Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1919-06-26
SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE UP
TO U.S.. SAYS MATHEWSON

The following interesting testimony
ID from a man who knows the value
OF words. Isaac Mathewson, of Next
CO.. The story shows him to be a con-
structlve genius. But it is a developed
genius. He vas one of the engineers
who located and built the Chicago. ST.
Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha railroad
from st. Paul to LeMars and Sioux
City and he knows the northwest Of
the United States as he knows Mexico
and South America. Many years g
he bought a great hacienda in south
ern Mexico and lived upon it until the
Diaz revolution made it an unsafe place
for his family.
Mr.. Mathewson's family is residing
In Muscatine. Ia, and this interview
appeared in the Journal Tribune of
that city.
That South America offers the great
est opportunity for trade development
and the promotion of business relation
ships that has ever faced the United
States was h declaration today Of
Isaac Mathewson, of 1919 Mulberry
avenue. upon his return from a two
year s~ojourn in the southern continent,
during which he visited nearly every
nation in 1t.
1.-THE United States should not delay
to grasp the opportunity which is Of
fered to it," Mr.. Mathewson stated.
'"This country is popular in South
America, the nations there like the peo-
pla Of this country and they want to
deal with them; but we must take adj
vantage of the chance while it exists,
hn0oppCo voroo- ro<;ooc 1,-ozSo11,
England, are making the most Of the
Sou American trade possibilities"
Mr.. Mathewson vas called to South
eral charge Of the rehabilitation Of the
Brazil railroad. which through lack of
proper equipment and methods of op-
Grafton had fallen into difficult circum-
stances. With the coming of the war
and Brazil's enlistment with the allies,
the demand for its products by the
allies ~necessitated h upbuilding and
use Of every available foot of railroad
to carry supplies to the coast to be
shipped to France. 1t was to improve
the general service on the line that Mr..
Mathewson went to Brazil. The Bra
I'll railroad operates over 1000 miles
of track covering the territory from
Sac Paulo, where it's headquarters are
down to Montevideo, Uruguay.
, War Service.
Part of Mr.. Mathewson's most i'm
portant service during his stay in
South America was the facilitating of
shipments of corned beef which was
packed in huge quantities in Brazil
and Uruguay to base ports to be sent
to Europe for use by the allied armies.
While working with the railroad he
bore the title Of Most Excellent Sir
Doctor Isaac Mathewson. chief of con-
struction. In addition to coming into
close touch with all phases Of Indus
trial activity in the district through
which the railroad operated, he trav-
eled extensively over the continent and
was enabled to gain an intimate view
Of conditions there and particularly
to sense the attitude of the people
toward the United States and toward
its manufacturers.
v. s. Should Win Trade.
"Some one is going to win the trade
Of South America" he declared, "and
the United States should be the nation
to take it. In the leading nations of
the southern continent. mis- country is
exceedingly popular. more popular than
any European nation. Brazil, the larg-
est nation in point of territory in the
world and second only to the United
States in the western hemisphere:
Uruguay, the finest cattle country 1
have ever seen; Peru and Bolivia, both
great cattle, agricultural and oil a
tons, all like the United States. AL
though the government Of the Argen-
tine Republic is not pro-ally. still the
people Of that nation like the United
States and wan to deal with them.
The opportunity is there"
Must Meet Them Half Way.
sBut we must learn their customs