Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-08-02
ARGENTINA AND BoLIyIA.

are under the Impression that the South
American republics are diminutive
countries and that their wars and rev.
olutions generally are Liliputcan at
fairs This is erroneous. Hon. John
Bureau of American Republics, in q
letter to this paper, dated Washing
ton July 2S, gives the following partie-
ul1rs about Argentina and Bolivia, the
Two countries that Just now are in the
throes OF diplomatic. troubles on ac-'
count Of a boundary dispute:
Argentina Is a wonderland. In grow
ing wheat, hay, cattle and sheep she is
running the United States and Canada
| q close second, and today ex ports more
corn than any country on earth. Yet so
far only onG-tenth of the agricultural
possibilities are realized. 1t is big
country! 1T has \ 135, 900 square miles
more than one third of the size Of the
United States, and this means all the
area west of tho NJ Mississippi and the
first row Of states from Minnesota to-
Louisiana west OF that river in addi-
ton. Size, however, is not all there is
to Argentina, by any means. She has
the industry and the equipment to take
advantage of her opportunities. This
country Is gridironed with railroads.
1900 miles of them, so that the trav-,
5eler8 can 80 from one end to the other.
as comfortably as from New York or
( Chicago to Texas. But Argentina Is.
not satisfied. There are concessions and
contracts for many more, SO that in two
decades more she purposes to have co.
gcrn quipner,t, too. constructed us thor
oughly as engineers know how to con-
struct. 5 1t AZ ss fs5.
"a In fact, every thing in Argentina is on
an up-to-date and ambitious scale. One
OF the largest irrigation dams in exist
5ence has been built there, and the first
train ferry In South America, across
The Rio d. la Plata for 81 miles, has
been in operation for years e. The trav
eler cannot go any place in the interior
without finding modern farms and
ranches on splendid scale. The sheep
and horses are OF the best bloo5ed
stock, the great ranch houses will salts
$fy the finest taste for style and com
fort. The fields OF grain are cultivated
by the newest met ods, and the best OF
American agricultural machinery is in
daily use. Into this splendid region Is +
poured annually an immense stream Of
ton, but even then not enough
to till the fields. harvest the crops or
transport them to rnarket But this Is
only the country; how about the towns? q
If DO many Americans realize that
Buenos Aires Is the largest city In the
world south of the Equator? That tho 4
city has nearly one and a half million
Inhabitants; that it has more and bet
ter paved streets, in proportion to its
size, than any city in the western hen1i-
last year nearly 5000, 900 people and Is
now so crowded that plans for an I'M
foreground railway are prepared; that
Its opera house can put to shame any
thing in America, and has entertained
all celebrated artists from Patti to
Bernhardt; that its home for the
Jockey club is famous for art. treas
ures and decorations In marble; that
one of Its many newspapers maintains
q huge building all Its own, in which
are a library, lecture room, museum,
and even a dispensary for the public,
as well as rest and refreshment
rooms for its employees? from
Buenos Aires fifteen regular passenger
lines run to Europe. with us fine steam
ers as money can buy, and England,
France, Germany and Italy are Compel
ing keenly for trade which we in the
United States Ina gine Is hardly worth
a serious struggle. This is the capital
of the republic, but Rosario, La Plata,
Cordoba and Bahia Blanca are also
progressive, and the interior cities vie
with those on the coast as centers Of
intellectual and industrial activity. "a
What about Bolivia? MANY people
think that this republic is in the same
condition as the Spaniards found II 500
years ago. This is an error of ignor-
;nce. Bolivia is pushing into the front
rank OF Industrial nations, and has
long ago abandoned the isolation to
which tradition unfortunately confined
it. Bolivia is the third largest repub-
lie in South America, the area is 100000
square miles and equals the size of the
two tiers OF states next the Pacific
ocean. 1t is a mountainous country,
in striking contrast to Argentina, which
is essentially land of plain and prai-
RE. Bolivia practically leads the
world in production of tin, but the
silver and copper play a large part in
foreign markets But Bolivia has more
than mineral wealth. There are hun
'ireds of square miles OF some of the
richest agricultural lands on earth. on
the plateaus wheat, corn and fruits will
grow. Further down there are illinit-
able possibilities for coffee and cotton,
while closer to the great rivers run
ming into the Amazon and Paraguay are
immense tracts of rubber trees ana
soil suitable for cacao.
Bolivia has decided to throw open
these opportunities to the world How
will she do 1t? BY building railroads
into and across these virgin spots AL
ready there are two lines running from
ports on the Pacific to La Paz, the
capital, and a third is under construc-