San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-10-31
CONGRESS- OF AMERICAS.
A CONVENTION OF VAST IMPORT TO
THE UNITED STATES.
Blaine's Address Of Welcome.

fore noon the delegates to the Inter
national American Congress left their
headquarters at the Wallsch Mansion
and repaired in body to the State
Department. All the delegates to the
congress were present with the ex-
ception of Mr.. Coolidge of Boston,
who will Join the party later on.
After short stay in the waiting
room the delegates were escorted by
Assistant. Secretary Adee to the dip.
lomatic reception room. Here they
were met by Secretary Blain en who
without the ceremony OF formal in
PRODUCTION, welcomed personally
each and all the delegates. After a
few minutes thus employed the dele
gates were seated, and Secretery
Blaine, standing at one end of the
long, central table,ispoke as follows:
"Gentlemen of the International
American Congress-Speaking for
the Government of the United States,
l bid you welcome to this capital.
Speaking for the people of the United
States, I bid you welcome to every
section and to every state of the
Union. You come in response to an
invitation extended by the President
on the special authorization of Con-
gress. Your presence here is no
ordinary event. 1t signifies much to
the people of all America to-day; it
may signify far more in the days to
come. No conference of nations has
ever assembled to consider the well
fare of territorial possessions so vast
and to contemplate the possibilities
of a future so great and so inspiring.
Those now sitting within these
walls are empowered to speak for
nations whose borders are on both
the great oceans; whose northern
limits are touched by the Artic waters
for thousand miles beyond the
Straits of Behring; whose southern
extension furnishes human habita-
tions farther below the equator than
is elsewhere possible on the globe.
While considerations of this char
acter must inspire Americans both
South and North with the liveliest
anticipations of future grandeur and
power, they must also impress them
with sense of the gravest RESPONSE
bility touching the character and
development Of their respective
The delegates whom
am addressing can do much to es-
tablish permanent relations of con-
lidence, respect and friendship be-
tween the nations which they repre-
sent. They can show to the world
m honorable and peaceful conference
Of seventeen independent American
powers, in which all shall meet to-
gether Oh terms of absolute peace; q
in which there can be no
attempt to coerce single delegate
against his own conception OF the
interests Of his nation; O conference
which will permit DO secret under
staining on any subject, but will
rankly publish to the world all its
q conference which VIZ.
,oIerate no spirit Of conquest, but
will aim to cultivate an American
as broad as both continents;
conference which will form no sell
ish alliance against the other nations
rom which we are proud to claim in
leritance; q conference, in fine, which
will seek nothing, propose nothing.
ndure nothing that is not. in the
General sense Of all the delegates
imely and wise and peaceful
And yet we cannot be expected to
orget that our common fate has
1ade us inhabitants Of two conti-
ents, which, at the close of four
enturies, ale still regarded beyond
he seas as rs the new world. Like
ituations beget like sympathies and
npose like duties. We meet in the
rm belief that the nations Of Ameri-
q ought to and can be more helpful
D each TO the other than they now
re, and that each will find advantage
nd profit from an enlarged inter
purse with the others. Il
We believe that We should be |
rawn together more closely by the c
ighways Of the sen and that at no
istaut day the railway systems Of q
le North and South will meet upon !
ie isthmus and connect by land
,utes the political and commercial {
.pitals Of al America 6
We believe that hearty co-opera- ,
1n, based on hearty confidence. will q
We all American states from the
irdens and evils which have long
"a cruelty afflicted the older nations al
the world. Al
We believe that a spirit Of justice. :.
common and equal interest be
zen the American states vii leave
room for an artificial balance Of u
a. -