Durango semi-weekly herald. (Durango, Colo.) 1899-1907, 1903-02-26
THE UNITED STATES
AND SOUTH AMERICA

When the stormy life of James G.
Blaine ended, there We're two products
of his craftsmanship which were gem
orally believed to constitute solid
basis fer enduring fame. One was
the bringing together of the American
republics. the other. international rec.
with -~Le comments on us iel
death at the hands OF Mr.. Blaine's po-
litical brethren, has been noted. Let
us see how the former is faring. How
closely do the ties OF commerce bind
us to the South American republics?
The Philadelphia Bulletin cites the
official statistics on this subject in
what it describes as "a grotesque
showing" Twelve years ago our an.
nual purchases of South American
products were s90,000,O0O. Last year
they were practically 100000, 900.
Yet in this period, as the Bulletin
shows, while We have been expanding
our exports to such an extent that Eu-
rope has become seriously alarmed
by the American INVASION" our sales
to South America have actually de-
creased. In 1890 they were s3S.752,-
64S. In 1902 they were $3S,O43,6lT
This means that the South American
republics are getting an annual bal
ance of about $50 ,000 600 in cash from
us. which they eXpend in Europe
mostly for such products as we are
shipping to all parts of the world
Our Philadelphia contemporary sub.
mits that American goods of all de
scriptions have fought and forced
their way into European markets in
the face of hostile tariffs and strenu-
Gus competition that Latin America
ours, and her people are chiefly de.
pendent for the finished fabrics of civ,
ilization ON imports, And yet we have
gained nothing in more than a decade
in our dealing with them. And the
Bulletin adds:
ITO make the contrast still more
striking. it must be remembered that
the countries of this hemisphere
which sell generously to us and do
the bulk of their buying elsewhere
are absolutely dependent upon the
protection of the United States for
their national existence and the main.
tenance of their individual sovereign.
ty. If that protection had been with.
drawn a generation ago. and foreign
powers had been notified that they
might conquer and colonize South
America without Interference from the
republic, no one can doubt that the
lower continent would by this time
have been largely parceled out among
European governments. and that
half dozen flags would have been fly.
ing over the chief cities This phase
of the situation makes the remem-
brance of our commercial relations
with its inhabitants not only unsatis
factory, but positively grotesque," y"
We make large sales of some of our
manufactures in European cities from
which we formerly imported goods of
the same kinds. We fill contracts for
bridges and locomotives in Africa In.
dia and China. Our invasion of the
worlds markets in ever direction. ex-
cept the South. is the most notable
commercial fact of recent times. Why
it is that we do not increase our
sales to the South Americans Is some
what of mystery, in spite of various
alleged explanations.
But our protection of the Spanish
American republics-in other words
the Monroe doctrine-was not insti-
tuted and has not been maintained for
commercial purposes. 1t rests solely
on self-defense. Whether the Span
ish-Americans buy our wares. or con
tinue to take our cash and spend 1t In
Europe, we shall protect them, be-
cause, in so doing, we protect our
selves. Whether benefit conferred
for a selfish reason calls for grateful
appreciation is a question for the con.
sderation of moral scientists. Althu-
ism is rarely perceptible in interna-
T.