The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-11
One of South Americas
Greatest Countries-Is
Friendly to u. S.
TO MAKE BIG EXHIBIT
AT SAN FRANCISCO
Mining and Agricultural Possibilities
of Heretofore Isolated Nation
Said to Be Unsurpassed
in the World
By HOLLAND

New York, July 10.-(Special.) )-Nothing
could more emphatically set forth the
changed policy of the republic of Bolivia
which formerly was that of isolation and
uncontamination with the rest of the
world, than the appearance of the repre-
sentative of that republic in San Fran
cisco a few days ago for the purpose Of
selecting the ground and preparing for the
buildings which are to stand upon 1t where
Bolivia will at the Panama-Pacifc ex-
position give an object lesson teaching
what her resources are and limiting at her
hopes 81 greatly expanded commercial re-
lations with the United States
Seven or eight years ago Joseph D.
Grace, who is now the head of the interna-
tional mercantile house of William r.
Grace & Co., which operates a large line
of steamers between the United States and
South America, visited Bolivia. He spent
six months within the barriers of the
Andes. Bolivia was not a country of South
America with which the mercantile firm
established by his father contemplated
having much commercial relations That
house was established chiefly for carrying
on commerce between Chile and Peru in
South America and the United States.
Bolivia in the early days of the Grace
house was still living in the isolation
which General Bolivar, who founded the
republic, believed to be the true policy for
the republic. He argued that if the re-
public were separated by practically i'm
passable boundaries like the. Andes on the
one hand and the jungles of Brazil on the
other her people would be free from the
temptations which had caused SO many
revolutions in other South American re-
publics.
The six months sojourn of Mr. Grace in
Bolivia enabled him to bring back to the
United States Information deemed by busi-
ness men of this city of the utmost inn
portance. He discovered that Bolivia
was tearing down her Chinese wall of iso-
lation, for she was preparing to build
railroads to the Pacific and TO construct
national railway system which would
make connection with the transcontinental
line that connects the Atlantic at Buenos
Ayres with the Pacific and Valparaiso.
Enormous Natural Wealth
The natural and, for the most part. un-
developed resources of Bolivia astonshed
Mr. Grace. He learned that as soon as
transportation facilities are furnished Bo-
livia viii become an exporter of coffee of
very fine quality and in large amounts.
Precious metals of Bolivia that are await
Ing scientific mining are of inconcelvable
wealth, and the possibilities of agriculture
are enormous.
Almost of sudden Bolivia awolIe from
the dreamy condition which isolation
causes. Her people are now ambitious to
be ranked with Argentine as great in
dustrial, commercial and agricultural ma
tion. and while other nations OF the South
American continent are looking toward
Europe quite as eagerly for capital as they
are toward the United States, Bolivia
hopes to obtain the needed capital for her
development in the United States and to
establish her greatest commerce with this
country.
Bolivia at San Francisco
As soon as the Bolivian government
learned that the Panama exposition was
an assured fact, and was to be held In
San Francisco, steps were taken for the
adequate representation of Boivia's re-
sources at the exposition The country
was actually the first of all the South
American republics to decide upon partic-
ipaton at the Panama exposition. 1t will