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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1910)
v?Li.y.wij,nj)..ijlBpWWjaWnW ti The Commoner. VOLUME 10 -NUMBER'. 1 "1y! j .. road connection with the rest of tho country, has played an Important part In the monetary affairs of tho world. Tho PotosI district shared with Mexico tho credit of producing tho silver which, flowing back to Spain and through Spain into Europe, broko tho fetters of the dark ages and gavo a new impetus to commerce and civili zation. In early days the oro was carried seven or eight hundred miles on llamas and donkeys; later a mint was established at PotosI and tho old woodon machinery used in the mint may still bo seen. Aside from the railroads already mentioned, several others aro planned and some aro under construction. Chili is building ono from Arlca to La Paz. Tills will bo the short lino botween Bolivia and tho Pacific; it runs through tho territory in dispute between Peru and Chill and will bring La Paz within three hundred miles of tho ocean. The next line of Importance Is the one connect ing tho Antofagasta road with the Buenos Aires line. A connecting link of only one hundred and fifty miles is necessary to give Bolivia this outlet to tho Atlantic through the capital of Argentine. Within three years Bolivia will have at least four lines to the sea, three to tho Pa cific and ono to the Atlantic, and another is being projected toward Brazil with a view to srfhothor outlet, and still another to tho Para guay river. Besides these, lines arc being sur veyed to Cochabamba, the capital of a largo province of tho same name which is destined to supply tho hill cities with food, and Into tho Bonl country ono of tho rubber producing sections. Bolivia rccoivod ten million dollars in gold from Brazil In settlement of a boundary dis puto, and tho government wisely set this sum asido for tho building of railroads. As a' result, Bolivia will, within a fow years havo a railway system connecting tho different sections of tho country and, being practically without debt, thero is" no roason why she should not make rapid progress. Tho agricultural resources of Bolivia' aro con siderable; tho best description of them is found in a book published in Washington by tho In ternational Bureau of American Republics. It was brought to my attention and recommended by Bolivian officials. According to tho figures given in this book Bolivia has somo six hundred million acres of tillablo land and of this, less than one-twentieth Is now under tho plow. This gives somo Idea of tho possibilities of the coun try. With only two million people occupying an aroa of somo seven hundred thousand square miles, two-thirds of it capable of cultivation, it is no wonder that the people of Bolivia believe that their country is destined to play an im portant part in tho development of South America. Rubber is tho chlof export, tho value of which has amounted to five million dollars in one year Tho cocoa leaf Is produced both for domestic consumption and for export. Tho leaf is almost universally used among tho Indians In the moun tain districts and it seems to have an invigorat ing effect; it is said to keep up tho strength without tho uso of food. Ono Peruvian of prominence recommends its uso by soldiers Coffee, sugar, rico, cocoa and tobacco are also produced in abundance, and tho cinchona bark of Bolivia (from which quinine is made) is said to bo tho best in tho market. The latest figures obtainable show an export of about seventy-five thousand dollars worth annually. The grape and tho ollvo grow well here, and the raising of tho silk worm has passed the experimental staee Corn, wheat and barley are cultivated and there are more than two hundred and fifty kinds of potatoes produced. The potato, by, tho way, is one of South America's contributions to tho world's food products and the variety is such that ono can consult his taste in tho matter of. color Will you havo white, yellow, purple or pink potatoes? You can have your choice. And so with meats; cattle, sheep and goats aro raised, and the vicuna is hunted both for imrTS.1 Til f "& latter so soft and silky that tho skin brings a good price for rues The wool of tho vicuna is finer than that or the alpaca, and is woven by the natives Into the more expensive scarfs and ponchos. Hogs aro not enumerated among tho live stock of Bolivia-not that this is a pigless count