davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

The Christian religion EVERY of us revverensed
and will acknowledge. 1t may have been applied to
the warning nasions of Urope but it is cinch that it
didn't take. If they had been innoculated with it
theere would have been Admission, greed
pelf and luther Injuries have risen the top and
worked overtime during the week and religion
given breef inning on Sunday-thats what's the
mattur with Urope, believe me. Cents Urope will not
pawse and reflect and has handed this evidence
of the fact that treeties and compacts them
to moor than lettur of regret frum the cashier
of the Furst Nasonel bank up in Cannyda where he
is sojourning for his heeth togethur with all the
liquid assets of the depossiturs then it is time that
we do little pawsing and reflecting hook
provided do not do so for toolong period While
am in favur of reflection still it is mattur that
be ovverdun If aftur dew reflectsion will
seed to do sumthing wurth while, injecting a little
pep into it, then refectsion has been wurth while
it won't do to set down and go regulerly into the
reflectsion bzness-f while we reflect the luther
feller mite slip in and take tobacco away frum
What we want to do is to emfasze the fact that
air a peeseful nasion That under sircum-
stanses do seek conflict with emmy luther nasion
That all we want to do is to be let alone in the per-
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26
Christmas Here
and in Europe

suit of happiness and tranquility frum Christmas to
Christmas. That do not believe in war-and
won't have it if have to lick luther
nasion to prevent it. But want to be in shape to
say to these luther nasions: while air for peese
and bizness, at the same time-Keep Off the Grass.
Then if they won't keep off the grassland sum of
them have been walking round over lawn with
CRATE furmness resentlythen if they won't keep off
sed that onse before-then want TO be in shape
to paint dark blue fringed fourde-ls under the left
eye of sed nasion in abrupt and fewent mannur
at the time sokeing it furst class soke the
soler plexus luther spot, bringing about the
gennerel and satisfactory results usuelly accom-
plished when Missoury mule kicks teuderfoot
frum down east sumwheere between the barn and his
appetite.
This CRATE peeseul and commercial nasion does not
want War is not good for bizness and 1t is not
helthy pleasing occupasion But the fact remains
that must stay the same earth with theese fell
lers in Urope, and we have simply got to do
bizuess with them. Cents this is trew and cents 1t is
also trew that they show holesum respect for
Teller who has biggur gun than they have, it's
simply up to us to git the gun.
The President is rite about this preparedness biz
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

for mere mortals-never. and more -
pecially--in New York.
Talk about tired shop girls all you
want to. They may be overworked and
all that sort of thing, too. and they
may deserve more money and less la
Dor, but it is hardly calculated to
arouse a fellows sympthy when he
sees so many of them after closing
hours. sitting around in the lobster
palaces. spending some male custom
ers good money, imbibing the wealthy
water that one can't afford one's self.
and giving In return therefor. pleased
smiles and a sudden good night on
the plea of having to get to work so
early the next morning
These New York shop girls may work
hard, but they play hard, too, and the
hours of play last as long as the hours
OF work win permit. But" you say.
her salary is not sufficient for her to
live on" Well we don't know about
that, positively, but just hang around
the lobster palaces any old evening and
watch her live
If your table is not reserved for New
Years eve, you are going to lose the
spirit of the occasion, a high priced sup
per and swell "souse." You will have
sympathy from the more FOR
tunate" in New York. and all you will
save will be money.
Just suppore. for the sake of ncutrah-
ty that we had an army and a navy
10 times as great and powerful as those
of any other three nations combined.
and few million millions OF dollars
for which we had no use--I wonder II
broadway would still be cleaning as
carelessly bright and peaceful as II
is today; | wonder IL all these staiwart
New Workers would still be wearing
citizens clothcs-l wonder if-well. |
just wonder.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

