Wichita eagle., 1889-10-25
BETWEEN SOUTH AMER
ICA AND THE UNITED STATES.

/
In South and Central America there is
an area of about 7,9O8,144 square miles,
more than twice the area of the United
States, including Alaska. 1t is divided
into eighteen political divisions or coun-
tries. The population of these divisions
in 1887 was about 45,715,00O. Their
trade in that year aggregated Sta, 279,-
1877. including $431, 1873, 1877 exports and
$341, 900, 1872 imports. Nearly all these
organized political divisions are repub-
lies. They have within their borders al
most every variety of climatic conditions
and are traversed by majestic rivers and
towering mountain ranges. They are
rich in the productions of both temper
| ate and torrid zones. Their population
now nearly 100000 will in a compar-
atively snort period be swelled to 200, 00O,-
600. Railroad construction. as vet COM
paratively limited, is attracting more
and more attention. A railway line near
ly 1000 miles in length from Monte
video in Buenos Ayres to Val
paraiso on the Pacific coast is near COM
pletion. A railway from Mexico pass
ing through the Isthmus of Darien along
the course of the Andes with branches
extending into every country of South
and Central America will probably be
built within few years.
There are now about 200 steamships
engaged in the commerce between the
various countries OF Europe and the Re-
publics of South and Central America.
European PLAY between the ports of the
three Americas. The European steam
ship lines have government aid, aggre-
eating millions of dollars yearly. There
is no such aid and fostering care for the
American steamship lines between the
three Americas. Hence the commercial
intercourse between the three Americas
has bee limited so much so, that delegates
from some ofthe South American Repub-
lies to the Pan-American Congress had to
reach Washington via. Europe. 1t Is
hoped that the deliberations of this con-
gress will prepare the way for more in
innate commercial relations between the
three Americas, for the mutual benefit
of all the countries concerned. The
South American governments have SUBJ
sidized European steamship lines, and
have proposed to aid steamship lines be-
tween the three Americas, provided the
United States would cooperate. The
United States have. however, hitherto
declined to do this. The internal COM
MERGE and manufacturers Of the country
have absorbed its attention to neglect of
foreign commerce. The result has been
that in the twenty years from 1868 to
to 1882 the exports to the Central Amer
lean states, the Argentine Republic,
Brazil, Chill, Peru, United States
of Columbia, Uruguay and Venezuela
from the United States have av-
eraged Sc, 477, $50 yearly, against $751;
601, 772 yearly average from Great Brit
ain, and $5S,063,674 yearly average
from France. The exports of the Uni
ted States to South and Central Amer
lea have been scarcely five per cent of
all the exports to these countries.
The imports into the United States
from Central and South America in the
twenty years from 1865 to 1884 have
have been 81, 1S5, S2s,5l9, against exports
from the United States to the two Amer
icas of $44s, 04S,9 75, leaving the balance
of trade against the United States in
twenty years $743, 779,SG4.
The only wonder is that the United
States under these circumstances has
secured any part of the South American
trade