but tho scrawny specimens which one oS tonally sees are not worthy of mention. Com Is, too expensive on the mountains; an animal that, must be fed can not hope to compete With tho. animals that can graze utu wua i ?ukat pJ,0S,ent' a lu tllG Past, minerals fur nish the chief source of Bolivia's wealth t throe hundred and twenty years? from 15 J5 5 1864, tho mines of Potosi district yielded over $3,500,000,000 in silver! No wonder silver was in common uso In upper and lower Peru! Even now silver plate, silver bowls and pitchers, silver stirrups, silver spurs, etc., can be. bought at tho second-hand stores; although so many tons havo been shipped out that the supply is scanty. com pared with what it was a half century ago. Tho annual output of silver, too, has fallen off in recent years until it is now hardly more than four million dollars annually. Bolivia contains many copper deposits, some of exceeding richness. Ore is being shipped through Antofagasta running more than twenty five per cent copper. The exports of this metal amount to about a million a year, but owing to tho expense of shipment only high grade ores can bo used, the lower grades being left for future exploitation. Tin, however, seems to promise most among tho money yielding minerals. The deposits of this ore are very rare, the Strait Settlements of Asia aro now furnishing tho world with the larger part of its tin. Bolivia is producing some ten thousand tons of bar tin per year, and the officials believe that the output will be very largely increased. Besides silver, copper and tin, Bolivia has gold, bismuth, borax, petroleum and coal tho petroleum and coal have not yet been developed, but tho high price of coal thirty to foty dollars per ton on the mountains is compelling the exploitation of these fields. But while oil and coal may in the future fur nish fuel for cooking and heating, electricity is likely to furnish light and motive power, for the mountain streams are only waiting to be harnessed. Wo found an intelligent and congenial group of men and women at La Paz. Among many who might be. mentioned, President Villazon and wife, ex-President Pando, First Vice President Pinella, Minister of Foreign Relations Senor Bustamonte, Mayor Zellas, and Senor BaHivian, who has devoted his energies during recent years to the establishment of a very cred itable museum, are remembered with special pleasure. We reached La Paz just at the beginning of tho carnival and, while this annual festival sus-pends-all business and keeps the city in an up roar, it gave us an opportunity our first to see the people released from the usual re straints. A hilarious crowd began to parade tho streets on Sunday afternoon, February 6, and the noise did not subside until Wednesday. Some young men were in uniform, some in ordinary clothes. A number would stop before a balcony and throw ribbons of vari-colored paper to the ladies above, and the ladies, in turn, threw down ribbons and confetti. Some of lie marchers wore masks one I noticed represented a wild man; he wore a bushy beard and dishevelled hair, and dashed from one side of the street to the other to the consternation of the small boys. On Monday, water and flour were thrown on passers-by. The water was carried in wax eggs or bottles, that broko easily, and the flour in small bags. It is unsafe to be on the streets at such times unless one is prepared to take his share in the carnival. We saw several foreign ers who looked as if they had passed through a snowstorm and we had a chance to sample the water ourselves. During the carnival the nights are given up to dancing, the weary participants dispersing at daylight. On Tuesday the Httll children came out and imitated the older ones attire Very CunnIng In theIr masks and gay tA? Cl?Ses talfe part In the carnival, from fashionable society to poorest Indians The cholo or half-breed women, are out in the? best clothes a derby crowned straw hat lRSf colored high shoes, two shawls" and from five to fifteen petticoats of different colors A large amount of liquor is consumed durinir the carnival period; in fact, social drinking "con tinues the year round and the visitor wonders why no temperance society has been fomed to discourage the use of intoxicants Iormea to Bolivia has ruins, also, and these 1 m,Qi receive more attention 'than they ha iX matnsTofbuaindlngs Ih'SiT re" several thousand ylars tL 1V?Q P0 by ready made have rlcWy