The Portland daily press., 1889-10-09

America. Eminent statesmen of Portland
10 the days gone by have built up fortunes
In the South American trade; and through
out the State at large great business houses
have sent the products of the forests and the
factories OIL Maine a to al the ports Of South
per has been know there for years, and
more than all that. sir, the Maine sailor has
been known everywhere. lAppause.l
There are few places into which % the Maine
exploits so eloquentiy portrayed hundred
years ago have been parelleled in all the
years since by the adventures OF the Maine
sailor. He has weathered every cape In the
southern and in the northern hemispheres.
Around many western islands has he been
and many goodly states and countries seen.
this sailor from Maine. All the passages Of
the great gulf are as fsiailiar to him as the
to him an open book. The fabled fight from
Oronoco is reality to him he has fed before
that terrible incoming tide In the mouth OF
the mighty Amazon that destroys everything
which 1t overtakes. He has rested his bark
in the still waters where the La Plata min
giles with the sea. He has visited every port
in the BraZlls, III Uruguay and in tue Ar
gentine Confederation. This Maine sailor
has passed through the tempestuous Magel-
Ian. has skirted the Pacific coast, has
touched at every port on that great ocean,
and at the end Of his fourteen thousand
miles he is found today casting for fish in
the waters of Alaska.
So, sir, these countries are not unknown
to the State of Maine, but 1t Is true that 10
later years these delegates from our sister
countries and their countrymen have not
seen as much as formerly Of the Maine ship
| per and the Maine sailor. But 1t Is the de-
| sire of the people of Maine, In common with
| all the country, and believe speak for the
| American people. that the outcome OF the
| mission of this Congress shall be to extend
our commercial relations with those coun-
fri nd hav va NJ q
ing and more Of the interminglng that
| comes to the citizens of peaceful States j
| Applause. Our Secretary Of State said well
the other day that there is no mystery In this
| board. Through this Congress and its mis-
| sion it Is meant that americans shall know
each other better and appreciate each other
better. [Applause.l Through this Congress
| will be formed, and nearer alliances made.
| | do not, for one, look to see this all come
about immediately, but, Mr.: Mayor, Friends
| and Delegates, do hope that this genera
will, see treaties made and commercial poll
| ces formed that shall give much more large.
| ly than now to Americans the benefits OF
| American trade. [Applause.l The geolo-
about America as a unit. They tell us Of the
vast mountain ranges that traverse
| 1t from North to South, of the balance
| of climatic influence and Of all
the things that go to make one great hemis-
| phere. / hope to live to see the day that
without regard to political union, In all the
| things that 60 to make unit, freedom OF
trade, interchange Of products, clear from
Behring's Sea to the Straits of Magellan,
there shall be one grand. harmonious whole.
[Great applause.l
Mr.. Mayor and Gentlemen: II such
| consummation can be attained by this wise
lly conceived and happily carried out plan
| for an American congress here within our
own limits, then the gratitude of genera
| tions to come will be fitly given, and wholly
due, to the great minds that conceived this
great plan. [Applause.l
The Mayor then introduced Bon. Charles
r. Flint to respond for the guests. Mr..
Fling SPOKE as follows:
HON. CHARLES II. FLINT's SPEECH.
Mr.. Mayor and Gentlemen The happiest
days Of my boyhood were spent in this city
when used to come up here from the coun-
| try to help you celebrate the Fourth of July
rhe happiest days Of my youth were spent
| Latin America, and 1t Is with feeling of
| pride and satisfaction that accompany my
| friends from South America to this, my ma
| tive State. Today, am renewing the happy
companylng here the representatives Of the
nations of South America, whom l am
| pleased to cali my friends. While the dele
| gates know. the Pine Tree State as a great
L
our second best product. the men of Maine
lapplausel and our best product
| the. women of Maine. IApplausel.
And furthermore, our Southern neighbors
consider her own, and the United States as
/ one Of her most eminent leaders, as the man
I Worthy to preside over the congress of
| American nations. [Great aDplause.I
Our delegates from abroad are meeting
| some OF the men who have been foremost in
| extending our foreign commerce, men who
| brought the oak from the swamps of Vir-
| ginia and the yellow pine from the State OF
| Geofgia ard built clipper ships that were the
| pride of the ocean, and gave us the leader
| ship In the carrying trade Of the world men
| who, under as favorable conditions as en-
| joyed by Europeans, will show the same en-
terprise aud skill In the future as they have
| in the past in the construction and naviga
| tion OF sea-going ships [Applause.
President Harrison has stated that we
need frequent, direct and rapid transporta-
| ti0n TO countries to the south of us other
wise the extension of trade with these ma
tions is impossible. Our people are begin |
uing to realize the advlsability of developing |
means of exchange with our southern neigh |
borS. and the benefits that frequent COM |
munication would distribute throughout this |
entire land. or the shipments to Brazil by |
the United States alone last year, 10 per cent |
came from Gergia, per cent IRON Virginia,
and II per cent from three Western States. |
Every United States vessel in the South Is a |
travelling salesman for American manufac- |
lures. lAppause.]
This country has been so busy developing |
its internal resources that trade with our |
soGthern neighbors has been neglected. Last |
year we bought S1S0, ,000. 900 Of their products.
And let me say In answer to those who are |
stating that we can never get the |
South American trade until we take the du-
ties off South American products, that |
80 per cent of the commodities coming from |
the countries represented by the delegates to |
this congress Is admitted free OF duty. We |
purchased last year from the countries south |
OF us products to the value of one hundred |
and eighty-one millions. We sold them on |
ly sixty-nine millions. We therefore had to |
pay them last year in cash one hundred and |
twelve million dollars. They bought over |
80 per cent OF the manufactured goods which |
they required in Europe, and asked MS to |
send to London one hundred and twelve |
million dollars to pay for them. We settled |
that account by shipping wheat and cotton |
and other things, but had to ship about |
thirty million dollars in gold. These gold |
shipments disturbed the American finan-
ciers and tended to restrict the enterprise Of
our merchants and manufacturers. Instead
Of shipping the gold to, Europe to pay for
South American products, we have right
to ask our Southern friends to purchase Of
us the watches, carpets, dry goods, lumber
and other merchandise and manufactured
products which we are exhibiting to them on
country
Mr.. Mayor and friends Of my native State,
allow me to express ouS appreciation of your
hsarty welcome. Let me proposed in con-
clusion sentiment which brings us togeth-
er here tonight:
To the friendly relations existing between the
nations OF the Americas; may they be as pure as
the aspirations OF their best men; as broad as he
tabelands OF South America and as lasting as the
backbone of this continent-ihe Rockies and the
Andes. Great appause.]
The Mayor tnen introducen, as one OF the
| delegates present who had seen fit to select
one of the choicest products of the Pine
| Tree State for wife,
j. G.. DO AMARAL vALENTE.
Senior Valente's speech was delivered In
| very good English. He said that he felt
very much honored by the invitation to
| speak before the citizens Of Portland. The
| object that brings us together tonight is
| worthy to be treated by man like Daniel
| Webster; it is subject fit for the talent and
| genius of that great expounder. But that
| giant is dead and the subject must be treated
| and disposed Of by men Of our generation.
| He referred to former visit to this country
| in which he visited the poet Longfellow and
| invited him, by commission from the Em-
/ ..sl& 1tk klnN A~