Evening star., 1923-05-06
By BEN MckELwAY.
HE first attempt Of the Pan
American Congress to leave
it's safe and we'll beaten path

lTHE first attempt Of the Pan
American Congress to leave
its safe and we'll beaten path
Of pleasant discussion of mu-
tually interesting but harmless ques-
tions and it's timid steps along the
stonier, precipitous route into the
field Of international politics have end
ed in failure, complete, but by no
means disastrous. The congress mere
ly bit of more than 1t could chew, and
instead of choking to death. passed
by the knottier problems, advanced a
| solution for some Of the simpler ones
and called it day. One is reminded
somehow, Of the young farmer who,
discussing the sale Of his horse, said:
Il didn't get as much as ] expected
but didn't expect I would
The Fifth Pan-American Congress
/ drew worldwide attention and in
| terest because it marked the first at
tempt of this body to depart from a
| well defined field which heretofore
has religiously excluded political
questions. and because Of the impor-
ftance attached to two proposals which
involved politics-Chile's suggestion
for a limitation of armament. and
Uruguay's plan for a pan-American
league Of nations. Both Of these ques-
tions failed to develop beyond the
| stage Of discussion. And because they
failed the sentiment has been to re-
gard the whole conference as a fail
ure.
| Door Is Left Open.
But the more charitably inclined OBJ
servers among the Latin American
diplomats here remind the pessimist
of the we'll established fact that Rome
| was not built in a day; that the con-
ference just closed accomplished the
bringing together of the American
| republics for friendly discussion of
matters pertaining to their mutual
welfare; that such assemblies are
healthy in their effect and that the
way has been left open for further
conferences.
Perhaps the most interesting cues
ton created by the failure OF the
conference to dispose Of political
subjects lies in the future of the Pam
American Congress itself and whether
the lessons learned at Santiago will
tend to widen or narrow it's field of
activity. The Pan-American Congress
Is the sole agency which provides a
medium for calling the American
states together for discussing their
problems. But it provides for little
| more than discussion. The delegates
can only report back to their govern
ments the recommendations of the
congress. And that these recommen-
dations are not always taken seri-
ously is evidenced by the fact that
! at least one Of the largest and most
influential powers in Latin America
has failed to act in the past on any
one OF them. 1t is agreed that the
| Pan American Congress has great
possibilities. but the records of the
conference just closed at Santiago
indicate a weakness in it's construc-
tion which may lead the Pan-Ameri-
can Union. it's parent body, to bring
about changes.
To Reorganixe the Union.
One of the achievements Of the
Santiago conference was agreement
on plan for recognizing the Pan
American Union on the basis of a
convention among the member states
This reorganiZation-whic 1t is be-
lieved will enlarge the unions field
Of activity and strengthen its ability
to render serviee-may have like
effect on the next Pan-American
Congress.
The most unfortunate failure of
the congress, as seen here, was its
inability to accomplish anything
toward Chile's plan for limiting
armament It is true that tentative
plans have been made for a con-
ference later on, at Montivideo, be-
tween the presidents OF Argentina.
Brazil and Chile, when the topic will
come in for further discussion. But
that time may be too late. Senti-
ment. as reflected here, was strong
for disarmament in Latin America as
a step toward reducing unduly heavy
government expenses. The Santiago
conference had the opportunity to
strike while the iron was hot. But
differences, inspired by suspicion and
jealousy, developed between Argen-
tina and Brazil long before the con-
ference convened, and the delegates
from the two leading powers Of Latin