New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1916-04-01
MEXICO. PAN AMERICA AND
THE SOUTH.

mo IN lhc NC%ltdI question one
!. , the greatest crises o. lis iUs
I tony was tile statement made ~
j John Barrett, Director Gcuc,a
!, Of the Fan American ujon at
i y aaHln4ton, ". &, and former
y Minister to Argentina, Panama
4 and Colombia. IN an auurcs>
which he delivered to-niaht be
fore the National Cons cutlon OF
Real Estate Exchanges. Mr.. Bar
! lett came all the way from Wash
ington for tie special purpose OF
accepting this invitation to dis
cuas the Pan American relations
Of the United States. In his ca
parity as Director General Of the
Pan American Union the official
international organization Of the
twenty one American republics
devoted to the development of
commerce, Friendship and peace
among them, he holds the unique
position Of being the only inter
national officer Of the Americans !;
and therefore his words have =
special significance. Director
General Barrett said:
The present Mexican crisis is
ON" Of ImmcasIrabIc importance
% the South. Upon It's oUtcomc
may depend the whole question Of
Pan american commerce and
friendship. pom its successful
or unsuccessful solution may rest
The decision whether the United
States is to be respected, trusted
and followed, or disiikcd, DIS
trusted and apposed nthc future
development of practical Pan
Amcricanism. 1T, therefore, be-
hoovcs every patriotic South
crncr- and Northcrncr aIso-to
go slow in urging this or that ac-
ton and to make sure that he
looks ahead and considers all the
consequences to the prestige, IN
hucnce and trade of the United
States.
MAY l seem to speak with
particular sincerity and earnest
ness to the people Of the great
South? Although l was born
and raised in New England, my
mother taught school in Alabama,
before l was born, and learned to
pvc the South in way that was
impaired to her son. Again while
at Dartmouth College in New
llamsphire, | came South during
my college course and attended
one term at Vanderbilt Univers-
iity, Nashville. for the special
purpose of studying the South
and meeting Southern men. Tu-
lane University at New Orleans
gave me my first honorary degree
of Doctor of Laws. Always, in
my diplOatic service of the last
twenty years, whether as your
Minister to Asia or South Amer
lea or as Director General of the
Pan American Union in Washing
ton, | have faithfully striven to
represent and remember the com
mercial and political interests of
the South as well as Of the North,
East and West
Without speaking i'm the +
slightest degree officially for the
Latin American governments, but /
'ying to interpret Latin Ameri-
can popular sentiment with which
! have been possibly in closer I
touch, during the last fifteen
years, than any other official of
this country, let me emphasize (
that all Latin America from Cuba
and Guatemala on the north to
and Chile on the south
re watching this Mexican situa-
ton more carefully than any 9TH !.
cr international crisis that has 4.
arisen in the last fifty years.
They are even more concerned /;
with its final issue than they are
with the conclusion of the E.ll-
ropean war. They are following
the development of events on the
border and their possible out
one with an unavoidable tend
ency to decide from such outcome
what is the real and permanent
purpose and attitude of the Unit I
ed States toward Latin America
and the much discussed policy of ,
the new Pan Americanism. ,
1T is not my intention to sug-
7est for a moment that Latin
America has not sympathy with
he United States as well as Mex
co in this crisis or that Latin
America is openly opposed to the