The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-12
Home of Bureau of American Republics Is Dedicated
 At Washington
.FEuCITOUS MESSAGES
 FROM MANY PRESIDENTS
President Roosevelt, Secretary of State Eihu Root and Andrew Carnegie Make Principal Addresses
 To Multitude.

To a Multitude.
 Washington, May n.-Under splendid auspices of patronage and beautiful spring weather. the cornerstone was laid today of the proposed home for the Inter- national Union of American Republics or, as Secretary Root appropriately called 1t. "A temple dedicated to international friendship Three thousand persons, in- cludng representatives of political and social life of Washington, and who occu- pied seats on the stands composing a great quadrangle. were interested specta- tors of the ceremony.
 The decorations were in keeping with the occasion Flags and colors Of 21 American republics fioated in the breeze over the grand stands while the coat of arms of those countries were displayed at many places about the stands. Over the speakers portion of the Presidents stand were the colors of the United States and Brazil, the latter in honor of Ambassador Nabueo.
 During the ceremony the flag of each of the score and one countries represented was hauled aloft by bluejacket from the Washington navy yard and attached to a wire, and when the last one had been placed in position, the group made line of emblems that stretched from one end of the court to the other.
 On the Presidents stand there were seated the cabinet, the supreme court. the diplomatic corps and members of the Senate and House. John Barrett. the di- rector of the bureau, introduced Secretary Root as the presiding officer. Cardinal Gibbons made the invocation.
 There were addresses by the President. l Secretary Root, Andrew Carnegie, Bra gillian Ambassador Nabucho. and reading of cabled messages of congratulations from the presidents of the Latin-Ameri- can republics
 RooseveIts Address.
 Bishop Cranston pronounced the bene- diction. President Roosevelt told his hearers when the portion of his speech relating to that subject was reached that he was glad to hear them applaud the battleship fleet.
 q believe in peace and arbitration, and I also believe in keeping in trim so that it will be a temptation to nobody to wrong us. This is an interlude In that admirable speech of Secretary Roots, to which you have just listened, there was one sentence I wish we could see engraved on this building: The matters in dispute between nations are nothing; the spirit which deals with them is everything
 "Whatever disputes we have with an- other nation 1 hope our people will al- ways approach them with the honest de- sire to come to a peaceable settlement. And, moreover, l hope our people will re- member not only the sentence that have just quoted but the one that went be- fore:
 There are no international controver- sies so serious that they cannot be settled peaceably if both parties desire settle ment; while there are few causes of dis pute so trihing that they cannot be made the occasion of war if either party really desires war
 "If we build up the American fleet as we ought to build it up, the other party will not really desire war My advocacy of peace is both sincere and rational, and therefore l believe in doing all we can to secure it both by doing no wrong our selves and by keeping in such a state of preparedness that we shall not be ex- posed to being wronged by others"
 Union of Republics.
 In his remarks the President declared he had known no greater secretary of state than Elhu Root. Yet" added the President, "the greatest achievement of his success which has come as the result of his devoted labor to bring closer to- gether all the republics of the new world and unite them in the effort to work val iantly for our common betterment and for the material and moral welfare of all of us who dwell in the western hemisphere
 When Mr. Barrett read cablegrams uf congratulations from tho presidents of the American republics it was noticed that there had been no response to the invitation to contribute to the symposium from either President Castro of Vene- zuela or the President of Paraguay. There was no public explanation of Presiden. Castro's failure to send a dispatch, while Paraguay is not represented in the gov erning board of the bureau. Following the speech-making and the reading of the congratulatory cablegrams the Pres ident and the others who participated. marched to the center of the quadrangle where the cornerstone was ready to be placed in position. After greeting th5 head mason with cordial grasp of the hand, President Roosevelt was given a trowel decorated with the American re- public's colors. Taking several trowelsful of mortar he placed it on the stone on which the corner stone Is to rest and smoothed it out the act being followed by other members of the party. They then returned to the grandstand, where the benediction was pronounced.
 Messages From Presidents.
 Messages from the American Presi- dents on the laying of the cornerstone of the International Union building:
 From PI sdent J. Figueroa Alcorta of the Argerl ne Republic:
 "The event so auspiciously celebrated in Washington is the erection of monu- ment to the international solidarity of the states of the new world. The Argentine Republic on this occasion sends greetings to the United States of America and to all the nations represented in the bu- reau of the American republics and best wishes for the happiness of President
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