rena thAVat,(?B al" who have been engata thoso little effort has been made to uTcover tiff ? dences of this early civilization ?w th ovi" what appears to be toe fouitotloS? n5an trac0 temple, with courts and gardens On ? that seems to have beer t a? the threahc-M n?n door or gate, is thirty feet lS& toTfwtVlde and two feet thick. One! doorway is well pre served and contains a series of; carved figures which may have served for a written language. Thetfe is also a large sacrificial s'tbne which haying withstood the destructive' influences of time, beiirs mute testimony to .the fact 'that' tho ancient people who used It, .offered sacrifices as a part of their ceremonies, buVt&ere is nothing to indicate whether human vMiriis were used. A large hill near the temple court'eontains a quantity of hewn stone; the railroad ' secured stone here for its bridges, three, years ago; but tho government has since made:a reservation of the ground covered by the ruins, and 'further removals are prohibited. ".. In Bolivia, as in Peru, I found 'the sentiment very friendly to Americans, and heard the same regret expressed that our merchants and manu facturers have not given attention to this market. Three reasons havo been given why Americans have not been as successful as foreigners in working up trade. First, our manufacturers try to get the natives to buy things as we make them, while the English and Germans find out what the people want and then make things to suit them. The second reason is that, our exporters do not pack goods carefully. One American told me that he had tried to introduce American goods, but that they were so poorly packed that the breakage was excessive, fie received two shipments at one time; fifteen per cent of the American machinery was broken, while the breakage on the European shipment was practi cally nothing. The third objection is that England, Germany and France use the metric system in making machinery to be shipped to South America, and as duplicates are kept Jn stock, it is easy to supply a piece in case of loss or breakage, while it takes weeks to secure a duplicate if ,tiere is a break in an American machine.,. It would pay our exporters to make a study 'of the South American markets, and this should be done be fore the canal is completed. Nothing in Bolivia gratified me more than the encouragement given by the government to an American school established ' in La Paz four years ago. Rev. F. M. Harrington, a Methodist missionary, was the founder, and front jWjbe ginning the. school has received an appropriation from the government. There are now 'about one hundred and fifty boys in attendance; two are sons of Dr. Bustamonte, minister of foreign relations, five are sons of senators; three are sons of deputies; two are nephews of an ex-president; and others are connected with officials of various ranks. Nearly every section of Bolivia is represented in the' school, and its influence for good can scarcely be over-estimated. Tho l? 110W occuPies convenient quarters in an excellent part of the city, but is liable to have the rent raised, as its success increases the value hfi!MiSr0p2fT .U ougllt t0 own land and 52 wP sumcIen for s needs. American SrhS1? can nd no worthier school upon ta8mutnh07feri,tB bUnty than thIs struggling institution. It has a great field, and a few aVKUeSadnivifSarf eXpe,nded here will retSrH mTtfL S1!6,? d' in ,service and satisfaction. Our fnfluenop dfH'es t0 exercise a Paramount tin? iIn Centrai and South America,, and it K01K I&ols inflUenCG bet"a tournflp agents from these republics with Lr ? IS5nB'W0 iCan Impress them t only witn our educational system, but with our no- can'vis'lf thTunff 1" Sv But pEM &r neglect thPnnnfteduStites' and we mus. not Hence of nnrPrt.Unity t0 carry the riPe ' SX?i5up ideas and Weals-to InstitJll at t . Pl C?me t0 us' and American work In ?h fnSf iB. peculiarly fitted to, do this Tenter of , l Lei?tuaJ' om&1 ad business ccmer or tne republic of Bolivia. Copyright by tho New York Worm. BRYAN' AN UNTIMELY WITTICISM -' in TthB6humWorYWhnnM1S lqt alWs ' opportune York on The 18M. SS Mr' Bryan landed in paper m i jfJ"? met- by sevra1' nes- theP "taSSrrtta dances'" W "wha'a "Always mod " mil a Mr" Brvan replied, reply and adds wLn S.uotoa Mr Bwn's coun'tr'y" "t ttX-, 5 ou' of ?8 Bryan landed the democrats Carried S?iJS Plurality 6.000.' AiSr." & ??& I ;i' ir 'jm' ?&& t tMakii wr V"""WL 'J '? a . Wk.K