Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-30

tions with all South America would be es-
tablished and good deal of its lost trade
recovered. But you must not mention my
name"
BLAINE ISN'T RETIcENT.
never saw such reticence as there is just
now among public men of both parties.
"Rut don't quote me as saying anything
about it." is their first and last injunction.
Mr.. Blaine was more responsive. He spoke
with frankness and enthusiasm, and be-
lievelhe would rather have his name handed
down to the future as the creator at con-
tinental commerce than as the nineteenth
President of the United States.
"In two or three ways" said the Secre-
tary, 'csn Congress, if 1T chooses, take steps
to promote closer relations with South
America. 1t can make the small appro-
priation of S65, 000-our quota of the cost of
surveying the route of the backbone railroad
over the unoccupied areas which divide us
from the Spanish Republics south of us.
All Of those countries have shown consider
able enterprise in railroad construction, and
1t needs only vigorous cooperation to weld
US together with an iron rail. 1t can easily
devise other means of making us better &C.
quainted with each other, analogous to
THE COMMERCIAL BUREAU
of the American Republics which was
authorized and established during the sum-
mer and placed, at the request of the foreign
delegates, in charge of Mr.. Curtis. That
bureau is now busy making glossary OF
the nomenclature of the terms used in trade
so as to facilitate purchases and remove
some of the exasperating embarrassments
that now exist. The Spanish language has
been modified by provincialism and local
usage till good deal of confusion prevails
in making orders and consignments.
ga name used in one market may de-
scribe an entirely different article il another
market. The fabric which is known as
print in England and as calico in the
United States, is known by halfa-dozen
different designations to our continental
neighbors; and the terms for handkerchief
are equally ambiguous. So of hundreds or
thousands OF other things. Curtis is trying
to straighten this cat, Better call onAim."
I took this advice and sought information
Of Mr.. William E. Curtis, the chief of the
new bureau. Information is sadly needed
in this country. Our knowledge OF South
America is as dense as that OF the average
Englishman about this republic. Mr.. Cur
tbs, when 1 called at his bureau, mentioned
a common mistake.
NO ARGENTINE CONFEDERATION.
"a good many folks who ought to know
BETTER" said be, "still speak of the Argen-
tine Confederation, whereas the old conied-
Grafton was abolished in blood 20 years ago,
and the Republic (with capital RI estab-
lished. The State of Buenos Ayres then at
tempted to secede, because she couldn't have
her own way, and the war was distinctly to
determine whether the Argentine people
lived under a nation or free-love affinity.
The nation conquered, the secessionists were
noarcad the nnnsiifution amended and
now it is as improper to speak of the Argen-
tine Confederation as an entity as to allude
to the Southern Confederacy."
I found the new bureau we'll sheltered in
stylish modern swell front brick house on
Vermont avenue, in the social center of the
city. A we'll dressed colored serviter met
me at the door; another halted me in the hall
while he bore my card to the chief of the
bureau; and whep was summoned to enter
the Office boy deferentially took my hat
and kept it for me. The place is furnished
with good deal of completeness and some
elegance tribute to Spanish tastes.
EVERYTHING DONE IN STYLE.
A dozen or 90 clerks and typewriters were
busy in the dozen rooms of the building, and
it looks as if Mr.. Curtis would succeed in
spending his $36, 900 appropriation without
much of an effort. This expense, by the way,
is borne pro rata by all the countries inter-
ested. The United States advances the
money, for convenience sake, and sends
bills, based OH population, l believe, to each
of the nations south of us. In reply to my
question whether he had laid out his work
for the coming year, Mr.. Curtis said:
eyes. There are three things we are
going to try to do.
"Firet-We are going to make glossary of
all the commercial terms that have different
meanings in the different countries. We are
at this now. 1t is not, of course, proposed
to induce the adoption of a uniform nomen-
clature, for that would be impossible. 1
shall get out book containing all the
equivocal names with their local synonyms
in parallel columns. There is no such list
in the world, and it is sadly needed at every
South American seaport as we'll as by our
own shippers. There are about 5000 of these
words.
INFORMATION ON THE TARIFFS.
'Second-We shall compile the tariffs OF
all these nations by articles so that the duty
to be paid can be ascertained at glance.
''Third-We shall begin series of bulle-
tins, being pamphlets OF $50 pages or so,
each giving sketch of the sta piles of one of
these countries, and some account of the
articles of merchandise which they import
"Here is years work laid out, easy
enough, and the work is educating-tending
to make all the people OF this hemisphere
better acquainted with each other.''
The bureau is to have an organ entitled
the Bulletin of the Commercial Bureau of
the American Republics. 1t will be printed
in three languages of American commerce
English, Spanish and Portuguese. Mr..
Curtis estimates that there are at present
25O, 200 people in this country interested in
the commercial lie of the countries South
of us, and he has their names and addresses
on his books, and will offeI to swap informa-
tion with them.
WORLDS FAIR PLANS.
He has. moreover, devised a rather COM
prehensive plan tor the apotheosis OF the
discoverer at Chicago. He wants a model
of the house at Genoa in which Columbus
was born;a iull-size reproduction of the cara
vel in which he sailed, manned By sailors
in the costume Of that time; plaster relief
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