The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-30
A GOVERNMENT ExCREsCENCE.

The Journal has received a copy of a
government publication entitled Monthly
Bulletin of the Bureau Of American Repub-
lies" 1t has the appearance of a substan-
tial magazine and carries internal evidence
of prosperity We call it government
publication because the title page has the
imprint, Washington. d. c., U. S. A., Gov
eminent Printing Office" The table of con-
tents embraces articles in English, Spanish
and French concerning various phases of
business in the United States and the
States of Central and South America. II
is edited by Joseph p Smith, Director"
which may mean director of the magazine
director of the Bureau of American Re-
publics or director of the republics them
selves. The queer things about the pub
hcation are that it bears the legend, Sin
gle number, 10 cents; per annum. 81 and
carries nearly seventy pages of advertise
ments The advertisements number over
two hundred and represent a great many
lines of business. Many of them are
printed in Spanish or Portuguese All this
shows commendable enterprise on the part
of somebody, -.but the question arises, how
does the United States government come
to be engaged in printing and distributing
a monthly advertising publication? In it's
own announcement the following is found:
The Bureau of American Republics was
established in 1920 under the direction of
the international American conference
which was convened by the Hon. James G.
Blaine then secretary of state, and met at
Washington from October 1889, to April
1890 Its function is. the collection and
prompt distribution of commercial Informal
tion,s and the bureau is maintained at the
common expense for the common benefit
of all" 1t has already. accomplished i'm
portant results for the nineteen republics
by which 1t was established and that have
since contributed to its support in proper
ton to their respective populations. The
work of the bureau has grown rapidly
and, the valuable information collected by ii
has become so VoluminouS that it was
deemed necessary to place the same before
the thousands of business houses of the
United States Mexico the republics of
Central and South America the European
dependencies in South America the West
Indies and Hawaii through the medium of
an official magazine known as the Monthly
Bulletin, which was accordingly established
as a permanent publication in October, 1893
and to the pages of which advertisements
have been regularly admitted since October,
1886.
1t is true that the Bureau of Amer
lean Republics was established by Mr..
Blaine, as stated above. but it is equally
true that there is no act of Congress au-
thorizfng its establishment and Congress
has never appropriated any money for its
support. 1t is probably supported in part
at least, out of the contingent fund of the
State Department. Admitting that the
bureau has a legal existence, which is
doubtful, it is certainly exceeding its au-
thority when it undertakes to run a month
~ magazine which, besides being printed
at the government expense. carries a large
amount of advertising and is furnished at
a subscription price. This so-caled bureau
has been flooding the country with circulars
soliciting business cards and advertisements
These circulars are sent out through the
mails in penalty envelopes free of postage,
with the same kind of envelopes for re-
ply. They are marked official business.
The monthly publication itself, with hun
dreds of dollars worth of advertisements,
is marked the same way. In other words,
the United States. through the machinery
of government, Is lending itself TO the pro-
motion of the business of certain adver-
tisers who patronize this quasi official pub
LEGATION to the detriment of other manufac-
turers or producers in the same line who