Evening star., 1903-09-12

eign department under President Rodriguez
Er. Rio Branco. Notwithstanding his long
residence abroad, II said to know more
about his own country than any other per-
SON His vast fund OF precise knowledge
has been Of great value to Brazil in the
various boundary arbitrations In which he
has been its representative. It was in this
capacity that he spent a couple OF years in
the United States during President Cleve-
lands administration when the Misiones
dispute with Argentina was settled. Under
his guidance the few remaining questions
with which Brazil Is at issue with its neigh
bors are being quietly arranged and the
country's international pOlity firmly estab-
lfshed in a manner to give full scope for
the development Of domestic policies
DR.. Muller, the minister OF public works.
is an interesting personality from every
point of view. He is aggressive cham
pion Of internal development and public
improvements, and his plans are the basis
of the new policy. That is why he Is in
the cabinet. In appearance and manner
he impressed me combination Of the
studious college professor and the keen
military official. He was a brilliant engt-
neering student in the military school, with
liking for public affairs and at the age OF
twenty-five was president sof the state of
Santa Catharina-the boy governor he
would have been called in the north He is
now, l should Judge, about forty. and has
the energy and working powers of dozen
ordinary men. DR.. Muller is the son Of a
German colonist. His mother was a Bri-
zilian. This was stated to me as proof
that the German element in southern Brazil
| IS assmilating thoroughly to the aspira-
tions of the native Brazilians instead of
keeping alien to them. AS political factor
| 1t Is worth knowing
/ have given in the briefest outline these
| dex of the Brazil of today. President Rod
riguez and his chief lieutenants are in for
| four years, and they are not likely to be
thwarted by reactionary influences They
may not realize all their hopes, yet they bid
1air to put their country long ways for
ward What they accomplish will be in the
face of manifold difficulties.
The Deprecated Currency.
I do not profess to understand the fiscal
conditions. That understanding cannot be
had offhand. In the absence of the knowl-
edge which comes from daily experience 1t
can only be acquired by a detailed study
| going back for years. But in a general way
L have learned that in spite of the super
abundant paper currency that currency is
apprecfating to gold, and thereby the bur-
den or the government is becoming less.
That the paper money is abundant appears
when a fve-dolar gold piece procures a
hatful of Brazilian notes in exchange. That
the appreciation is going on is witnessed by
| the foreign residents. These receive their
| salaries in gold. They complain that while
| the milreis formerly was worth only 12k
cents 1t is now worth 25 cents or while the
pound sterling not long ago bought 40 mil
| reis. now 1t only buys 90 This is bad for
| them as individuals, but 1t cannot be said
! to be bad for Brazil. Twenty-Five per cent
| of the customs duties are payable in gold
| and this has steadying effect.
Tariff Commission at Work.
But the financial confusion undoubtedly is
| great, and Brazil has grave fiscal problems
to solve. Some of these are closely related
| to the tariff. The government wants more
| income. and a tariff commission is now
| seeking ways to increase both the import
| and the export taxes. This tariff commits
| sion differs from similar bodies in the
United States In the certainty that when it's
| conclusions are accepted by the executive
and recommended to the Brazilian congress
| they will be enacted into schedules. The
representatives Of foreign countries are
| watching the proceedings closely and are
demonstrating with considerable regularity.
France, without waiting for a new tariff
| law, has given notice of the abrogation of
| her modus vivendi or existing commercial
| convention. French commerce with Brazil
| was decreasing in spite of it, and Brazil on
| her part, was not satisfied that her coffee
| was getting preference in France.
| The United States has a keen interest in
| the subject. Flour, bacon, petroleum and
| glass are among the leading exports from
the states. The flour shipments are heavy,
| yet not as heavy as they should be. The
| English mills in Brazil which import the
wheat and grind 1t manage to maintain a
| chance seems to be for hardware and farm
| tools. One of the few American drummers
l have met said to me that with proper
effort by the manufacturers of the United
States there need be no importation OF
these articles from Europe. German cheap
ness. he declared, stood no show against
the superior quality of the American farm
tools.
In the carrying trade the United States
hardly is visible. In the bay Of Rio have
seen the flag on only three or four schoon-
ers. At Santos during the last year there
has been Just one American vessel, and that
not a large one, the registry being 1,OS4
tons. The cargoes of coffee are carried to
New York in English and German bottoms.
Few From the United States,
For it's size Brazil has a discouragingly
small number of citizens of the United
States. 1 did not know how large 1t was
until Mr.. Assis-Brasil, the Brazilian min
lister to Washington. who Is now in Rio,
gave me good-natured catechism
(which is the bigger?" he asked OF
course / stood for my own country al
though little vaguely.
But If you take 1t as continuous terri
tory and leave off Alaska and your new
island possessions" he continued. do you
know that Brazil has 900 more square
milesT
I haven't gone to the biographies and the
statistical aliases to determine whether
or not this Is correct for I am convinced
her own future.
The minister also told me that in his
opinion the population is 10000, 900. The
census of 1890, which fixed the number of
inhabitants at 5000. 600. was so incomplete
and incorrect as to be valueless. / have
heard the population estimated at only
15000,O00. But whether 15. 900 600 or DO
O.O00. among these millions scattered over
this vast extent of territory are said to be
only 500 North Americans. I was informed
that it would be difficult to get together
100 at a Fourth of July celebration In Rio
Janeiro. San Paulo might do a little bet
ter. A small colony of irreconcilable south
erners who settled there after the civil war
are reported to have taken on Brazilian
citizenship by the operation of Brazilian
laws, and without seeking to change their
nationality. But the greater portion Of the
San Paulists are recent comers, and are
interested in the electric railways and other
progressive features of the city
Generally the North Americans in Brazil
are the representatives Of the big coffee
importing firms, dentists or missionaries
from the various evangelical churches
small number are in the mining districts
and few are back in the rubber country.
The coffee brokers go back home for a six
mi G sfnyy f1raa