The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-25
BRAZIL AND AMERICA
SOME BIG CHANCES FOR ENER-
CELTIC PEOPLE OF THE
UNITED STATES
THINGS THAT WOULD PAY

The Banks and Their Enormous
PrOIits-MOney in Cold Storage
for Spoiled Meats-HOw the Bra
ziIians Tax Our VesseIs-Chances
for Electrical Companies The
Street Railroads.
Copyrighted, 1899, by Frank G. Carpenter
PARA, Brazil, June LIN closing my
letters on Brazil 1 give you here the re.
suit of my investigation of the trade con-
ditions and of the chances for American
capital. During the past few months 1
have visited the chief cities of this re-
public. have travelled in the neighbor-
hood of 5000 miles, and have seen the
principal industrial centers of the en-
OiFe.
1 believe that Brazil is in the infancy
of its development. 1t will support a
hundred people some day. where it now
supports one. 1t will be one of the rich
est countries Of the globe and it will pay
Uncle Sam to cultivate it, and to insist
that he gets his rights in it as one of
the great trade centers of the world
Brazil has territory almost as large as
the United States, and one which in
cludes more cultivable land. 1t contains
more than half the people who live in
South America. It's population is in
creasing and it is steadily growing as
goods consumer.
BUSINESS OF BRAZIL.
AT present its exports amount to s25.-
100000, more than it's imports and still its
imports figure up the tidy sum of s100.-
100000 year.
We take about half of all that Brazil
sells. We buy the most of her coffee and
tens Of millions of dollars worth of her
rubber. We get but little in exchange.
Our exports to Brazil are only about one
fifth our imports, and we pay her a bal
ance of about $4S, 10000 a year.
If we should stop buying the officials
OIL some OF the best states would go hum
CRY. Para would have a famine. and Sac
Faulo would have to patch It's panta-
looms. The officials of these provir IS
rely upon their revenues from the e1 oort
business. These are enormous, amount
ing to % cents. a pound at the present
rates on rubber, and II per cent on coffee
The duties are of course paid by the con-
sumers, so that every American who
rides a rubber-tired bicycle has had to
pay % per cent into the treasures of
Para and Manaos, and every one who
drinks cup of coffee adds thereby to the
support of the government of the coffee
growing states of Brazil
TAXES ON AMERICAN TRADE.
You would think that Brazil ought to
be grateful to US for this enormous trade.
Nlle may be so, but she has queer way
oil showing it. She charges us a tariff on
everything we sell to her taxing us on
some articles as much as 100 per cent, At
times she makes what are called reci-
troclty treaties. Some of our goods go
In nommally free, but Indirectly every
snip carrying American goods which
comes to Brazil has to pay toll In most
Oh me harbors there are what are called
eXpendlcnte taxes. These are levies for
some excuse or other. At Bahia the off,
Gals will ask the ships to pay so much
Tor new hospital. At Peraamhuco
they want something for sailors home.
and at Rio they blackmail you for har-
Dor improvements.
Such taxes are levied not hy law. but
according to the ideas and tastes of the
local officials. They are really sort of
blackmail, and the probability is that
most OF the money goes into the pockets
OF the men who levy the taxes 'In
fact" said leading railroId official to
me the other day, every one down here
seems to be lying awake at nights to
think how he can squeeze a few milreis
out of the foreigner without working for
them"
Every man who comes down here to 60
into business must expect to pay a tax
for the privilege. There is not a mer
chant or mechanic In Rio who does not
pay tax. The bootblack pays for the
right to black your shoes. Every store
pays for the privilege of opening it's doors,
and every contract, note and check must
bear its stamp.
1t seems to me that the United States
has been Disseminated against as to
government contracts. At least this has
been the case in the past Brazilian coal
until now has come from England, and
1t was only last year that American firms
were allowed to compete for government
supplies. Then Minister Bryan and Con-
sui General Seeger secured the right to
competitive business, and 100000 tons of
coal were put up for decision in this