in Maine, and this company has an au-
thorized capital of over $32,000,000. 1t
has been constructing quays and ware
houses and also floating docks, dry
docks and repair shops.
Pernambuco,. or rather Recife. the near
est port to Europe, has plans for recon-
structing the great natural harbor made
by a long reef that runs parallel with the
coast, forming a safe waterway pierced
by two channels. The estimate for the
work there is about $16,000,000 and the
time for its completion is five or six years
Victoria has new port works Rio de
Janeiro has spent millions upon its ware
houses, quays and landing arrangements,
and it plans to spend millions more. At
the port of Rio Grande do Sui the FAR
ouhar syndicate has plans for the ex-
penditure of millions and the work is
posite the town of Rio Grande, the plans
having been made by f. L, Corthel, the
well-known American engineer.
The foreign commerce of Brazil is stead
lily growing. In 1880 it was only about
SlO0,O00O00. In 1900 it had risen to $780,
VuV,OVV dHu IL Is now lllOIt tDdll PUoV,uuV,upV
per annum. 1t was in 1909 that it first
passed the half-bilion mark This COM
merce amounts to $50 per head, or about
$3.50 per family. The total is only lit
tie less than the foreign trade of China
but China has twenty times as many peo-
pie and it's foreign trade is less than 81
a head. In other words, as foreign GUS
toner one Brazilian is worm nrteen
times as much as one Chinaman; and
when Brazil has one hundred or three
hundred millions, as she may sometimes
have, her foreign trade will amount to
from three to nine billion dollars year
There is no doubt but, that Brazil could
support more people than China and
also that it will some time have popula-
ton of hundreds of millions. This shows
some of the possibilities of a trade that
is open to us.
AS it is now, we should already be far
ahead of all other nations in the foreign
trade of Brazil. We are and shall al
ways be her chief customer. We need
her rubber and we are the worlds great
est coffee consumer. We are buying
twice as much of the goods of Brazil as
any other foreign nation. In 1913 our
purchases amounted to more than $780,,
100000, while those of the United King
dom and Germany combined were only
little more than $50, Co., 900 In 1912 we
took 30 per cent of all her exports, AZ
per cent of her coffee and so per cent of
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

combination saw to it that the United
States got no advantage through her
reciprocal trade relations with Brazil
AS | have said we are Brazi's chief
customer. She puts an export tax on
her coffee, and in return has been CIV
ing lis a preferential duty as to certain
things we sell her Among these are
cement, flour, certain kinds of machln-
cry and other products, What the Euro
pean steamship companies did was to
charge an extra freight rate on all such
goods when they We're sent from the
United States to Brazil. This freight
rate was SO high that it enabled Europe
to send the same goods at an equal or
less price than we could sell them, aud
made our national reciprocal arrange
ment of no value whatever For instance.
If we got 20 cents off the duty on bar
rel of cement, the steamship company
would add 20 cents on the freight of that
barrel, and so the European cement.
which was freighted at 20 cents less, came
into Brazil on the same basis as ours.
All this should be changed now, and
the establishment of American steam
snip lines should be so pushed that
there will be no trouble in our having
q fair deal when peace comes.
At the time of the war there was
practically no American shipping GO
ing to Rio. In 1912 Just is vessels
carrying our flag called at that port
Eleven of those were steamers and
the most of them yachts or tugs. One
tug was on its way from Chistobal.
the Atlantic end of the Panama ca
nal taking three coal barges by way
of the Strait of Magellan to Ancon at
the western end. Another was a yacht
that had been made In New England.
and was on its way to San Francisco
and the Arctic ocean. Its owner was
to meet it at San Francisco and go
north to hunt. That yacht came into
Rio for repairs only.
The other vessels of 1912 were sail
ers. There were seven of them. In
1913 there were seven freight steamers
and two sailing vessels. OF the seven
steamers, three belonged to the United
States steel trust They were ships of
5000 tons. One came monthly to Rio
making the trip in 10 days. 1t brought
down American goods. but it could
get no return cargo except heavy stuff
as ballast 1t could get no coffee. not
withstanding hundreds of thousands OF
sacks were going to our country on
European ships. I am told that the
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

