The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-10
TRADE WITH alExICo.

The trade of the United States with
Mexico should be larger than the trade
of any other nation with that country,
but it is not Geographically our ad-
vantages are far superior to those of
any nation; the Mexican people are
extremely friendly. While American
goods are in demand everywhere. What
seaports are SO near to Mexico as ours,
what other country has direct railroad
connection with the Mexican capital
but our own? American merchants do
more business with Canada with only
100000 people than with Mexico with
her 81, 600, 900 people. 1t is true the
Canadians are a more commercial and
trading people than the Mexicans, but
the great reason we do not do more
business with the latter is because
American commercial travellers do not
know Spanish.
Our consul at Nuevo Laredo, Mr..
Joseph G. Donnelly, in a recent COM
munication to the state department,
dwells on the Importance and necessity
of the Spanish language as prime
factor in securing trade with Spanish
speaking countries. He says. in part:
Here. within a few hours ride by
rail from our frontier, are 100000
people-one-h half OF the population Of
England a people advancing marvel
ously in all the arts of civilization, a
people who will soon require as neces-
Inv r,-iac
be housed, fed and clad as well as any
people of Europe What a field this
would be if worked with that skill and
industry and tireless vigor which have
made our domestic trade the wonder
of the world. BUTT is not so worked.
Ignorance of the language makes our
usual business methods impossible. The
Spanish tongue builds about the coun-
try for American trade a barrier big
ger than the tariff. To many of our
merchants Mexico appears to be as re-
mote as CHINA or JAPAN and they
strive for her trade by methods that
might serve with countries of the or
lent They depend upon consuls for
information, an effort which, to be Of
any avail, should have the full time
and best energies of competent Span
ish speaking agents. Almost daily the
mail brings to my Office letters con-
tanning circulars, which I am requested
to distribute among Mexican aner-
chants. Some of these are in English
and are utterly useless; the rest, in
Spanish. have even less effect than cir
culars at home.
Would any manufacturer of mining
machinery send as agent to Cripple
Creek, for instance, some Russian emil
grant, whatever his fuency in his own
tongue, who is ignorant of English?
Yet American agents and principals,
too, come into Mexico from the United
States knowing as little Spanish as
they know Sanscrit. Good takers,
these, around home. no doubt; but once
across the Rio Grande, the alert, keen,
quick-witted American is stricken
dumb and tongue-tied. He readily
turns his American dollars into Mex
lean pesos, but he cannot turn his Eng
lish into Spanish. He goes through the
tute for the deaf. He may do some
business-money and goods talk: but
money and goods. be their merit ever
so great nowadays, need the advocacy
of a ready tongue. Be it known that
in the strengthening competition in
Mexican markets circulars won't do.
nor letters, nor the. friendly offices of
consuls. Mexican trade must be talked
for, and it must be talked for in Span
ish.
1.-The influence of language on trade
is well understood in America; nowhere
else is it so powerfully exercised. Talk
ing business is our national gift. Sure
ly this gift should not forsake US at our
southern border. Ignorance of Spanish
bars the way TO intercourse with near
ly half the people of our continent.
knowledge of Spanish takes down that
bar and leaves clear to American meth
DDS the whole field of American trade.
The Spanish is a beautiful language,
musical and easy 10 learn. Its con-
struction is simple, and what is of no
small moment to the student, it is pro-
nounced precisely as written. An hour
a day for six months should give fair
command Of it to any young person Of
average intelligence. This is less time
than is needed for learning shorthand.
and the day is not distant-in fact,
believe it is almost at hand-when
there will be more demand and better
ages for the Young man or woman
who can read, write and speak Spanish
than there will be for stenographers.