New-York tribune., 1901-06-18
GERMANY N AMERICA

,urrent Efforts 10 arouse in this country feel
ingof suspicion Of if not anita gonism against Ger
many, in the supposed interest of some other land
are doubtless predestined 10 utter failure Facts
anu common sense are too strongly arrayed
against them. The wolf cry of the German
peril will he unheeded, because there is no
German peril. every one who takes the
trouble 10 inform himself upon the subject
must quickly see. Our special Washington
correspondence yesterday showed from govern
ment reports how shadowy is the danger Of
the Gernanization of Brazil. about which the
tomtoms have been so vigorously beaten The
figures given by Mr. Seeger the United States
consulfieneral. report that In all Brazil there
are only 100000 foreigners. Reckoning the
population of Brazil at 100000 that means
foreign element of less than 1G per cent or
only LITTLE larger than that which exists in
the United States. If our - per cent of for
eigners he not regarded as a menace. why
should similar proportion in Brazil be looked
upon with alarm? Especially when practically
all those foreigners promptly renounce their
former allegiance and become Brazilian cjtj-
zens?
Moreover. of these 2.700OOo foreigners only
100000 are Germans, according to Mr. Seeger
an estimate which we must regard as over
rather than under the exact figure. The best
information obtainabe shows that in the ten
years 1Ss,0-'99 only 1924 emigrants went from
Germany directly 10 Brazil. and of these 4.O96
went I'm 1890, while the number pretty steadily
dwindled down 10 only ST. in 1899 Of course
good many Germans may have gone 10 Brazil
by way Of other countries, but even in that way
IL is difficult TO how as many as 300 900
have got there. For i'm those ten years only
11.36G Germans migrated 10 all the other South
al
OF the 324,20S who came 10 this country md
the 1908 who went TO Canada it is certain
that few passed on 10 Brazil. Moreover notice
that in the twenty years 1S71-'91 the total emf
grafton from Germany was ,9s2, 1SS, of whom
| 1,S96.963 came TO the United States leaving
only 93,225 for all the rest of the world We
are therefore inclined TO think Mr.. Seeger's
estimate excessive, though If 1t exactly
| true IL would indicate no German peril in
Brazil
Still more preposterous is the notion that
either in Brazil or elsewhere Germany means
10 assume nh attitude hostile or offensive 10 the
| United States. We need not discuss the aues-
tion whether she would regard il as prudent to
do so. Germany is probably more afraid of
the United States. from militant point of view,
than the United States is of Germany. But
| happily there is no occasion for discussing COM
| paratiye strengths. What is obvious and is
more 20 the present purpose and may he con-
sidered without offence to friendly nation is
that II IL 10 Germnny's practical interest TO re-
main good terms with the United States as
indeed. il is 10 the interest OF the United States
10 remain on good terms with Germany. Ger
many's commerce with this country is larger
than with any other country in the world ex-
cepting only Great Britain. and our trade with
Germany is larger than with any other. with
the same single exception. Indeed. Germany
now buys more from us than she does from
Great Britain, and the total Of her trade with
Us nearly equals that with Great Britain. Thus
In 1899 Germany's trade with Great Britain was
S+o7.2ooooo with the United States, 1921 200.