The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-26
1T HELPED AMERICAN TRADE.
Greshnm's Reason for killing the
American bureau of RepubIics.

american BUreau OF depuDltcss
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 25.-When the VIII
son tariff bill was made public and it was
discovered that every trace Of commercial
reciprocity, which is a conspicuous element
of the Mckinley tariff law, was obliterated.
the free traders set up a howl Of delight
They thought it was grand act, and char
acterized commercial reciprocity as a farce,
fraud and deception. Then when Secretary
Carlisle sent his annual estimates to Con-
gress, at the opening Of this session. and
it found that the Secretary of the
Treasury had left out Of his calculations
any support for the Bureau of American
Republics, another howl OF delight rent the
air at the Capitol. The free traders declared
that the Bureau of American Republics was
also a fraud and a sham.
Few intelligent readers recall the circunl-
stances under which the Bureau OF Ameri-
can Republics was organized or anything
about its aims. 1t was the result of the
Panamerican congress, which was origi-
mated by Secretary Blaine and held in WASH
ington at the height OF the successful
career of the late administration. The rep
resentatives OF the South and Central
American republics present at the congress
agreed, and their agreement was fulfilled
in law by their several governments. to es-
tablish in Washington bureau for the pur-
pose of advertising in the countries directly
interested their products and educating the
people into the habit and methods Of eE-
changing them It was agreed that each
of the republics who were to participate
in the benefits of this bureau would con-
tribute TO It's support, ana that they should
all agree upon the officers who should con-
duct II. OF course our government was to
share i'm the expense. When the bureau was
organized ii was found that The expense
would be some thing like SlOe,0JO annually.
and that our share of il would be eighteen
or twenty thousand dollars. An immense
amount OF information was printed for the
benefit of producers i'm this country and
South and Central America. number OF
clerks were employed in correspondence,
and no one will ever know how much COM
mercial good was done IN the way OF AJAX
ing producers and consumers acquainted
with each other and introducing new arti-
Giles Of exchange.
one of the first things that Secretary
Gresham did when he entered the state
Department. was to institute a sneak poll
icv against the Bureau of American Repub-
lies. He removed the head of the bureau.
am Old personal friend, TO whom he was
under many obligations, without giving
him an opportunity 10 resign. he was de-
termncd to stab the concern at every turn.
Then he curtailed its labors and cast dis
credit upon the bureau, and would have
abolished it had il not been that he had
no authority to take that action.
The best evidence in the world that the
Bureau Of American Republics had a mis-
sion, and that under the last administra-
ton at least, it was fulfilling that mis-
sion 10 the credit and satisfaction Of the
countries interested. Is found IN the fact
that prominent citizens of this country and
of all the countries represented a the Pan
american congress have organized a pri-
vate bureau with the same objects in view
and the same mission, and that out OF prl-
vate funds and by subscription they in
tend TO continue the work which has been
begun, and they viii publish at private ex-
pense the same information and at private
expense conduct the same lines of CONNER
cial interests.