TRADE WITH LATIN AMERICA 217 
from England’s manufacturers, on this line of 
goods, was combated with the unanswerable 
argument that the seller would be pleased to 
bill the order at eight months if desired. 
Samples of native-made articles that sold 
well were also purchased by the wide-awake 
representatives and sent home with full and 
complete data as to price, cost of manufacture, 
quantities consumed, and any other useful hint 
that practical observation might suggest, so 
that those in Germany might have an oppor 
tunity to experiment with a view to reducing 
the cost of the article and thereby obtain com 
mercial control of this particular line. In a 
word, no stone was left unturned to accom 
plish the object always in view, namely—the 
complete capture of these markets. 
As orders began to come in and were ready 
for exportation Germany suddenly realized 
that she was confronted with a problem which 
she had not seriously considered before—that 
of a national merchant marine. Without 
ships this vast business, now practically ac 
quired, was at the mercy of the foreigner who