Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-10-05
IN SOUTH AMERICA.

| IL the United States Is ever 10 come
| into its own in South American trade
| and commerce, we must dispel the
popular ignorance which exists in this
| country regarding Latin-America and
| it's people. That in substance is the
conclusion Of Mr.. John Barrett, United
States minister to Colombia, who has
contributed an interesting and timely
article on the subject in the North
American Review.
There was time prior to the dec
laration OF the Monroe doctrine when
the attention of our American states
men was occupied more with the fate
OF Spain's American colonies than with
any other foreign problem. The news
papers of this country at that time
gave more space to the news from the
countries south than was given to
news from Europe.
With the Monroe declaration Amer
lean fear Of European encroachment
died away to a large extent and we
seem to have turned away from and
lost interest in our South American
friends. Having no longer anything to
fear from these colonies we appear to
have been Indifferent to the opportun-
tiles offered by them. Yet Mr.. Barrett
points out that the total foreign trade
of Latin America in 1906 was $780,
100000, and the part which the United
States played in this enormous COM
merce was comparatively insignificant,
mostly with countries bordering on the
Caribbean.
In the opinion of the minister the
great cause of our failure in South
American states is the ignorance and
Indifference displayed toward them. He
points out that we now almost wholly
disregard South American news in our
newspapers. FIe declares the press of
the great European centers print more
news Of Latin America in week than
is printed in a month in the big news
papers in the United States, and that
editorial comment in this country or
Latin American news often displays
such ignorance as to excite derision in
the press there.
Some great world event in which
the United States should be intimately
concerned would awaken North Amer
leans to the possibilities in Latin
America. How little we knew of the
Philippines before the war with Spain,
and how quickly we became familiar
with It's people, products and institu-
tons after the battle of Manila bay.
We had heard Of savage warfare
among the natives, but We're surprised
to find the beautiful city of Manila,
with organized society and a people
educated h music art and literature.
Even among the educated and we'll in
| formed Glasses in the United States
there is little conception Of the civil
ization of Latin America. We hear of
! their petty wars and Instructions, but
not of the better things. Yet they have
their universities, scientific and liter
airy societies. poets, professors, his
torians, painters, sculptors and arcfi-
tects, in every respect equal to those
of the United States, and Mr.. Barrett
goes even farther and states that in
every Latin American capital the pro-
portion of highly educased people is
larger than in the average city of the
United States. He asserts that their
larger cities are better governed and
at half the cost than cities of their
class in the north.
Will the United States continue to
be Indifferent to the opportunities Of
fered? We need to know more about
South America and we need its trade.
The visit of Secretary Root has served
to awaken some interest, but it is only
beginning. We need more publicity