Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-29
Written for The Evening Star.
OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORs.
How sixteen American Republics Flock To-
gether.

n
gether.
WHAT THIS CONGRESS Is GOING TO po-MEAs-
UREs BEING rAKES-rHE JOINT STOCK COM
MERcIAL BuREAU-rTs WORK FOR THE COMING
IkAR-THE LAYOUT FOR CHICAGO.
VNHE SPANISH-AMERICAN republics are
II under obligations to Mai. Mckinley. for
his loss Is likely to be their gain. The cir
eumstances that Secretary Blaine is personally
cultiyating most intimate relations with the
ministers who here represent the other repub-
hes on this hemisphere, and that he has re-
Gently been in close conference with the most
influential Of them are regarded as significant
1 called on leading republican Senator
whose voice is generally heard on all ques-
lions which involve international relations
and asked him about it.
First, he said, you must not mention nv
name i cannot be quoted as early as this in
the game The tariff law NAV be mended this
winter where there some obvious holes in it,
but the important thing shall do during this
session and the next year is to cultivate South
America. Reciprocity Of trade to some extent
will no doubt be arranged for But quite as
important Will be the effect of organizing in
formation by the machinery provided last
spring. 1t looks now as if close relations with
all South America would be established and a
good deal Of its lost trade recovered"
never saw such reticence as there is just
now among public men of both parties. But
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 believe he
would rather have his name handed down to the
future as the creator of continental COM
merce than as the nineteenth President Of the
United States.
Mr. BLAINEs VIEWS.
'.In two or three ways" said the Secretary,
'can Congress, il it chooses, take steps to pro-
mote our closer relations with South America
1t can make the small appropriation of S65, 600
our quota Of the cost of surveying the route
OF the backbone rail over the unoccupied
areas which divide US from the Spanish repub-
hes south of us. All of these countries have
shown considerable enterprise in railroad con-
s'ruetion. and it needs only vigorous co-opera-
ton to weld US together with an iron rail.
1T can easily devise other means of making
us better acquainted with each other. analogous
10 the commercial bureau of the American re-
publles, which was authorized and established
during the summer and placed, at the request
of the foreign delegates, in charge of MIR.
Curtis. That bureau is now busy making
glossary of the terms used in trade, SO as to
facilitate purchases and remove some OF the
exasperating endorsements that now exist.
The Spanish language has been modified by
provincialisms and local usage till a good deal
of confusion prevails in making orders and con-
signments- A name used in ono market may
describe an entirely different article in another
market. The fabric which q known as print
in England and as calico in the United States
is known by half dozen different designations
to our continental neighbors; and the terms
for 'handkerchiefs are equally ambiguous. So
of hundreds or thousands of other things.
Curtis is trying to straighten this out Better
call on him"
THE NEW COMMERCIAL BUREAU.
I took the advice and sought information of
VIM. 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 re-
public. When a London newspaper alludes to
Chicago as the capital of San Francisco and
speaks of Boston as one of the middle states
think il inexcusabe. but how much more
enlightened was il for member of our cabinet
recently to refer to BuenOs Ayres as the capital
OF Brazil. and y Justice of the Supreme Court.
in conversation with n South American dele
gate. to inquire what language they spoke in
Chile?
Mr.. Curtis. when called at his bureau. men
toned another common mistake. "A good
many folks who ought to know better said he.
"stll speak of the Argent confederation
whereas the old confederation was abolished in
blood twenty years ago an,l the republic with
a capital ~ established. THE state of Buenos
Ayres then attempted to- secede because she
cOuldn't have her own wssv and the war was
distinctly fought to dete rhine whether the
Argentine people lived under q national or a
free-lOve affinity. The ma ton conquered. the
secesslOnistS were coerced. the constitution
was amended and now 1t IS as improper to
speak Of the Argentine confederation as an
entity as to allude to the southern confederacy"
The delegates from Chic protested against
the appointment of Mr.. Curtis to the head of
the bureau on account of = ONE comments which
ha aaAn lo,.
which Peru received fro that country after
the war. bat explanations modified them.
found the new bureau well sheltered in a
stylish modern swell-frOnt brick house on Yer
mont avenue, m the social center of the city.
well-dressed colored ser vitor met me at the
door; another halted me in the hall while he
bore my card to the chie1 of the bureau and
when was summoned to enter the office boy
deferentlally took my hat and kept it for me-
The place is furnished with good deal of
completeness and some ,elegance-a tribute to
spanish taste A dozen or twenty clerks and
typewriters were busy in the dozen rooms of
the building and 1T looks as if Mr.. Curtis would
succeed In spending his ST, 900 appropriation
without much Of an effort. This expense. by
the way, Is borne pro rata by all the countries
interested; the United States advances the
money, for convenience sake, and sends bills,
based on population, / believe, to each of tho
nations south of US.
WHAT MR. CURTIS PROPOSES TO DO.
In reply to my question whether he had laid
out his work for the coming year, Mr.. Curtis
said:
Yes. Three things we are going to try to
do: First, 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. purposed to in
duee the adoption of a uniform nomenclature
Tor that would be impossible / shall get out a
book containing all the equivocal names, with
Their 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 well
rs by our own shippers. There are about 1000
Of these words.
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 a series Of bulletins,
being pamphlets Of $50 pages so, each giving
sketch Of the staples Of one of these countries
and some account of the articles of merchandise
which they import and others of which they
stand in need.
Here Is a years work laid out easy enough
and the work Is educating 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 the
three languages of American commerce-Eng-
hsh, Spanish and Portuguese
Mr.. Curtis estimates that there are at present
2oO,OOO people in this country interested in the
commercial life Of the countries south of us
and ne has their names and addresses on his