New-York tribune., 1906-11-21
SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE
MEASURES TO SECURE 1T.
Secretary Root Tells Commercial
Congress What Should Be Done.

I
! Monday night, Secretary Root Tonight dwell,
on our relations with South American republics,
telling of his recent trip through those countries
He said the time had come for the expansion Of
trade between the countries of the North and
the South that would result in the peaceful
prosperity Of a mighty commerce. He declared
that the means of communication between these
countries must be improved and increased and
said the "woful deficiency in the means to
carry on and enlarge our South American trade
is but a part of the general decline and feeble-
ness of American merchant marine"
Secretary Roots subject was Commercial
Union with South American Republics" He
said:
Mr. President and Gentlemen OF the Con-
sress: A little less than three centuries OF
colonial and national life have brought the
/ people inhabiting the United States. by a proc
ess OF evolution natural and with the existing
iorces inevitable, TO a point of distinct and
/ the rest of mankind.
During the period now past the energy OF
| rao.PI 'toNtSu oS tue IOIittdtINe pOWer
created in our early population by heredity. by
environment by the struggle for existence. by
| individual independence and by free instiru-
lions. mas been devoted TO the internal develop
ment of our own country. The surplus wealth.
| produced by labors has been applied inme-
diately to reproduction in our own land. We
have been cutting down forests and breaking
| virgin soil and fencing prairieS and opening
mines of coal and iron, and copper and silver
| and gold and building roads and canals. and
railroads. and telegraph lines. and cars and
| locomotives. and mills. and furnaces. and
schoolhOuses. and colleges, and libraries. and
| hospitals, and asylums. and public buildings.
and storehOuses, and shops. and homes We
have been drawing on the resources of the
world In capital and in labor TO aid US in our
| work We have gathered strength from every
rich and powerful ma ation and expended II upon
| these home undertakings; into them We nave
poured hundreds OF millions of money attracted
| from the investors of Europe We have been
always a debtor nation. borrowing from the
world. energy
| toward us and concentrating II with our own
energy upon our own enterprises The
crossing pursuit of opportunities has
excluded from our consideration and interest tho
enterprises and the possibilities OF the outside
world. Invention, discovery. the progress or
science. capacity for organization. the enormous
increase in the productive power of mankind.
US 10 a result OF development IN every orancn
of internal Industrial activity marvellous and
| unprecedented in the history of the world
Since the first election of President Mckinley
the people of the United States have for the
first time accumulated a surplus OF capital De-
yOnd the requirements OF internal development
That surplus is increasing with extraordinary
rapidity- We have paid our debts 10 Europe
and have become a creditor instead of debtor
nation; we have faced about; we have left the
ranks Of the borrowing nations and have entered
| the ranks Of the investing nations our surplus
energy is beginning TO look beyond our Own
| borders. throughout the world, TO hnd Oppor-
tunity for the profitable use of our surplus cap
| ital foreign markets for manufactures. for
| eign mines to be developed. foreign bridges and
railroads and public works 20 be oullJ, torelS1
rivers be turned into electric power anu
light. AS in their several ways England anu
France and Germany have stood so we IN our
own way are beginning 10 stand and must con-
tinue to stand toward the Industrial enterprises
of the world. -,
| That we are not beginning our new role feehly
is indicated by 81 151S.3t1 .t66 Of exports in the
| wear 1905 as against $111751S0I1 OF imports.
and by 81 I43 S64 800 exports in the year iSuo'
as against 81 .226. .563, S43 Of imports our 1fsC
stems in the new feld. indeed, are somewhat
clumsy and unskilled. In our own vast country
with oceans on either side, We nave had %"
little contact with foreign peoples readly 70 uh-
derstand their customs or learn their languages;
vet no one can doubt that We snail learn anu
shall understand. and shall DO our business
abroad as we have done IL az home' WIN IoICo
and efficiency.
EXPANSION IN SOUTH AMERICA
Coincident with this change in the United
States the progress of political development has
been carrying the neiGhbortng continent OF South
America out of the stage of miitarlSm into tho
stage OF industrialism. Throughout the greater
part of that vast continent revolutions nave
ceased to be looked upon with favor or suomit-
ted TO with Indifference; the evolutionary gem
eral and the dictator are no longer the OBJECTS
OF admiration and imitation; civic virtues COM
mand the highest respect, the people point WIN
satisfaction and pride 10 the stability or their
governments, to the safety of property and the
certainty of Justice, nearly everywhere the peO-
pIe re eager for foreign capital TO develop their
natural resources and for foreign Immigration
to occupy their vacant land Immediately be-
fore us at exactly the right time. just as We
are ready for il, great opportunities for peace
full commercial and Industrial expansion TO the
are already in the feld-England, France Ger
many Italy. Spain-but the field is so vast. the
new demands great, the progress SO
rapid, that what other nations nave done up 10
this time is but a slight advance in the race Tor
the grand total The opportunities are so large
that figures fail to convey them The area 70.
this newly awakened continent is ISOZs4S
square miles, more than two and Oue-halI times
as large as the United States without Alaska.
and more than double the United States in
cluding Alaska large part OF TINS area nes
within the temperate zone, with an e4uaDle an!
nvgOrating climate. free from extremes OF
either heat or cold. Further north in tho
tropics are enormous eXpanSeS or hlgh- JaDle
lands. stretching from the Atlantic TO the 1oct-
hills of the Andes. and lifted 1ar ABOVE ths
tropical heats the fertile valleys or the western
Cordilleras cooled by perpetual SHOWS even
under the equator; vast forests grow untouchea
from a soil of incredible richness The plains or
Argentina. the great uplands or Brazil. the
mountain valleys of Chill, Peru, Ecuador, BOLIVIA
and Colombia are suited TO the habitatiOn of any
race however far TO the north its origin may
have been: hundreds of millions of men can find
heaIthful homes and abundant suStenance IN
this great territory.
The population in 1900 was only - 461 .3S1.
less than six To the square mile. The density %
population was less than one-etshth OF that Il.
the State of Missouri less than One-SiXtieth ot
that i'm the State Of Massachusetts less than
one-seventieth of that in England. less than
per cent OF that In Belgium
With this sparse population the pTOduction'o Z
wealth is already enormous The latest trade
statistics show exports from south America tO
foreign countries of SI4@.53ONO0 and imports
of $499 S5S6oo OF the S1oH00RoNo of goeds
2l6525 12.6 per cent OF the Sl4HtAsfhD
that South America sells we buy Sl'I-t3--Nu'
or 2O4 per cent. nearly two and half times -
much as sell.
Their production is increasing by leaps aHd
bounds In eleven years the exports 0t Chti
have increased ~ per cent from S34,O3oN0 m
1894 10 SIS $4,000 in 1905 In eight years thu
exports Of Peru have increased l'El per sent
from S13.S99Ooo in 1897 70 81. ','S'No IN t9'h,;
In ten wears the exports of Brazil have increased
ak ner cent from S13+Oti2O0o in 1894 70 S2l3-
1o1 900 in 1905. In ten years the exports of AR
,entina have increased It's per cent from Slij.-