The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-18
CHILEAND THE WAR
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
BY Frederic j. Haskin. Director.
Washington, ID. q.

Washington, ID. u. II
New York City, Aug. 1.-THE re-
public of Chile is a storehouse of war
materials; she has the only great nj
trate deposits in the world, some of
the greatest copper deposits and some
excellent iron mines All of these |
things the United States needs in
large quantities to supply the demand
of a fighting world for munitions For
this reason the war has brought the
United States and Chile much closer
together than they ever were before.
The greatest powder company in the
United States has nitrate mines and
reduction plant in Chile; one of the
greatest copper mining companies is
heavily interested there; and an
American steel company is making
great success of iron mines which it
obtained by a clever diplomatic man
euver from a bankrupt French con-
Germ.
working their Chilean holdings to the
limit and all of them have numerous
engineers in the field, seeking new
mines. The number of Americans in
Chile has at least trebled in four
years. There are now about six hun
bred of them registered at the en-
bassy, and probably half as many
more who are not registered.
Here in New York, which is the
headquarters of the great companies
that are. searching the earth for the
materials of American industry, you
may talk to engineers who have been
in almost every village in Chile, who
speak Spanish well as the Chileans.
and know intimately the political and
social life of the country.
They are a new and significant type
of American, these young college
trained engineers whom the big cor
porations send afield in search of
| treasure. It is only within a genera
! ton that American industry has had to
| look abroad for materials at ALL and
the war demand for American pro-
ducts has given this search its great
est impetus.
The great corporations are always
wise in their choice of employees. The
young engineers who go prospecting in
strange lands are chosen at least as
much for their character as for their
| technical ability. The result has been
to scatter about Latin America thous-
ands of young men who are mission
aries for American ideals and the
American conception of civilization as
we'll as for American industry
| The Importance of this army of bus
| inesslike, well groomed decent young
Americans as force for Pan-Amer-
| icanism can scarcely be oVer-eStimat-
ed. In Chile, according to. all reports.
they have already worked a trans
formation of the popular attitude to-
ward Americans. For the early i'm
| preston which all Latin-Americans
got of their northern neighbors was
not a desirable one. Persons who
| found 1t necessary to leave the United
States were the first ones to discover
| that money could be made in South
America. The word Yankee became
almost synonymous with rascal At
the same time, European countries
were gaining large share OF the
Chilean trade; German officers were
training the Chilean army, and British
officers the Chilean navy.
An American, ten years ago, was
person of small account in Chile. To-
| day the mere mention of his national
ity creates a favorable impression, es
pecially in business and social circles.
An American engineer who can show
any credentials at all will be given
passes over the railroads, and every
other facility for his work. 1t is true
that Chilean legislators are wont to
rise in congress and denounce the
foreigners who are monopolizing the
wealth of the country; but all intelli-
gent Chileans perceive that their coun-
try is dependent upon foreign capital
and foreign brains for it's present de-
Velopment. The same eloquent leg
islator who denounced foreign eX-
ploitation in the morning may call at
the office of one of the American
sell mine.
1t is true that out of this rapid war
exploitation Of their natural resources
the Chileans are getting very little in
a financial way They levy an i'm
mense tax upon the nitrate business.
and this supports the Chilean govern
ment. But the bulk of the profits from
that industry flow to Europe and the
United States. This is even more true
of the copper and iron industries.
The best thing that Chile is getting
out of the war boom is education for
her youth. The young Chilean and
the young American are meeting both
in society and in industry. Tempera
mentally they have a great deal in
common. For the Chilean of the bet
ter class is not Spaniard living in a
tropical climate. Like the North
American he is man of very mixed
5 blood living in a temperate climate
The Hberator of Chile was nam ed
, O'Higgins, and Irish, French and
American names are as common as
: those of Spanish origin. Some of the
5 ed from New Bedford whaling cap
! tains who settled in South America
) when the whaling bushes broke AL
5 tho they speak Spanish. the Chileans
l Like the North Americans, they are
) energetic and imaginative.
There is nothing against the young
Chilean but his environment. If he
belongs to a leading family it is the
/ traditional and accepted thing for hin
3 to plunge into a life of pleasure a
3 about the age of eighteen. Drink ant
women are the chief and accepted
concerns of the young man of family
at the age when he should be under.
going his greatest mental develop
ment. Then. too. his family and pc
litical connections make independence
of action almost impossible. He can
} not be very efficient because it is no
the custom of the country. A youns