The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-04-30
one. for Colonel Bryan is especially fitted
for his present position.
TUE AMERICAN AT~InN


as any Of the married ministers of our dip
lomatic corps. He has with him the secre-
tary of his legation; Tom Dawson, of Iowa;
his military attache, Lieut.. James "A Ship
ton. ard his own private secretary, William
a Lowry of Chicago. With this CORPS he
has what IS perhaps the most popular bach
elor's hall among all our foreign ministers.
The American legation building is one of the
finest houses in Petropolis. 1t is opposite the
park which surrounds the Old Emperors
palace, and back Of ii the hills rise precipi-
tousy. forming a green wall 1000 feet high.
1t has beautiful grounds about it, separated
from the street by stone fence, with large
gate posts upon one of which is the coat of
arms OF the United States.
Entering you find yourself i'm a garden
filled with plants and trees which are al
most unknown in our country. The camellia,
which with us is a dollhouse plant, is here
fine tree, and those in the legation garden
are great masses of red, pink and white
blossoms. Then there are bushes of rhodo-
dendrons as big as good-sized haycocks and
azaleas such as you have never seen. There
are dozen different varieties of palms upon
| the lawn, and al one side of the house there
| is little orange grove loaded with ever
green leaves oat of which show golden balls
| of fruit. During breakfast at the legation
| the minister often eats oranges from his
own trees. and his cook goes out just be-
| fore the meal and gathers the bananas from
| the back yard.
The house itself Is typical Brazilian villa
! of stone and stucco, with large portico in
front upheld by gray Doric columns. 1t is
| Of but one story, but it covers great deal
Of ground and has many rooms. The CELL
| ings are high and the rooms large ard airy
| They are lighted by electricity furnished by
the waterfalls near by. Among them are
| plenty of sleeping apartments that the
minister can entertain a number Of guests
at one time. He often has & party of Bra
| lillian ladies and gentlemen from Rio to
spend the night with him, and, in fact, there
is seldom time when the legation table
has not from one to dozen guests Every
! week he gives a reception, at which there
| is music or some other attraction and to
which ladies as we'll as gentlemen are glad
| TO come. He gives frequent dinners, and
| you may meet at his table the Cabinet min
| listers and other leading Brazilian officials.
| as well the newspaper editors and the
| nest celebrated men of all classes. AT the
last Fourth of July he gave dinner TO the
| Americans at one of the hotels of Rio de
Janelro. He is always doing something for
| Americans, and among others holds fire.
quent entertainments for the missionaries.
| CLOSE TO THE BRAZILIANS.
AS a result Of his personal popularity and
his social entertainments Minister Bryan
| has got very close to the powers that
be in Brazil. He has perhaps the most i'm
| portant diplomatic post on this continent.
1 have already told you that the Brazilians
number more than half the people of South
America and that they own more than half
/ ha Nd of
developed resources and the chances for
American capital and trade with them
should be great. We pay them more than
sixty million dollars every year for their
| products. chiefly coffee and rubber, and in
| return they are now increasing their pur-
chases from us. 1t is Of vast Importance
| that the relations between the two peoples
| should be pleasant.
/ So far as 1 can learn Colonel Bryan APP
| preciates this and is doing much TO produce
| 1t. Since he came friendly feeling for the
United States has sprung up. During the
war with Spain he practically secured the
support of this part of South America for
| Uncle Sam, changing the sentiment, which
was veering toward Spain.
At first the papers were full of pro-Span-
ish editorials. Shortly after Minister Bryan
| arrived they began TO change, and the Com
mercia which is the leading paper Of Bra
zil, out for the United States. The
Cidade do Rio, which had been antagonzing
us. not only advocated the support OF the
Yankees. but ii printed edition in gold
in honor of the minister. This paper con-
tanned an article headed America For
ever" ard in il was a picture of Minister
Bryan in gold. Kind expressions were made
in the other papers. and to-day 1 find the
| DreSS universally friendly N
There is one thing Colonel Bryan has
done here which might be initiated with
profit by many of our diplomats. He has
| cultivated the BraZlians rather than the
| foreigners. He has realized that he is min
| lister to Brazil and not the the diplomatic
colony. While he has treated the diplo-
mats well. he has worked solely for the
United States and has made it his business
to be friends with Brazilians. He is per-
haps more widely known than any other of
the foreign ministers. and is popular with
the army as we'll as with the civil off,
| Gals.
The result is, when he wants anything of
the government he is pretty sure to get it.,
and l think he will do a great deal for the
extension of American trade. He expects,
/ am told within a short time to begin a
series OF visits TO the state capitals in
| NSSuSdllIS the reSOuiCeS OF the country
and establishing friendly relations with the
| governors. If he does this he will not only
bring every state of Brazil closer to us,
but will give our business men and COM
mercial travellers a standing and an entree
which they have never had before. OF
course all this costs money, but Mr.. Bryan
is well-to-do, and he will probably spend
all of his salary in keeping up the dignity
of the American legation. He receives sl2,-
900 in gold a year, which is about 72O0O
Brazilian milreis, and with which, as money
goes further here than in the United States
he can do very well.
CHAT WITH OUR CONSUL GENERAL.
Our consul general to Brazil is Mr.. Eu-
gene Soeger, of Chicago. He is we'll known
in newspaper circles throughout the West
and has practical business ideas about ex-
tending our trade. His offices are in the
business part of Rio de Janeiro, so that
you hardly go through the city with
out seeing his American flag. He tells me
that our people do wrong in sending their
| catalogues to the South American business
men. The men here cannot read English
and the catalogues so into the waste bas-
ket. He says that drummers should not be
| sent down here unless they can speak
| either Spanish or Portuguese. and that
only the best men should be chosen for the
| purpose. Said he:
|