Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1885-07-03
A CHILL RECEPTION.
The Experience of the South American
Commission at Valparaiso.

A CHILLI RECEPTION.
The Experience of the south American
Commission at Valparaiso.
A Country Where the United States is
Below Par.
WAsuINeroN. July 2.-The South
American Commission, under date of
port to the ), cretary of State of the re-
suit of their visit to Chill. The re-
port says:
VALPARAISO is almost an English colo
ny. The Englis language is used almost
exclusively in trade, and the leading
merchants are subjects of Great Britain,
there being but three distinctively
American houses in the place. The
amount of goods imported from the
United States is very small beyond what
are brought by these firms, the great OBJ
stacle to an extension OF this trade being
the disposition of Englishmen to trade at
home and their ability to do so on ac-
count of the high freights between New
York and Valparaiso, which are nearly
double the cost of transportation be-
tween Valparaiso and London, Havre or
Hamburg. In fact no goods are import
ed from the United States except when
they cannot be obtained elsewhere, and
then it is found much cheaper to ship
them to Chill from New York via Ham
burg or Liverpool.
The report describes the meeting of
the President OF Chill by the commits
sion, and says a series of propositions
were submitted to him. 1t continues:
The first was a suggestion that the old
treaty OF amity, commerce and naviga
tion between the United States and
Chill, which long since was terminated,
| might be renewed with advantage to
both countries. In reply to this the
President said he could not see any ad-
vantage to Chill, and was not disposed to
| enter into any further conventions with
| foreign countries.
The second proposition involved the
| idea of a reciprocal commercial treaty
between the two countries, under which
/ the special products of each should be
| admitted free of duty into the other,
| when carried under the flag of either ma
| tion. This did not meet with any greater
| favor from President Santa Maria, who
was not disposed to make reciprocity
treaties. His people were at liberty to
sell where they could get the best prices
| and buy where goods were the cheapest.
| In his opinion commerce was not aided
1 by commercial treaties, and Chill neither
asked from nor gave to other nations
| especial fayors. Trade would regulate
itself and there was no advantage in try
ing to direct it in one direction or the
| other. So far as the United States was
concerned. there could be very little trade
L IL L. IL q. l.. IL
| products of the two couniri S were al
most identical Chill produced very lit
| tie that we wanted, and although there
were many industrial products of the
| UOited States that were used in Chilli, the
merchants of the latter country must be
allowed to buy where they sold, and
/ where they could trade to the greatest
! advantage With reference to the pro-
| vision that reduced duties should be al
lowed only upon goods carried in Chilian
or American vessels, he said that Chill
1 did not want any such means to encour-
/ age her commerce. her ports We're open
| to all vessels OF the world upon equal
4 terms.
1t was suggested that there might be a
| large commerce between the two coun-
tries if the ow-grade guano, which is
| adapted to the cultivation of cotton in
the Southern States, and is not sought
for in Europe, could be exchanged for
the manufactured products of the United
States. The President very frankly and
somewhat bluntly responded that the
government Of Chill owned all the guano
, and had given the mon C9~Hooly OF It's I ex,
| poFtation to company of wnIcm
people Of the United States could pur-
| chase as much as they liked
The next topic seemed to be received
with decided favor, and not only the
President but the ministers present also
joined in expressing their acquiescence.
/. 1t was touching the establishment of a
common silver coin of the value OF
the United States gold dollar, to be
coined by each Of the American repub-
lies, of an equal degree of fneness and to
an amount which should be agreed, to be
legal tender in all commercial transac-
tioGs between the citizens f this hemis-
phere. This proposition, which had
already been assented to by Mexico
Venezuela, Guatemala, Costa Rica
| Ecuador and Peru, was accepted by
President Santa Maria as long step
toward the monetization of silver, and, il
might, in his opinion, compel the Latin
i
increase the value of one of the CHIEF
products of Chill. His government, he
said, was ready to enter into conven-
tion with the United States and the other
American republics at any time to secure
such a desirable result.
The fourth proposition, which invited
1.-THE views of the government of Chill tC
the practicability of holding congress
OF delegates from all the American re.
publics, to adopt measures to secure
peace and promote prosperity among the
nations of this hemisphere, met with
disfavor. His excellency could not see
the advantage of such a gathering
Chill had learned by experience that
nothing could be gained, and that the
general welfare was not promoted by in
ternatioual conventions. He could not
think of any measure a congress of this
sort would agree upon, and while his
government vas anxious to avoid wal
and secure peaceful settlement of in
ternational disputes, the proposition did
not find any favor in his eyes. If the
United States desired to call such con-
gress, Chill would consider the invita-.
ton, but reserved the right to decline in
case the government SO desired.
The fifth and last proposition was 5
| geOesaI one, and invited the suggestions
of Chill as to the best modes of increas.
ing trade between that country and the
United States. The President repeated
xhat he had said previously about the
impossibiiity Of securing large trade
but thought if there could be direct
communication by steam from the port:
of one country to those of another com.
merce would be greatly aided. If any
steamship company in the United States
you'd establish such communlca,'.",n h'
believed tie Congress of Chill would
give it subsidy such as was given to the
Pacific Steam Navigation Company 81
Liverpool, That line receives an annua
subsidy Of $4,000 in silver, and the
Chilian Company, which employed YES,
sells along the coast between VALPARAISO
and Callao, was given Sl50,000 a year
under the condition that its vessels were
always subject to charter by the govern.
ment, and might be used as transport.
and cruisers in time of war. Similar
aid would be afforded to any such com.
pany desirous of trading along the coast
Of Chill, as it was the policy of the re.
public to encourage commerce and legiti
mate competition.