Evening star., 1927-05-05
M|STRUST Of u. S.
.SHOWNAT MEETING
Pan American Conference
Speakers Criticize Policy,
!, Especially in Nicaragua.
ny FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


Amid the usual pleasantries that
overshadow get-togethers like the Pan
American commercial conference,
there has been no lack of frank con-
sderation of the United States rela.
tions with its sister republics of the
Western Hemisphere. Even more
than the North American members OF
the conference expected, there was
practically universal admission of the
dependence of Central and South
America upon this country in purely
economic sense.
Throughout the conferences s session
delegates faced eloquent placards upon
the walls of the Hall of the Americas
showing that in 1926 the United States
bought from Latin America 81 OIL
$4,000 worth of goods and sold TO
Latin America 1884 .224 ,000 worth.
That immense total of roundly S.
900. 600 900 of trade attested il> figures
that spoke louder than words the vital
value of pan-AmeriCan friendship. ct
underlying that realization on the
part of Latin Americans there is an
undoubtedly serious substratum of
mistrust of the big and powerful
goes far deeper than resentment of
prohibitive American tariffs on Latin
American products.
Nicaraguan Events Blamed.
Recent events in Nicaragua seem
mainly to blame for the recrudescenCe
of a hostility which was thought
year or two ago to be steadily dying
out. Our intervention in Nicaraguan
affairs, rather than our dealings with
Mexico, appears now TO be the prip-
cipal cause of latent antipathy to the
United States.
Latin American opinion of the
Coolidge Kellogg policy toward Presi-
dent Gales Of Mexico varies. In Wash
ingtan this week there are Central and
South Americans who think Uncle
Sam has been unwarrantedly brusque
with MeXico-that the latter is wholly
within her sovereign rights regarding
oil and land laws and that the United
States should long ago have sought
arbitration of its differences with
President Gales. Other Latin Ameri-
cans here consider that the Washing.
ton government has been exceedingly
lenient with Mexico and shown re-
straint and fairness throughout.
Insincerity Alleged.
But virtual unanimity prevails that
our program as to Nicaragua is far
less praiseworthy. 1t is criticized
mainly on the ground of 'insincerity."
The United States is accused of ad-
vancing number of pretexts for
Occupying" Nicaragua and interven-
ing in it's domestic political quarrels,
none of which pretexts appears to be
very convincing to the average Latin
lott Sc fhnrnfnTo n.
clined to feel that our various diplo-
matte maneuvers in Nicaragua are
as they are assailed in nearly every
Latin American country. imperial
istic" in character and in purpose. A
distinguished authority attending the
Pan-American Commercial Conference
declared to this writer that not a
single newspaper anywhere between
the Texas border and Cape Horn is
upholding the United States policy in
Nicaragua.
President Coolidge's New York
speech on April 25, delivered a week
before the Pan-American meeting in
Washington, dealt at far greater
length with Latin American problems
than his purely statistical and abstract
statements before the conference itself
on May 3. One passage in the Presi-
dents New York address has aroused
in many Latin American quarters an
anxiety that borders upon alarm. 1t
is the statement in which Mr.. Coolidge
declared that 'the person and prop
erty of a citizen are part of the gen.
eral domain of the Nation, even when
abroad" A little later on the Presi-
dent asserted that wherever the Amer
ican citizen goes the duties of our Gov
eminent to safeguard him must fol-
low him."
Criticize Coolidge Doctrine"
Latin Americans read some far
reaching implications into this 'Cool-
fdge doctrine" AS they interpret it,
1t means that American warshipS, sol
diers and Marines can and will be dis
patched to foreign soil on almost any
provocation. Dependent as they con-
cede they are upon North American
capital for their domestic development
and upon the presence of American
business houses and representatives on
their soil, Latin Americans set forth
that the new Coolidge doctrine"
makes American economic "co-opera-
ton of doubtful value
Bluntly put as some of them do
put it, Latin Americans suggest that
every dollar of Yankee money and
every Yankee business man that
come to them now conjure up the
vision and the peril of an American
military occupation. These are eX-
treme views, but they have been find
ing candid expression in Washington
during the past few days. Some
authorities think pan-American rela-
tions have been disagreeably affected
by the Presidents New York utter
ance.