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Show At last it is settled that the Pan-American Pan-American conference in the City of Mexico is to be held according to the programme, v.vich sets the date of the first session for Oct. 22. Chile has waived her objections for the time and appointed delegates, and that removes the last obstacle. Even if nothing definite be accomplished accom-plished by this conference it will do great good. Every such gathering helps to bring the nations together and familiarize them with the idea of cooperation. co-operation. The first Pan-American conference was held twelve years ago. The next one may be held in half a dozen years or less. After that similar sim-ilar gatherings may meet every year or two, and when that happens the federation of the Western Hemisphere will be half accomplished. A congress of the American republics repub-lics meeting annually or biennially would assume in time the characteristics character-istics of a common government. It would resemble the congress of the confederation con-federation that preceded the formation of our own Constitution. That congress was composed of the delegates of Independent states. It was a diplomatic body, like the one that is to meet at Mexico. It had few powers of its own. All it could do on most subjects was to give advice to the states, yet it paved the way for a strong national government. In their progress toward federation the American continents are far ahead of Europe, European international conferences are held only for certain specified purposes, and generally represent rep-resent only a limited number of powers. pow-ers. But here we have all the countries coun-tries of the hemisphere sending their delegates for a general discussion of matters of common interest. Such joint discussions cannot fail to draw them closer together. There are many matters that are within the field of practical action already. al-ready. An international coin, for instance, in-stance, which was one of the objects discussed by the first Pan-Aerican conference, con-ference, is still a thing to be desired. And why should we not have it? The delegation from the United States is composed of the following members: Henry G. Davis of West Viiginia; W. I. Buchanan, of Iowa; Charles M. Pepper, of the District of Columbia; John Barrett, of Oregon; Volney W. Foster, of Illinois; Jose I. Rodriguez, secretary. In the common parlance of the American people the present conference confer-ence is the. "Blaine idea," nurtured, developed and brough down to the present moment The first important Pan-American Congress was held in Washington, D. C, in 1889, and was the direct result of Mr. Blaine's foresight fore-sight and daring leadership. Its main object was to formulate "an agreement upon, and recommendation for the adoption to their respective governments govern-ments of, a definite plan of arbitration arbitra-tion of all questions, disputes and differences dif-ferences that may now or hereafter exist between them, to the end that all difficulties and disputes between such nations may be peacefully settled set-tled and wars prevented." Now, as then, the question of arbitration arbi-tration is the most important and difficult dif-ficult problem which will be considered; consid-ered; but sometimes the altruistic dream of one decade is the operative diplomacy of the next, and it is certain cer-tain that great advances have been made since the initial conference was held and the principles of reciprocity and international arbitration were first promulgated and discussed at a family fam-ily gathering of the American Republics. |