twice the size of Texas with the addition of Kentucky and Tennessee. Larger than Germany, Great Britain, Portugal, Den- mark and Holland combined. Chief Exports. — Coffee, cacao, cattle and hides, gold, asphalt, sugar, balata, rubber, chicle, lumber, tobacco, cocoanuts, pearls, tonka beans, cotton, salt, divi-divi, copper, animal skins. Value of Exports.-^(1915) $23,404,427. The value of the leading exports being as fol- lows : Coffee $12,173,780 Cacao 5,015,440 Cattle and hides 1,701,274 Gold 1,326,649 Asphalt 340,702 Value of Imports.— (1915) $13,470,236. Population.— (1915) About 2,816,484. Capital. — Caracas, with over 86,750 inhabit- ants. WITH LATIN AMERICA 217 Language, — Spanish. Currency. — Venezuelan based on the standard Bolivar of 100 centimos equal to $0,193 U. S. The coins in use are gold of 100 Bolivares, 25 Bolivares and 20 Bolivares. Silver of 5, 2l^, 2 and 1 Bolivares and of 50 and 20 centimos. There are also nickel coins of 121/^ and 5 centimos, as well as older cop- per coins of local value. There is also a distinction between the **peso" of four Bolivares and the **peso fuerte*' or **fuerte" of five Bolivares. The **cent- tavo'" is supposed to be Viooth, of a fuerte, or practically one cent U. S. The **reaP' is a term commonly used and is equal to ten centavos. WeigJits and Measures. — ^Legally metric, but the Spanish ^^Vara'' (33.38 inches) and ^^Arroba" (25.402 lbs.) are in common use. Physical. Characters Venzuela consists of three distinct zones : the plains and river valleys or llanos; the moun- S18 GETTING TOGETHER tains, consisting of three distinct ranges and the dry elevated table lands or plateaus. Climate Owing to its physical characters the climate of the Republic is very varied and any climate from the torrid to the temperate may be found by ascending from the coasts to the interior. On the coast, the climate is hot and in places unhealthf ul ; but in the interior, and often within a few miles of the sea, in a direct line, the climate is that of perpetual spring and is very healthful. The average temperature on the Caribbean coast ranges from 79° F. to 89° F. Average temperature of Caracas is 72° F. to 80° F. Average temperature of Merida is 54° F. to 64° F. Rainfall in mountains often ex- cessive. Alternate wet and dry seasons on the plains. Government The constitution now in force was adopted June 13th, 1914, and provides for the federal, WITH LATIN AMERICA 219 representative, republican form of government with the various states entirely autonomous in their internal government with certain limited powers vested in the Federal Government. Transportation The total railway mileage is about 535 miles divided between twelve lines, the most note- worthy being the railway from La Guayra to Caracas, a distance of but 8 miles in a direct line. The road is 22 miles in length and climbs an almost perpendicular mountainside 8000 feet high. The telephone system of the Kepublic totals 13,000 miles and there are about 6000 miles of telegraph lines. There are at least 70 navigable rivers in Venezuela with a total navigable length of 6000 miles. The largest and most important is the Orinoco which, with its tributaries, provides about 4000 miles of navigable waterways. Lake Mara- caibo covers an area of over 8000 square miles and is navigable for ocean going vessels. 220 GETTING TOGETHER Education There are about 1500 elementary schools in Venezuela with an attendance of about 50,000 pupils; 102 secondary schools, 58 for boys and 38 for girls, besides those admitting both sexes ; a normal school for females and one for males in Caracas and there are also two schools for the practical education of each sex. There are 34 national schools of higher instruction and Caracas and Merida each has universities, while fine arts, engineering, arts and crafts, as well as military and naval science, are taught in special organizations. There are also schools of commerce, of political science, of mathematics and sciences and an institute of modern languages. Eesoukces, Industries, Etc. Venezuela is very rich in natural resources. There are vast forests of valuable dye, cabinet and timber woods and among the notable forest products are fustic, divi-divi, indigo, rubber, balata, tonka beans, vanilla, sarsaparilla, etc. WITH LATIN AMERICA 221 All the tropical agricultural products grow to perfection and on the highlands northern fruits and vegetables are raised. The llanos provide pasturage for immense herds of cattle and horses and the mineral riches are vast and largely undeveloped. - Iron, copper, sulphur, bauxite, kaolin, silver, mercury, gold and coal occur; there are enormous deposits of asphalt; petroleum is worked, and on the coasts, and especially the Island of Margarita, there are valuable pearl fisheries which yield about $1,000,000 in pearls and shells. Much of the interior, especially along the Guiana, Brazilian and Colombian borders, is still unexplored. The industries of Venezuela consist prin- cipally of sawmills, mines, wood-working plants, paper mills, breweries, cotton mills, foundries, sugar mills, cigar and cigarette fac- tories, soap, match and shoe factories, tan- neries, etc. !. 'WMhtlLtJaenmmHm^^ THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW .^i AN INITIAL PINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE REALTY WILL INCREASE TO 50 CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $,.oo ON THE SEVENTH dIy OVERDUE. ^tvcNTM DAY mco iXf lRr5~"68^-tt^ ivmr-i4-T94T £Ea_JL6-JS44 \m «\W5it g', ' .^. 'vt_io'D LD FEB 2 e_ja6i LD 21-100m-7,'39(402s) YB D8 ^ tx^l ^ .-H IS' r. # UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 3^ I ' z, I; 'l — *• rr. a 1 f: -^ ^ 5 r. 1 r^ »■ — * >^. y^ .^ M C-J ->' o ;^»*>*^!»%««'''*^