not feeling of cheer and good will for everybody
-insteed of the desire TO hand There naybors
plesint smile and kind regards and complaints of the
seesun. they air out trying to hand them mod
dern brand of instint deeth. Insteed of bursting
shampain bottles to the health of everybody in
Franse--that is those that have not been gobbuled
up by Americon tourrists-they air bursting shells
over the co-cos of the enemy such occasions
the ennemy risks his to the gennerel veew
Urope ought to be ashamed of itself-perticuerly
at this time In each of the bulligurent nasions-
with perhaps exseptsion in Turkey, where Christ
is not recognized, maybe-the peepul air
fully acknowledging the berthday Of the Prnse of
Peese Having acknowledged it and asked his aid,
they proseed to go out the battul field and val
iently atimpt to send menny of theere brethern,
whether reddy not to the fine judgemint. For the
most part the in Urope is being fought by the
Christian nasons 1t begun and will be finished
by the Christian nasions-the Christian nasons air
yeers of Christian svvilizason What the Christian
yeers of christian sivvilizason What the christian
nasions OF Urope needs rite this perticuer time
at leest what There rulers need, is good swift kick
applied to that part of the where it will do
the most good.
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

The fellow with his arms full of Christ
mas boxes, bundles, ETC., is not smiled
upon by the passerby, or fellow passen-
frowned upon for taking up more space
than he is entitled to in the opinion of
his fellows. and is roughly elbowed out
of the way whenever opportunity presents
itself for such elbowing.
No doubt, within the family circle, all
this is changed, and different attitude
and atmosphere prevail However, family
circles are more or less impregnable here,
and not possessing one myself, / am not
in position to define with any degree
of definiteness. I am sure, at least, that
there is the customary interchange of
impossible gifts, judging from the hues Of
certain ties seen upon the thoroughfares.
and the odor of certain rolls Of weed
which were evidently sold to femininity
under the proud title Of cigars
But it is Christmas, and after its own
fashion New York celebrates. And, con-
sidering the fact that there are many
more people here than in any other city in
this country, together with the additional
fact that everything that is anything
either emanates from or comes to this
city, We humble correspondent hath a
Heluvian nerve to criticize 1t from any
angle
1t has been stated here that several
downtown skyscrapers receive more than
ton Of mail day. and that between
the hours of a. m. and $50 p. M That
is not Christmas mail exactly. The esti-
mate and count were made some little
time ago, and in all probability. these
buildings are now receiving more than
that much.
Terminal and City Investing buildings re-
ceive $1,000 pieces of mail each day--that
is. on an average. These great hives Of
people are served promptly and yet the
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

ness and Wilyum J. and Jitney Ford air rong. This
is all reguler and according to preseedent The Pres
sident is usuely rite and Wilyum ]. Is usuey rong.
so everybody ought to be happy. In the meantime
don't let ennyboddy wurry nun ovver the cost. This
country very little When it Gums to nasionel
debts simply amt in It, The United States has
smaller debt than the city of New York, and when
it to comparing it with the debts of the nasions
of Urope it looks like the donasion frum the prize
drunkerd of the community to the prohibison cam
pain fund.
Now let us reflect Let's forget our selfish motives
and for onse be for all the country nsted of local
SECESSION. Let's prepare the country-not for agrcs-
sion but for defense-ets get ourselves in shape
that we will newer be called upon pay tribute to
emmy old nasion Posterrty had much rathur have
nasionel debt within the bounds than to be
compelled to the yoke of sum forrain dynasty
and pay tribute to it, Posterrity is sertany averse
TO wareing yoke-I know, for it told me SO IL we
will prepare for the wurst theere won't be no wrrst
and theere will be hundreds and hundreds moor
Christmuses like the one just pasta Christmas of
peese and plenty,
Yours trooly
BILL VINES.
WASHINGTON
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

