Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-07-23

CONFERENCEON
Great Gathering of Western Hem
isphere Family Bring COun-
tries Closer Together.

hlO July %O'ihS pun
American conference opened here to-
day, and with the exception of Van
Leer Polk all the American delegates
have arrived. Secretary Of State Ellhu
Root is at Pernambuco on board the
United States cruiser Charleston and
will reach this port on Thursday.
The conference is being held in the
building originally erected by the Bra
lillian government at the st. Louis eX-
position. 1t was called to order by
the Brazilian secretary of foreign af-
fairs, the temporary president.
The American delegation is headed
by William L. Buchanan of Buffalo, n.
Y, former American minister to Ar
gentina and later to Panama. His col
leagues are Tulio Larrinaga, commits
sioner from Porto Rico to the United
Suites congress; Professor l.. S. Rowe
of the University of Pennsylvania; Van
Leer Polk of Tennessee, Professor
Paul s.. Reinsch of the University OF
Wisconsin, and Andrew J. Montague,
former governor of Virginia. Charles
X. Dean is the secretary.
>The pan-American congress, which
opened with simple ceremonies here to-
day, is expected to haveimportant re-
suits in establishing the relations of the
smaller South and Central American
republics upon a basis of comfy which
will tend to lessen the danger of war
between those. countries.
Delegates from most Of the govern
ments on the American continent, in
Guiding Mexico and the United States,
are present. Venezuela is the II
prominent exception.
The conference, which has now been
called to order, is one of Il great
trlology Of American family gather
ings, destined to have.a most impor-
tant bearing on the future of the west
ern hemisphere.
Several momentous questions will be
| discussed by The conference, but the
one which is the w~eightiest of all Is
what is known as the Drago doctrine,
so named after its exponent, DR.. LUIS
NJ. Drago, a learned publicist of Ar
gentina. Reduced to it's simplest
terms, this doctrine is a declaration
that no nation has Il right forcibly to
undertake to collect debts due to its
citizens by another nation.
Conceived in the mind of the late
Secretary Blaine, the idea of bringing
into close relations the different gov
ernments of North. Central and South
America had not only Il sensational
and political. but also a businessllke
/ side which at once attracted the at
tention of Europe. which had been
monopolizing the trade of the tropical
Americas. The first pan-American con-
ference was held in October, 1889, III
Washington. The second convened III
the City of Mexico in 1902.
The reorganization of the bureau OF
American republics is the first article
of the programme. 1t is proposed t6
erect Il magnificent building in Wash
ington for its accommodation. to oper
a commercial museum in connection
Herewith and, Il suggestion base6
largely upon Latin-Ameriean suspicion
to limit the life of the bureau to a tel
year period. Some of the nations have
failed to supply with regularity h
pro rata assessments for the malnte
nance of the bureau,, and this neglec
will be corrected.
A strong effort will also be made II
persuade the American republics t.
i agree to settle by arbitration all future
disputes arising between them and t.
endeayor 10 heve the approaching
Hague cont senee apply this principle
generally TO the nations of the world.