The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-26
LIGHT TO Be THROWN
ON LATIN AMERICA
The Conference Next Week
Will Get Views From
Many Sources.
TO DIssIPATE HAY IDEAS
Representatives of Countries
in Pan-American Union
VIII Speak.

Specially critten for the Latin Amsrtcdn
Section Of THE Sum.
While the Pan-American Commercial
Conference. which Is to convene in WASH
inston next week under auspices Of the
Pan-Amerioan Union, may take no def
mite action. much good oftentimes results
from talk II is the purpose Of the con-
ference to bring together persons inter-
ested in Latin American affairsl Repre-
ssntatives of the various Governments
forming the Pan-Amsrioan Union. diplo-
matte. consular. commercial and imam
dial; representatives Of North and South
American drma. trade experts, CONNER
cial and manufacturing, and oficisls Of
the different departments and bureaus
Of the Government having to DO with the
foreign economic, financial and CONNER.
oial relations win meet for an exchange
OF views and information
To many persons the countries repre-
sented by the Pan-American Union form
topics of unfailing interest and material
for inexhaustible discussion. To such
persons the coming commercial confer
encc In important. The manufactures
desires to know what demand there is or
may be created for his output the msr-
chant wants to know what he can sell the
buyer wants to know whether the goods
offered meet his requirements and those
Of his customers; the trade experts and
commercial representatives OF the vari-
Gus Governments are interested In bring
ing buyer ana SELLER together; diplomatic
and consular representatives are DESTROYS
Of disseminating information, and 90 on.
At the same time, that which may form
o topic of particular interest to ono per-
son may not interest another.
The salesman. for example. desirous
Of finding market for his typewritsrs
may not be particularly interested in the
blanketed Andean trudging over barren
mountain heights with q back load Of
merchandise and sustaining himself on
. handful OF coca leaves, nor the oil
man In the picturesque Indian sailing
his canoe on river or lake with his shirt
for a sail. Yet the seller of typewriters
may depend upon the despised Andean
70 get his machines to q profitable mar
ket and the oil man on the picturesque
indian in the canoe to get himself or bis
AGENTS to tho prospective oil fields.
Many Take Too Narrow q View.
The trouble with US, while our ofiicial
experts are studying and devising means
to Increase our foreign trade and COM
msrce. In that We do not always soc
clearly. We are too apt to Judge other
Peoples from q narrow point of view or
by our own standards.
Our wealth and advancement have
been 30 rapid We fail to understand that
thsrs are others making strides in
the worlds advancement relatively as
great ~ our own, II not in many In
stances greater. With respect to Latin
America We are only too apt TO see the
half naked or ragged Indian Of the pic
ture papers and story books. Just as our
cousins across the seq a generation ago
had an Idea that men in Now York or
Chicago went about In broad brimmed
hats and high boots. armed with hunting
knives and revolvers, and were IN dan
ger of being scalped by Indians on the
outskirts OF the cities.
Hardly moro than q generation ago
Argentina was little else than a vast
territory Of pampas covered with wild
grass. with isolated settlements Of bar
bario Euachos here and there, who
fought one another for the spoils OF
war. II was blood soaked land. It's
capital. Buenos Ayres, was a capital in
name only. ruled periodically by self
constituted tyrants. one Of them at least
rtvalling Nero OF old with deeds OF
cruelty and bloody despotism.
Paraguay was not much better under
the despotic sway OF Francia. who not
only closed his country to the outside
world. permitting no one to leave 1t or
enter 1t. but made his own sweet and
capricious will the law OF the land,
and ruled It without the aid of cabinet
or ministry.
Bolivia, having fallen from its high
rank as one of the greatest gold and
ntrtA L.
having poured billions OF dollars of
those precious metals into the lap of
Spain. was ruled by a few petty, SQUAD
bling politicians.
Ecuador was about on the same level.
and both Colombia and Venezuela were
torn with revolutions and internecine
strife. Some OF the other countries were
so poor economically that having neither
adequate arms nor ammunition, and not
much else but courage. their so-called
revolutions amounted to little more than
mob uprisings led by political generals,
INJECTING for the most part much suffer-
Ing on the people. who were always
their innocent victims.
All this IL changed now. The strides
made by several OF the countries are
little less than phenomenal Argentina.
for example. 10 no longer q country of
pRmpas and wild grass. whsre the semi
barbaric guacho formerly rode his pie
bald horse steel rails are laid and the
steam engine puffs along. Great herds
of cattle graze where only the silent
Indian roamed. Countless nocks Of sheep
feed and fatten where there were only
desert wastes, and ripening wheat may
be seen as far az the eye can reach.
Patagonia of our school days which
was no mans land. Is trekked by the
settlers caravan. Buenos Ayres the
capital OF despotism and sanguinary
strife, Is a metropolis. a prodigy OF
stately buildings and lavish wealth.
Paraguay = Rich Country.
Uruguay which was a dependency OF
PortuRuARa ciItthrnafa and rlratan NTH