The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-17
JOHN BARRETT TO
 TELL MEANING OF
 PAN-AME MERICANISM
DirectOr-General of Pan-Amer-
 ican Union at Annual Meet ing of c. of c.

John Barrett Director General of the Pan-American Union, and rec ognized as the greatest American au- thority on our present and future commercial relations with South America, will deliver an address on Pan Americanism and Its Mighty Meaning to the Americans,'' at the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, Monday evening, April 24-
 The annual meeting will be held in the auditorium of the new High school building. This is the first time that the High school auditorium has been used for large public gathering and it is expected that the attendance will tax the hall to it's limit.
 John Barrett was elected to his pres ent position as the head of this inter national organization by the unani- nous votes of all the American re- publics, expressed through their diplo- matic representatives in Washington This followed his service as United States Minister to Colombia. in 1905-6. United States Minister to Panama in 1904-5, United States Minister to the Argentine Republic in 19O3-4. Previous to holding these positions he had been Commissioner General of Foreign Af- fairs of the St. Louis Exposition, nak- ing a tour of the world in inviting for eign countries to take part in that great undertaking. Still earlier he
 
 the Pan American conference, which was held at Mexico in 19O1-2, this be- ing the beginning Of his interest in Latin American affairs. His first diplomatic experience was that Of United States Minister to Siam in southern Asia, to which position he was appointed when only 26 years old, and at that time the youngest Minis ter P1enipotentiary that had ever been appointed by the United States gov ernment. While in the far east he was sent on several missions by the government to China, Japan, the Phil ippines, and India. to investigate com merciaIconditionS. He also served as war Correspondent of a syndicate of leading American and European pa pers in the Philippines during the SpaniSh-American war. He was seven years in the Orient before devoting himselh to Pam American relations, which have occupied all of his time for the last ten years.
 1 MT. Barrett is a native of Grafton, Vermont, a gradaute of Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. and has been honored with the degree of doctorof laws by Tulnae Univer- sity of New Orleans, Louisiana. and the National University of Bogota, Colombia. He was the first United States Minister appointed to Panama, and had charge of the organization of the relations of the Canal Zone with the government of Panama. As min fster of the Canal Zone he settled the famous Cheek case, involving the mil lion dollars and the interpretation of the treaties of the United States with the oriental countries. His the author of several books on foreign countries and has contributed numerous articles to magazines and reviews. He is an honorary member of the American Asiatic association and the organizer of the Pan American society of the United States. In his present position he, has charge of work affecting the commerce, friendship and peace of the American Republics, and is the only | high official in Washington who holds a commission from all of these repub- lies. He was also Secretary General of the Second Pan American Scien- tific Congress which met in Wash ington from December 27, 1915, to Jam uary 8, 1916.