Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 31, 1904)
Minister Barrett Talks of South America i " -,- - . , .. . ....... ' . . .. .. . ... r. j FUBLIC SCHOOL, BUILDING AT BUENOS AYRES. Copyright, 1904, by Frank O. Carpenter.) ' "A Correspondence of The Bee.) I T I have lust had a. talk with the most strenuous of the strenuoui diplomat of this moat strenuous PALACE OF JUSTICE AT RASARIO. ARGENTINE. administration. President Roosevelt la noted tor hie atrenuoaity and he delights In stren uous foreign assistants. The diplomat I tfer to la John Barrett, the new minister to,Panama. Mr. Barrett haa had to hustle (or hla existence. He waa born among the rocka of Vermont thirty-eight yeara ago, and he began hla business life In his shirt . leevea. At 18 he entered Dartmouth col lege and worked hla way through, paying him expensea by setting type, running a boarding cluD, taking orders for gentle men's clothing and teaching school be tween times. He graduated with hie class and then hustled for fame and money as a newspaper correspondent. As such he Visited South America, the Sandwich Is lands, Japan and China, writing so much bout the Aslatio trade that his friends In Portland, Ore,, where he was located, akel President McKlnley to make him consul general to Yokohama. This plaoe, how ever, had been given away and In Its stead Barrett was made minister to 81am. This was ten years ago, and he was not thea Zt years of age. He made a good minister and was acting as such when the war with Spain broke out. He then resigned to become a war correspondent In the Philippines and later was made commissioner general for the Aslatio department of the World's fair, the excellent Chinese, Japanese and In dian exhibits being due to hla work In that capacity. A year or so ago President Roosevelt offered Mr. Barrett the mission to Japan. He refused that, but accepted the position of minister to the Argentine Republic, which be gave up to represent the government In the new Repub'.lo of Panama. X met Mr. Barrett during his stay here at Washington Just prior to his departure for his new post. He was full of new matter relating to South America, and es pecially to the Argentine Republic, end this formed the subject of our conversation. Bald he: "During the past six months I have traveled quite extensively in South Amer ica and have met leading men from nearly every republic. I have been In Brasil, Uruguay and Argentine, and while In Buenos Ayres I came Into frequent - communication with prominent Chileans visiting that city or passing through on their way to Europe. I think I can safely ay that our slater continent is very much In favor of the canal, and that the most f its people approve of the part the United States has taken in building It When the news of the revolution In Pana ma firet came there was some excitement , concerning It. A few alarmists talked of the 'Yankee peril' and the danger of the United States attempting to take possess ion of the South American continent. This talk died out very quickly, and when the real story of the revolution and the ac tion of the United States were published publlo sentiment changed. The people realized that the cannl would be a great kelp to the continent, and they are very anxious to see the work pushed as rapid ly as possible." "How do the people down there look upon the Monroe Doctrine?" I asked. "They approve of It," said John Barrett. "They realise that they have a strong friend In the United States, and that it Is our Intention to aid them In resisting any encroachments on their territory by European powers. I think the relations be tween the United States and South Amer ica are growing more friendly every year, and that if we could have better trans portation and business association we would rapidly become united along many lines of policy. Aa it Is now the chief business of Bouth America Is with Eu rope. The best steamship lines go from the east coast directly to Europe, and ' there are no fast passenger steamers between ua and Atlantic South America. This fact Is a great hindrance to Ameri can trade as well aa to closer business i j 1 7 . . : ! ; j JOHN BARRETT, NEW AMERICAN MINISTER TO PANAMA. and social relations. I was talking with General Roca, the president of the Ar gentine Republic about this matter not long ago. Ha said that if we could have as good steamers from Buenos Ayres to New York as now pass between Buenos Ayres and the European ports there would be a rapid growth In the trado of Ar gentine with the United States. It would not only better the trade, but also the political relations of the two continents. As It Is now, the travel and business of Argentina Is altogether toward Europe. The round trip to Europe can be made In fifty days, and a business man can get an answer within that long after he sends his order. It takes from seventy-flve to eighty days to do any kind of business between Buenos Ayres and New York, , and the result Is that the European nr::.s have the bulk of the trade. If we had good steamers, instead of going to Eu rope and back direct, many of the Ar gentines would go there or come home by way of the United States. They would get acquainted with our country and peo ple, and enormous increase of business will follow." 