The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-11-20
FACTS ABOUT OUR
NEIGHBORS SOUTH
Interesting Things, Not Gener-
ally Known, Concerning
South America.
AS SEEN BY AN IOWA MAN
Thomas C. Dawson, Secretary of lie.
cation at Rio Janeiro, Tells Many
Curious Things About
Spanish-America.

New York World: Thomas C. Dawson,
secretary of the United States legation to
Brazil, has issued a short work upon
The South American Republics" from
which these curious facts about our near
%neignbors and allies under the Monroe
doctrine are condensed.
Mr.. Dawson, like other Observers, OBJ
jects to the notion that all South Amer
lea is rent by revolutions at frequent in
tervals. Argentina, Chilli, Brazil and 9TH
er important states have passed through
their troublous times and seem as stable
and tranquil as Mexico.
Argentina, for instance, a her civil
war-a long one-on the same issue that
long divided our parties, the question of
states rights or federation. The problem
was finally settled by dividing Buenos
Ayres city from It's province, thus depriv-
ing 1t of it's p~reponderance in the republic.
The war closed in 1862, three years before
ours did. Since then there nave been in
Argentina only brief and local disturb
| anceS.
Argentina is the only country Of conse-
quence in the world that grows faster
than the United States. Its increase is 4
| per cent. pear year. One hundred thou
sand per year is the recent average of
immigration. The immigrants are of as
many races and tongues as with us. Gil
mate and soil are superb. Argentine ex-
ported 1900. 900 bushels of wheat in 1897
and 1000, 900 bushels in 1900.
The total exports of Argentina In 1899
were $lS5. 900, 600. twice as much per head
as those of the United States. Argen-
tina and Canada are the only two new
world countries that surpass ours in rel
alive foreign
The settlement of South America by
whites proceeded almost altogether from
the Pacific side. Gold was the lure. The
Spanish kings long tried to prevent direct
with the Atlantic coast.
Freight for Buenos -Ayres was sent to the
istnmus, lugged over the divide, shipped
to Callao, and thence carried overland to
the Plate.
The rebellions of the South American
republics from Spain were all inspired by
the success of our war of liberation. They
mostly began about 1910 and We're COM
plete by 1926.
Besides a record example of swift ma
ton building in modern Argentina South
America possesses the most terrible ex-
ample of the folly of war. According to
Mr.. Dawson, Paraguay lost between 1864
ana 1870 22o,ON able bodied men out of
10000 in the devastating war with Brazil
and Argentina. The despot Lopez had
ureamed OF being a new Napoleon on
american soil. This was the result. Since
then Paraguay has grown rapidly by i'm
migration and by natural recovery.
Chll1 was not so devastated by the war
with Peru, but even there women run the
street cars. They began doing SO because
the men were soldering.
In the ten years between 1880 and 1890
grew from 400, 900 inhabitants to
.W,VU. Whenever a South American coun-
try has had a brief respite from civil war
III mas shown surprising recuperative fac
ulty.
OF late years arbitration has succeeded
10 war as a means of settling disputes
among the fiery South Americans. Presi.
dent Hayes acted az arbitrator in 1878 be-
tween Dig Argentina and little Paraguay,
and his decision in favor of the latter was
accepted. 1t was a triumph when Chill
ana Argentina avoided a war that would
nave been bloody and costly beyond South
American precedent by peaceably agreeing
on the division of Patagonia.
Brazil, owing to the fact that it was
settled by the Portuguese, kept its mon
archlcal government long after Spanish
South America was republican. Not until
1889 was the empire of Dom Pedro over
thrown. At one time in her earlier his.
cory brazil was the refuge of a Portuguese
KING feeing from the Napoleonic wars.
Brazil is less advanced upon the road to
stable government than Chill and Ar
gentina, having had only fourteen wears
for republic building. It's last rebellion,
an unsuccessful one, was so recent as 1895.
Financial reverses have struck Brazil
hard, and the low price of coffee has i'm
poverished many, but the government
seems secure.
into Brazil more thar any other South
American state great numbers of Ger
mans are pouring. Santa Caterina is al
most a German province. Industry is
growing rapidly there, and they are
changing the political complexion Of the
country. Kaiser Wilhelm is supposed ia
De Keeping a keen eye upon Brazil. If he
ever tries colonization in defiance of thu
Monroe doctrine, many predict that it will
De the German provinces of Brazil.
Brazil has grown during the century
from 100000 to more than $4,000. 900 pao-
pie. Brazil is AS large as Eurore and
as fertile as Java according to Mr.
Dawson it SIS destined within the NEXT
Two centuries to support the largest non
uiation of any Of the great political d.
visions of the globe:' it is 1.-The nation
which has inherited Roman civilization in
us least modified form, and is the country
Where the genuine Latin spirit has the
best opportunity for growth and survival
Peru and Bolivia would each make two
OF France, Venezuela nearly three. CO.
lombia is so per cent. bigger than Austria.
hungary. Ecuado is larger thar ths
United Kingdom proper.