tricts. The rents are SO high that in or
der to take dodgers to help defray ex-
penses, the negro housekeepers take dan
gerous risks.
Tho question of proper housing for ne
groes has recently been openly discussed
by the sovlsoiy council of real estate in
terests. the City and Suburban Homes
company. the National League on Urban
Conditions Among Negroes and the Prop
erty Owners Improvement corporation.
Well, something ought to come out OF
that combination
Here's another answer to the foregoing
The negro IS said to be an imitator. He
frequently works for wealthy people, and
in his own life. attempts to initiate them,
with the result that it requires more
rooney than he can afford to spend That
may be true enough, but in justice to
the 1uondam ebon race, be 1t stated that
they are rot the only people who are
'iinitators in New York. Yes, one may
even ask, who is not?
Good gracious. And we are seldom
tempted to use such sweeping swear =
words. But what are we to do? 1t is
positively announced here that our
women-goodness only knows how
many of the dears--are going to
migrate to some western states where
they can vote and be happy in the
possession of full-nedged citizenship,
We may be on the verge of war,
we may be preparing an ultimate ulti
matum. If ultimatums ever become ulti-
mate or we may have much to fear
from our hyphenated hybrids. but this
migration matter is truly terrible.
Why can you ever imagine New
York without a profusion of poultry
Can you picture Broadway devoid of
its delightful dolls? Can you conceive
Fifth avenue no longer swathed in
swagger skirts? or course. you cannot,
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

ing in the hands of the Rothschilds. Much
of the foreign loans of the future will
probably be placed in New York
Until now, England has been getting
a rake-off on every dollar of trade be-
tween Brill and the United States. AS
| have said, that trade amounts to more
than $l00,Oo0.0O0 per annum, and the
money has had to go through London.
the most of it being translated into
pounds, shillings and pence on its way
to and from dollars and Brazilian reis
At l per cent the charge for its ex-
change would be 100000 a year. which
is tidy sum for clearing house, privi-
leges.
There are also many other charges
thar so with this exchange Of the money,
and these prevail to such an extent that
both the United States and Brazil have
been steadily MIXED Of their profits
by the bankers OF Threadneedle street
The matter OF freight is even worse
than that of banking The European
steamship companies have had a com
bnation by which they have prevented
dhN american line Del1S run
at profit between the United States
ard Brazil. This has been so notwith-
standing we have taken the greater
part of the exports. AS | have said we
buy the bulk Of the coffee crop, but
England. France and Germany have so
arranged that American ships going to
Santos could not get cargoes. and so that
if they took American goods to Brazil
they could not get any freight to speak
of for return, except iron or heavy stuff
that went as ballast A few years ago
a steamship line was organized to go
from New Orleans to Rio and Santos
New Orleans had no good communication
with those ports, and it was thought
that there would be steady stream of
coffee going north by the new line to the
mouth of the Mississippi. There was not
The coffee which came was in European
vessels.
They took it there on their way to
Europe, loading at New Orleans with
cotton and thence going to England or
Germany. and bringing oack European
goods direct to Brazil. This shut out the
possibility of cheap American freights
Had the coffee come in American yes
sells the ships would have gone straight
back with provisions and other supplies
from the Atlantic and gulf states They
took similar supplies but they were from
England or Germany. The steamship
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

men who export in European ships get
something like cents off of each sack
exported
Some of the few ships that go to Bra
I'll from the United States have inter-
esttng cargoes. one of the regulars is
schooner from Boston known as the
X, w. Hopkins. She makes the trim
TO Rio de Janeiro only once n wear
and carries apples. pears and ice for
the Christmas trade. She usually has
something like 5000 barrels of apples
and pears on board. The fruit is
brought on consignment and has been
ordered the year before. 1t is grown
in New Hampshire. The owners of this
ship have been doing business for two
generations and the present owner
promises to have a steady job for q
lifetime to come. Its business in car
rying ice has fallen off. In the past
the ice was used for preserving the
fruit and there was a profit had on
the ice and the fruit Now Rio has
leo factories of il sown, At present the
cold storage freight rate on fresh
fruit from the states is about S33
ton. The rate on similar goods from
England by the Royal mail line has
been about $22 ton. while other lines
have been charging as low as SIS. This
shows the kind of competition our
fruit has had
Nevertheless the American apples are
so good that they bring a high price.
They sell on the fruit stands of Rio
from to Is cents apiece and you see
them on the menus of the leading ho-
tells at about 10 cents per course. A
course of fruit means two or three APP
PIES, pear or so and bunch OF
grapes. Much of the fruit is sent In
50-pound boxes and not little is
Skinned across the United States from
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26