'We Americans are not in favor of sub sides," continued Mr. Barrett. "We do not believe In fostering one Industry at the expense of others, and the people would not consent to the government giving a large bounty to any steamship line'. I do think, however, that the United States could afford to pay a good round sum for a fast line of mail steamers to the east coast of South America. If it will do this I am assured that the Argentine Republio will come forth and pay Ha enure, and In time the business will so grow as to make such a steamship line self-supporting. There Is now considerably more than 1100.000,000 worth of trade between the United States and Atlantic South America. We have a bl trade with Bra ill and our exchanges with Argentina annually amount to about $16,000,000. We sell also to Uru guay and Paraguay and with the estab lishment of fast ships we would have a ohanoe at a great part of the commerce between these countries and Europe "But does this commerce amount to much?" . "Yes, and it Is growing every year. The foreign trade of. the Argentine Republio Is now annually worth 3t0.000,000. This is far more than the foreign commerce of China, with Its 400,000,000 Inhabitants. Every Argentine family is equal to five Chinese families aa far as Its purchases of foreign goods are concerned. There are only 6,000, 000 people In Argentina, but they are white people, with the same wants that we have and with the money to satisfy those wants. The country is growing fast in population. It will have 15,000,000 instead of 5,000,000 within a few years, and Its foreign trade will be worth more than 1, 000,000,000 per year. It is a great country." "Tell me something about the Argentine Republic, Mr. Barrett," said I. "I hardly know where to begin," said tha minister. "Argentina is an empire of enor mous possibilities. It is to South America what the United States Is to North Amer ica. It la a white man's country with a white man's climate. It lies at about the same distance from the equator that our country does, and it raises similar crops. "Argentina has a vast area of fertile lands. If you will tako all the United States east of the Mississippi and the tier of states which lie directly west of that liver that is, Minnesota, Iowa. Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana and all the coun try east of them, you will have a territory about as large as the Argentine Republic That territory has fully as much fertile land and the capacity to support as many people. It is a land of great rivers, In cluding the Rio de la Plata system, up which the largest ocean steamers can go for 400 miles, and river steamers and barges for 2,000 miles and more. It Is a country with a long sencoaat, with many accessible ports and a country which now haa 11,000 miles of railroads. It Is the great est sheep region of the world, having more than 110.000.000 sheep on Its pastures. It has 28,000,000 cattle, and the day may come when It will be the greatest meat country on earth. It has vast fretting establish ments where It annually freescs sheep by the millions and beeves by the hundreds ot thousands for the tables of Europe, and its wheat fields compete with ours In the mar- ' keta of the world. In these industries tha There Is room there for 100,000,000 cattle and 300,000,000 sheep, while the wheat territory. If it were all cultivated, could feed tha most of Europe." "How about the people, Mr. Barrett?" X asked. "They are a strong people," was tha reply, "the equals of any people I know. There Is a new race In process of forma tion In Argentina, a race which is being; made out of the best element of the Latin races with a sprinkling of Anglo-Saxon, JuBt as we have the best of the Anglo Saxons with a . slight sprinkling of (ha Latins. The original settlers of Argentina' came from Spain, but they were mostjy from the northern part of that country and their children and children's children have grown up In the colder regions of South America. They" have beau Improved by the more Invigorating climate of Ar gentina. Another large element Is the Italian, which is composed of Immigrants from northern Italy, and another Is French. More than one-third of all the people in the country are foreigners, and 70 per cent of the foreigners are Italians. About 92 per cent of the Immigrants have been of the Latin race, the remaining 8 per cent being made up of British, Danes, Swiss, Portuguese and Russians. All of these dif ferent elements are mixing together. Tha races are Intermarrying and out of them will come the Argentine race of the future. The new generation In all cases seems to be proud of being Argentines, Just aa the children of our lmmlgranta are proud to call themselves Americans." "How do the people live In Argentina, Mr. Barrett?" X asked, "on farms or in cities?" . . "There are a great many o,n the farms," replied the minister, "but by no means so large a proportion as In the United States. About one-fifth of all the people in tha republic live in Buenos Ayres and its sub urbs. That city Is by far the most im portant In the country, Rosarlo coming next with 125,000 and Tucuman In the far north with 60,000. Cordova has, I Judge, about 60,000. . "Buenos Ayres Is a wonder," continued Minister Barrett "It is the biggest city on the South American continent, the big gest Spanish speaking city In the world. It has 915,000 within its borders and with Its suburbs It numbers more than a mil lion. It Is a progressive city and is as up-to-date as any city on the North Amer ican continent. It has excellent street cars and electric lights, and its sanitary condi tion is as good as that of the cities of the United States. It Is a town of wide streets and big buildings. It has libraries, literary societies and good public schools. It has good newspapers, and one of Its Journals, La Prensa, has the finest newspaper build. Ing of the whole world. It is a city of big banks, of enormous capital, of stock exchanges whose business runs high into the tens of millions, of fine cluba and of lrve twentieth century people. In the other capitals of South America the people stop business from 11 until 2 for breakfast and a siesta. Buenos Ayres does business all day long and the streets are thronged from daylight until dark. Indeed, the town makes me think of New York and Chicago available country Is by no means developed, rather than the ordinary South American city." - "What do the common people among; the Argentines think of us, Mr. Barrett T" I asked. "They are much Interested In the United State," replied Minister Barrett. "I trav eled over a great part of the country, spending some time on the farms, or eatan etas, and meeting all classes of the people. I talked now and then with the gauchoa, or cowboys, and was surprised to find they; knew so much about the Yankees, and even about President Roosevelt. I rem em ber one large rancu that I visited. I wan ICcstlnued on Pas Sixtaa&J