Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-13

Formerly President of the Argentine Republic.
That. unfortunately. has become an almost
universal rule concerning domestic as well
as foreign news If a man steals anything
or commits murder, or IL somebody Is
run over by an automobile. the fact Is pub
lished in every newspaper In the land. If
he does good act. helps some unfortunate
brother or rescues a soul 1t is never men
toned. The tendency of modern news
papers is to emphasize evil, to advertise
wrong, to expose vice and crime and to
criticise the errors and weaknesses of man.
kind. Enough good is done every day to
I'LL the columns of every newspaper, but
1t isn't printed. II man sets fire to a
claimed in every city and town of the
country; IL he adds an architectural orna-
ment to the community nothing Is ever
said about 1t.
versal misrepresentation among the people
of the United States concerning their
Latin-American neighbors. If you will
stop the first man you meet on the street
and ask him few questions you viii
be surprised at his ignorance of the prog
ress that the other American republics are
making and of the history their people are
writing every year. He win know all about
the disturbances In Venezuela; he win be
familiar with the conspiracies and the de-
falcations in Santo Domingo. but he will
never have heard of the enormous growth
of Buenos Ayres, which Is now the fourth
city on the American continent; the rapid
development OF Brazil. the wealth and en-
terprise of Chile and the material pros
perity of other American republics.
Such an event as the death of Bartolome
Mitre passed unnoticed by the American
newspapers. Not one citizen out OF a hun
dred thousand in the United States ever
heard of him, although he was one of the
greatest men of his age. The fault is ours.
The day after he died the American news
papers were crowded with scandals about
the insurance companies, criticisms of the
management of the Panama canal de-
scriptions of disorders In Russia, sensa-
tional reports concerning the conduct OF O
buffer In Venezuela and column after col
umn was filled with accounts of crimes and
vice in our own country, but not word
and patriotism deserving of the high
est admiration and whose life furnishes an
example that every politician and public
man can afford to initiate.
Mourned by Thousands.
Dr. Mitre was the founder and editor Of
La Nacion, one of the leading newspapers
of South America which has cores
pondent in this country, Mr.. Ernesto Nell
son. whom 1 asked to tell me something OF
his life and last days.
For five or six weeks preceding his
DEATH said Mr.. Nelson. "a daily average
of 5000 people. including the president of
the republic, cabinet ministers. members
of congress and other prominent people,
either called at his home or made inquiries
concerning his condition kilograms of In
quiry were received almost daily from
European and South American govern
ments. among whom he was We'll known,
although his reputation had not reached
the United States. His funeral was a
monster demonstration. Three hundred
and fifty thousand people followed his re-
mains from his home to the national ceme-
terry. kilograms of coincidence were re-
ceived from every government In the world
The German kaiser and the King of Italy
gave orders for the attendance of detach-
ments of sailors and marines from German
and Italian warships which happened to
| be in the harbor of Buenos Ayres. The
escort of honor included detachments of
troops from Uruguay and Chile. Requiem
masses were sung in every capital of South
America, and In several cities of France
Italy and Spain. Those at the Church of
the Madeleine In Paris We're especially I'M
pressive and were attended by high Of
ficials OF the French government. Al
though In every Argentine city and town
there Is already street or park named
after him. 1t Is proposed to give Mitre's
name to one of the territories and future
states In the southern part of the republic
and national subscription is now in prog
ress to erect q monument worthy OF his
fame.
ITO understand the full Significance Of
Gen. Mitre's career" continued Mr.. Nell
son. you must know that. during Spanish
domination, the South American colonies
were under a strong centralized, despotic
power. There was nothing approaching q
form of seif-government. as was the case
with the English colonies In America.
Therefore. when we became free. nobody
understood the meaning of the word lib
erty or the science Of government, or what
free country ought to be. and the control
of affairs fell into the hands of local lead
ers. who exercised selfish and brutal
tyranny.
General nEitre's Career