her rubber. That year we bought 5000. DOC
bags of Brazilian coffee, and the total ex-
port was only 12.0oo000 bags. Our Bra
lillian coffee that year cost us $4,000, oOe
While what Germany bought cost less
than sS4,0Ooooo, and the, purchases OF
Great Britain were only little more than
S3,000.000 In that year Brazil exported
something like 10000 tons of rubber, and
1900 tons of that went to the United
States.
Nevertheless, in 1912 we sold less goods
to Brazil than either Germany or the
United Kingdom, and the British outsold
us by more than so per cent.
The present suitation in Europe is such
ports must be cut off Germany has beer
annually selling Brazil something like
s55,00o,o00 worth of her products. France
more than $3o,00000O, Austria Hungary
more than $1s,o00.0 900, and Belgium goods
to the amount of something like IS, 000, 900.
Great Britain has led all other nations,
her total sales in 1918 having been almost
$So.000,000 With the exception of Great
Britain the trade Of all these nations has
been practically cut off and the chances
for the Introduction of American goods
are great.
These opportunities have been Increased
by the establishment of a branch of one
of our chief banks in Rio de Janeiro.
The National City bank of New York ha S
opened a house Their. and from now Ola
our financial connections with the coun-
try will be close. The development of
Brazil must be done with foreign capital.
and in the future large part of that cap
ital must come from the United States.
A great deal OF money has been recently
invested in Brazilian electric and rail
way bonds, and some of the British I'M
dertakings that are now in course of pro-
lection are to be backed by American
capital. ! have already written of the
enormous iron deposits, amounting to bill
lions of tons, which are under option to
syndicate of our multi-millionaires.
There are cattle lands in Matte Crosse
now in charge of American cowboys and
there is a great meat packing establish
ment at Sac Paulo which has been built
with American money, and from which
in the near future chilled beef will prob
ably go to the United States.
The government of Brazil is anxious to
borrow money, and sooner or later it will
ask us to take some of its bonds. The
total foreign debt of the republic is now
less than $1,000, 600 This is held almost
wholly in Europe, great part of it be-
The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26
OUR TRADE WITH BRAZIL

when war was declared, and gradually
declined until it was only 20 cents last
October. A little later it rose to it's
of rise and fall greatly disturb values,
and importations have fallen every
where throughout the republic.
Notwithstanding this the prospects of
Brazil have never been brighter and as
soon as peace is declared she will start
ahead at motor car speed The world is
just beginning to realize the enormous
resources of the country and the people
have been putting in the machinery
for their development. Within the
past few years they have increased
their railway construction so that they
have now something like s250,OoO 900
worth of lines, comprising altogether
something like 10000 miles of track.
They have been opening up their rivers
and improving the harbors along the
coast. All of the ports from Para at
the mouth of the Amazon to Porto Ale
gre in the far south are being made
sanitary. There is no yellow fever
anywhere and one can live Just as
safely in Rio and Santos as in New
L OTk or New orleans.
An enormous amount of money has
been spent on the harbors of Brazil
The new improvements being made at
Bahia will provide line of quays that
add about 600 feet to the width of the
water front for more than two miles
The depth alongside the quays is 26
feet and at the docks edge 32 feet
and in addition the new port will have
q further length of mile along the
existing shore line. Back of the quays
10 great warehouses are to be built,
and the improvements altogether will
cost over $22.000,O00.
Similar improvements are going on
all along the coast About 10 years
ago law was enacted authorizing
each port to issue bonds insured by
the revenues of the port and also to
impose certain taxations for the i'm
provement of the harbors. Private COM
panies were also authorized to con-
struct, harbor works on liberal terms,
and as aresult contracts were let run
ming high into the millions. Many Of
the ports have already been improved
and that not only along the coast, but
up the rivers. Manaos has been build
ing quay walls, floating piers and
warehouses, and there are something
like 1900 steamers a year that now
call there. Para. has harbor improve
ments put in by company chartered