Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-14
AMERICAN TRADE WITH MEXICO.
How Prejudice Against American Goods
In Crenfed-A Growip1 D.sp.od

AMERICAN TRADE WITH MEXICO.
How Prejudice Against American Goods
Il Created-A Growing Dsmaad.
Here on the spot one sees readily how
! the trade Of the United States with this
| country can be increased, and also how Q
prejudice against American goods may be
created by a few greedy and utterly un-
scrupulous exporters. Let me say right
here that the Mexicans have NO dislike
for American goods, and, though they
have often been badly swindled, yet, TAX
ing the nation as a whole, there cannot
fairly be said to be any prejudice against
articles OF American manufacture.
A fellow some months ago visited Vera
Cruz with line OF samples which were
ingenious examples of dishonest trade.
His lead pencils, as he boasted, hsd at
each end about an eighth of an inch Of
plumbago, all the rest solid wood. They
were good enough" he remarked. sfor ex-
port tradel" All the rest of his stuff was
bad. His entire sample case was an ex-
ample case Of fraud. Els jewelry was
brass, pure and simple, untouched by the
thinnest of gold plating. Fortunately,
Mexican merchants didn't want that sort
of stuff.
AsToNIsHED COMMERCIAL rRAvELERs
A short time ago, two sample men,
loaded with trunks, arrived at this
capital Their goods were simply horri-
BILE. No sane man would have given
single order on them. The houses which
sent these men had q crude idea that the
City of Mexico was inhabited by semi
savages who would buy about the same
class Of goods as did the early inhabitants
Of the Hawaiian islands or the aborigines
of Fiji These commercial travellers took
stroll about the city, gazed at the ele-
giant goods displayed in the shop windows,
went back to their hotel, consulted to-
gether, and never unpacked their sample
trunks. They were heartily ashamed OF
themselves. They wrote home and
scolded their principals for having wasted
their time on such an expedition.
Some time ago read the testimony in
a case where graphic description Of the
sort of goods deemed proper to export to
Hayti was given That cargo was of
about the same grade as the stuff sent to
west coast ports of Mexico by sharp
Yankee traders. Stale beer, regular dun
mage, pocket knives with iron blades,
cheap looking glasses, porous stationery,
watered ink, non-burning candles, ex-
plosive kerosene, spoiled canned goods,
etc, make up this sort Of an American
cargo. One sale Of such stuff does more
TO injure the reputation Of American
goods than can be overcome by many
cargoes Of honest goods. Fortunately, il
Is a very unsafe venture to send such
goods either to Vera Cruz or to this
capital The merchants here, largely
Germans and French, won't stand such
stuff; they win not waste their time look
ing at 1t.
OPINION OF THE FOREIGN HOUSES
But, as / have said, there is no general
prejudice here against American goods.
/ see first-class American goods in all the
leading shops, and large German mer
chant expressed the opinion Of foreign
houses when he said: ~we buy the best
goods where they can be bought the
cheapest. We buy American goods when
they are cheap, adapted to the market,
snd readily salable' An American
article which is coming into high repute
here is the table lamp in all the latest and
most artistic patterns. A big market for
these excellent and really beautiful goods
exists here. They are so much superior
to the German or French lamps that
Mexican buyers see the difference i'm
mediately When one of these American
lamps tumbles on the floor there is no ex-
plosion and general breakage. They are
honestly made, and hope the makers
will never tamper with the honest make
Of their goods
American paper and stationery must
have q good market here. l remember
the time when New England papermakers
told me that American paper could not be
sold in Mexico. That time has gone by
Most Of the fine bookwork done here is
done on first-class American book paper.
There is a good market ready here for
fancy stationery neatly boxed. American
sealing wax has found sale here, and
American rubber stationery goods would
do well here. An American Spanish-E Eng
lish instruction book, beautifully Illus
trated, and printed in Phuadelphia, has
been introduced into the publis schools of
this city 1t is by far the hAndsomest
school book used here.
IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL rooA
American machinery IL getting q very
firm foothold in the market noticed in
an American paper the other day para
graph to the effect that improved agri-
cultural tools and machinery could not be
sold in Mexico, owing to the prejudice
against them on the part Of the peon
laborers. This is entirely erroneous Not
only is American agricultural machinery
in steady demand here, but English agri-
cultural machinery Is largely imported by
a big English concern here. The Mexican
likes labor saving machinery, as may be
seen by a walk through the streets where
small industries are carried on. The
American sewing machine is universal,
and all the shoemakers use stoutly built
machines of either American or German
make. E1l
Some Of the German merchants here
say that there is no use In trying to stay
the tide, that the United States is going
to get the bulk of the trade 1t seems
very probable. The newer American
commission merchants are cultivating
the field with patience and skill. They
have borrowed the tactics of the Germans
and have come here to live.-Cor. Boston
Herald.
The White Nan In Africa. 4
The. uncivilized Congo negro regards