The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-19

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1. Bueuos Ayrc, !. corr1enios- J. ManSos-
/ I. Orinooo Mouths
There is no reason to doubt that, on com
pleton of the labors Of tho engineers, river
steamers Of large size could follow the
course of the launch described at the be-
ginning Of this article, besides penetrating
nearly all other parts OF the continent.
The Argentina Venezuela and Louisiana
Minnesota route in theory changes the po-
sition Of the United States in relation to the
southeastern continent, removing the dis
advantage and inferiority to which l have
referred Suppose we put aside for the
moment all thought of the political and
commercial significance OF the opening
OF gateway 30 splendid and 30 near at
| hand. Consider now, instead. the con-
venience of the route for scientific explora-
ton. Remember that some OF the most
recent contributions to the worlds knowl-
edge OF fuvial highways in South America
| have been made by the committee con-
stituted in 1901 by the Peruvian Government
to propose and organize exploring expe-
| ditions: by the Austrian expedition in cast
ern Brazil by the expedition 10 Caupolican,
Bolivia, in l90l-l902. which Was despatched
| by Sir Martin Conway; and, few years
earlier, by Rafael Reyes now President
OF Colombia Such scrapwork. utterly in
adequate In view OF the importance and
magnitude OF the field to be investigated,
cannot be called ridiculous. since 1t has
brought out rather fine examples OF gal
liant endeavor. But think how systemau
cally. steadily rapidly our exploring e1-
petitions sailing in through the Orinooo
would reach the eastern slopes Of the Andes,
par excellence the prohibitive wall Of the
world, and search the fertile desert between
that wall and the Atlantiol
The explorers will discover that the terri
tory drained by the Amazon system, as
well as the Gran Chaco and other enormous
districts watered by La Pata's affluents,
| do not constitute a poisonous and ever
negligible waste, but In very truth the
largest area in the world still unsubdued
10 mans uses, though so plainly Offering
ii self to human industry.
The rest OF our people, without budging
from home, will discover that the Orinooo,
IA an outlet for the products Of South Amer
lea is quite as near TO our ports as we could
desire. This fact gives a different meaning
to the circumstance that. through those
other continental gateways, the Amazon.
Tocartins and La Plata estuaries, the In
terror region may be easily reached by
coonists from overcrowded Europe.
The Presidents saying-his large claim
Of American predoninance-wil be war
ranted by the actual situation when we
secure from Venezuela perpetual and large
privileges touching the navigation of Vene-
zuela's river; not before.
The Panama Canal ia not enoriph
VIII the opening of the Isthmian canal
alone produce such resultsp Most en-
phatcally. no; that viii bring our coasts
nearer to the western coast-the wrong
side Of the Andean wall. Let us realize
the comparatively narrow limits OF the
zone in which a radical change. amounting
to a reversal Of existing unfavorable con-
ditions and tendencies can be expected
to occur as a consequence OF opening the
Isthmian canal We shall SEQ that there is
no ground for the belief that tho cutting OF
the Panama Canal will result in enormous
gain for the commerce Of the United States
with the remoter part (the main part, as
we have just notioed) of the southern con-
inent.
1t Is so easy 10 deceive our people In re-
gard to South American matters, Wit
ness the pernicious and utterly indefensible
view they are encouraged to take by
publication OF the Bureau Of Statistics,
Treasury Department OF the United States,
entitled American Commerce (lse9). Our
guileless merchants are given to under
stand that after the completion OF the canal
and Of the railway line between Valparaiso
and Buenos Ayres, goods from the Eastern
and Southern ports Of tho United States
would find direct route through the 18th.
mus, along the western coast OF South
America, and by rail through Chile TO Ar
gentina, Uruguay and the best section of
Brazil.
The meaning Is that American manu-
facturers will thus be placed on an equal
or nearly equal footing with their foreign
competitors in those markets The facts
are that the railway line so pleasantly
mentioned Is in part narrow gauge road
planned to GROSS tho Andes at height OF
10. 500 feet above sea level. And even IL
this could be regarded as a practicable
short cut for cheapening freighta, our manu-
iaoturers should still be warned that n
greater distance In actual miles separates
them from the markets mentioned than
intervenes between the South American
consignee and the European shipper. For
example, the total length of the proposed
route, via tho 1sthmian canal, Valparaiso
and the Trans-Andine Railway, TO the
nearest distributing point for the eastern
coast. will be at least $500 miles, with OBJ
vious drawbacks; but the easy voyage
from Europe to the same point IL about
800 nautical miles shorter.
And now our point Of view Ia fairly won.
The Panama Canal will not effect the REQUIRED
change or improvement In American rela-
tons, political and commercial, with the
region east Of the Andes and south Of the
equator It is easy for us 10 see now what
is certain TO happen in case the Orinooo
continental gateway can still be opened
or shut at Venezuela's caprice when this
year onds or the decade ends
We see that one Of the Powers across the
seas, absorbing the foreign trade Of south
eastern communities in which It's language
is spoken and Its national customs and
domestic usages maintained, perhaps also
owning all the railways lending money for
all the public improvements. teaching in
the schools, preaching in the colonial pull
pits writing nearly every word OF the new