The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-16
MIR. DAVIS HE HOSl
DINNER TO PERMANENT PAN-
 AMERICAN RAILWAY COMMISSION.
In Speech, ex-senator Reviews Project, and Speaks of How Interests of the United states Win
 Be Effected

| & sa
 washington, March t5.--A dinner was given in honor ofi the, permanent Pan- Americana Railway copifnission by ex- senator Henry c. Davis, the chairman. The guests were Ministers Leger ot Hayti, Ferriera of Brazil, Calvo of Cos ta Rica, Corea of Nicaragua. yCalderon Of Peru, Walter Martinez of Cnile, Diaz of Uruguay; Caiueron of Bonvia, Charge d'Affaires Zavalia of Argentine, Charge Triana of Colombia. Charge Veloz- -Goiticoa or Venezuela, Senator Elkins, MT. W. c. Fox, MT. Laza Arriga and MT. Charles M. Pepper.
 Mir. Davis. in greeting his guests, spoke of the interest or the United States in enlarging friendly commer- cial relations with the countries which would be connected" by the interconti- mental railroad. Private enterprise, he said, would be encouraged by the vari- ous Governments. He bgave a brief historical review of the pan-American project and action taken by the first and second American conference to further it., He also recalled the expe- rience of the United States with the trans-continental surveys many years before the projects were carried out. MT. Davis referred to the rich possibili- ties of the countries of the south, which, he said, have all the resources that make material wealth and pros- perity. With a through intercontinen- tai trunk line, he said, no foreign pow CT would be able to interrupt trade re- lations. He also spoke of the political and commercial importance to the United States and the attention which 1t should receive at the hands of Con- gress.
 Brief remarks were made by the Pe- ruvian, the Costa Rican. the Chilean and the Bolivian Ministers, and by oth- CTS, including Senator Elkins and Mir Pepper. The different ministers gave interesting accounts of the progress in railroad construction in their respec- tive countries and of the cooperation which their Governments were extend ing to the pan-American project. Am bassador Aspiroz of Mexico, who was unable to be present on account of ill., ness sent a letter. in which he re- called that Mexico had initiated a gen. eral policy of international grand trunk lines which would extend from the United States to the border of Guate- mala.
 He said that this was projected even before the plan had been taken up by Mir Blaine and the pan-American con- ferences It was now nearing fruition because his Government was able to re- port that the last section. which is a little over 100 miles fin length, is be- ing extended to the border of Guate- mala.
 Andrew Carnegie. who is a member of the commission. sent a letter saying: "I beg to assure you of my unfiagging interest in binding us all together by bands of steel as brothers. Against the big navy program let us put the pan- American Railroad, which would cost less money in the next twenty years than the temporary navy would cost. All navies are temporary and cost enormous sums for maintenance. Our weapon for defence would at least be self lf-supporting and soon become remunerative.
 If the United States gave the $1Oo.- O0O, 900 towards the railroad now spent yearly on the navy. conditioned on the South American republics pledging their credit for an equal sum. we should do more to eliminate the element of danger. which at best is small, than we shall with all the warships we can build"