The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-22
GERMANS IN SOUTH AMERICA.


 It is not to be ignored that highly in telligent European writers in the Eng fish, French, Austrian Italian, Russian
 and even the German. newspapers ant
 periodicals continue to declare that, il
 spite of protestations to the contrary
 Germany has formed the most deliber
 ate and unshakable intention to acquir
 large interests in South America
 must be borne in mind that the Ger
 mans are not only nation of mar
 velous enterprise and commercial tai
 ent, but that they are studious anC
 well-informed beyond the people of any
 other nation. Better than any other
 foreigners, they know precisely what i'
 going on in the different South Ameri-
 can countries. They have a great sur
 plus population, moreover and they
 must continue to verfioW in the future
 as in the past. The German people are
 increasing far more rapidly than those of any other important European ma
 tion, with the possible exception of
 Russia The Russians. however, have vast contiguous territories to occupy and they have now secured the produc- | tive expanses of Manchuria in addition to the almost illimitable farming areas | of Siberia. For many years, German emigration has found its chief destina- tion In the United States. A bout G. 100000 people have come from Germany to this country; and they, with their descendants, now constitute a very large element of our total population. Germany will soon have 60000, 900 peo- pie at home, and will be gaining popu- laton by excess of births over deaths, at the rate of almost 1000, ,000 a year. It is the general European idea that Ger many will, as matter of government policy, endeavor to divert the stream of migration from North America to certain portions of South America; and in some quarters 1t is thought that Venezuela and Colombia, with their i'm mense territories, scanty population, and undeveloped resources would afford Germany better opportunity than any other part of the world for coloniza- tion with a view to the future extension of the German empire
 It is pointed out that d large influx of population might in the course of time gain the balance of power in these two republics, exhausted as they are by in ternal strife. There is, common in Ger many, however, a false inference from this reasoning. It omits to take into account the preference of the German colonists themselves There is not the slightest feeling in the United States of opposition to a large movement of desirable European colonists into the South American republics. Germans have excellent political capacity, even though they are not allowed much lib- erty under the system now existing in the fatherland. They make admirable citizens of the United States; they form much the largest element In the Swiss republic; and they would contribute fresh clements of positive strength to any of the South American republics A million Germans in Colombia, and another million in Venezuela. would turn the scale in both of these distraCt- ed commonwealths in favor of law, or- der, peace, liberty, education, industry, honest administration, public credit and 1 membership in the family of nations A million good German settlers would ally themselves with the best lib- aral clements already existing in these and would prepare the way or an era of wonderful south American progress. But it is wholly fallacious to | suppose that these German settlers ! would have the disposition, even if they | mad the power, to bind and deliver to ! he German kaiser either one of these | as an imperial possession The ,ourse of history in the western hemi- ,phere is not 1estined to run that waV ! It would be quite as futile for Ger many to undertake to annex South American republics as it was for the French and Austrians to attempt the 'ugversion of the republic of Mexico. 1erman settlers in South America will imply help to make strong and real re- ,ublics out of weak and nominal ones.- Review of Reviews.