The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-11-17
SOUTHERN TRADE.
Relations With Central
America.
An EX-NaVal Officers View on the
Amapala CaunoradiDg Affair.
GoldbugS on Top.

Lieutenant S. S. Stirling of the Kosmos
line Of steamers, running out of Hamburg,
s-stay1ng temporarily in this city, having
arrived here week ago from Central
America and Southern Mexico.
Lieutenant Stirling is an American. and
was formerly an officer in the United
States navy. He has travelled very exlen-
sively in the southern republics and is
familiar with the politics and customs of
the hoi-tempered little countries of the
tropics.
Regarding the firing upon the steamer
: Costa Rica by the fort of Amapala, Lieu
tenant Stirling said:
There is nos the slightest doubt in my
mind but that Vaques ordered the forts TO
try to stop the Costa Rica, but am con-
vBced that he heartily regretted his
actions after he had realized what he had
done.
The Central American native is Pc
q: culiar creature. He has a very disagreed
=. bic way OF getting himself and every body
connected with h4m into hot water when
he loses his head.
3: IN OTth Americans are, however, greatly
res pected throughout the whole OF Central
America; and the United States is always
spDken OF Among them as 'Ia grande re-
,pub1ca.'
=, The. u asses of fhe people, officials in
Guided. have tie greatest respect for this
country and fully appreciate its power.
i he stories circulated about the maltreat-
ment of Americans in South and Central
America by-officials are nearly all manu-
factured Of whole cloth. There is a class
: OF PERSONS calling themselves Americans
- that travel about Central and South
America defrauding everybody and max
Ing themselves obnoxious. JeWelFy-sell-
ers, gam elers and adventures are thick as
teas, and whenever one of this class of
= mankind is called TO account for his trans
- greSsI0n by the southern authorities then
tie + nited States hears from them through
: thecQumns of some sensation al paper.
The greatest evil the people of the
United States have 20 complain about
down south is the lax and unsatisfactory
consular system of the country. CoDsuls
and consular agents seem to Ire there for
!: tire simple purpose of making money, and
an American cit Zen has little or no pro-
:. lection or recognition from these Govern
=. LII EN- representatives.
: ''Business is very dull down south. ex-
:: eept<:in Chile. The silver question has
. affected all OF Central and South America.
: These counties have been drained to
their last dollar by the goldbugs, ana ex-
port, import and internal revenue taxes
= have reduced the poorer classes 10 a state
=oEdestltutl in many parts OF the interior
."AH debts TO foreign countries have TO
> be. paid in gold, and the setback silver has
received has. given the commercial inter-
:. ests Of the country black eye.
'.But then those southern countries are
very rich in minerals. and / believe that if
the* people would only look for gold they
would be sure to find 1t.
.About:, North Americas trade with the
south, the European countries are gradu-
ally undermining the United States, and
commercial relations with the Pacific Coast
are. becoming very secondary considera-
ton. South America never did do much
business with San Francisco, but Central
America has ali along been giving this city
a fair: share of business. But you've got
10 wake up.. Trade is not going to come
! your merchants un less they try TO
secure it. Only. recently Eastern houses,
?: recognizing the importance of holding the
southern business, have begun to send soil
citors into the field to hold their customers.
San: Francisco houses are doing nothing
that could see.''