Evening star., 1936-09-06
BY BRENT DOW ALLINsoN.

6enLaClVeS OF all Il American Iepup-
lies will assemble in Buenos Aires on
December /, at the invitation Of
President Roosevelt, in an effort to
consolidate the peace and promote
the broader well-being and co-opera-
tion of the American peoples.
Because of an accident of British
imperial history, the only English
speaking American nation other than
the United States - the Dominion
of Canada-will not be represented.
for it has not been invited. Despite
this capital mistake at the outset,
close observers of international af-
fairs regard the coming congress as
potentially the most important of all
the r-American conferences that
have been held periodically since 1926,
when the first one was held at the
instigation of Simon Bolivar. the
famous Latin-American lberator.
Elaborate Program Drawn.
What is the inner significance, and
what are the announced objectives of
the coming Pan-American Congress
at Buenos Aires? An elaborate tech
nical program has been drafted and
revised by a committee of Latin
American diplomats in Washington,
among whom three stand out, namely
the Ambassador from Argentina. Senor
Don Felipe A. Espil; the Ambassador
from Mexico, DR.. Francisco Castillo
Najera; and the Minister from Guat-
emala, Senor DR.. Adrian Recinos.
Not everything is obvious in diplo-
macy, even when it is not secret.
The motivation of the President and
the State Department in proposing
this special congress is not yet entirely
clear. Is it merely portentous trial
balloon" sent up by a politically saga
cious administration in campaign
year, to arouse the enthusiasm of our
Latin-American neighbors for the
United States, and thereby to stim-
ulate inactive markets and open doors
to American commercial and financial
enterprise? Is it genuine effort
toward a moral and political rap
prochement with our sister republics,
in order to broaden the base and
strengthen the bulwark of the Monroe
Doctrine and its corollary, the historic
American neutrality policy? Is it
merely an astute political game,
played by "neo-imperialists" and &C.
onomic buccaneers with Latin-Amer-
tcan dictators and poems for pawns,
and the idealistic American peoples
for credulous and applauding audi
ences? Is it nothing more than the
latest clever maneuver of the iron
hand Of Mars in the velvet glove Of
diplomacy? I"
The Illinois troubadour, vachel
Lindsay, once wrote:
MAN is a curious brute; he pets
his fancies
Fighting mankind to win sweet
luxury.
So he will be-tho' law be clear as
crystal,
Tho ali men plan to live in
harmony"
No Cynical Conclusion.
Although the lines were written long
before Mussolini attacked and de-
voured fellow member of the League
OF Nations in violation of law and
treaty, the poet was too wise to end
upon q peSsimistic note, or to base his
judgments Of mankind wholly upon
a cynical assumption of crime or
folly, whatever he might think or say
OF governments. For he added, in
poetic explanation Of why he voted
the Socialist ticket:
"Come-let us vote against our hu-
man nature,
Crying to God in all the polling
places,
TO heal our everlasting sinfulness-
And make us sages with transfig-
ured faces!"
While the Roosevelt administration
may not always be transigured with
sagacity, its conduct Of our foreign
affairs in this hemisphere has won
highest praise: and it would be ig-
norant folly to assume the worst about
the resurgence Of pan-Americanism
and particularly about the Buenos
Aires conference. Foreign policy ought
to be above partisan prejudice, even
though it is generally a function of
internal economics and politics. 1t
would be wiser to assume the best, to
insist upon substantial achievement,
and to proceed with caution to ap-
praise and encourage the present un-
dertaking. whatever be its motiva-
ton, in the light of the history of the
magnificent dream of a functioning
pan-Americanism, based upon even
handed justice, political or legal
equality, and cooperative reciprocity
OF commerce and understandings
dream which is as old and true as the
American Revolution.
Craftsmanship Called For.
All the more so. in view of the dis
turbing revelations of the total de-
pravity of the European war-system,
the moral eclipse, historic illustration
and hypocrisy Of its peace machinery.
OF the political pretense of collective
security against aggression" and the
vast and pro1igate expenditures on
armaments, which are DESTROYING the
security of every one. while they tax
nations ito the point of starvation"
as the President has stated.
Constructive international states
manship is loudly called for, and is,
indeed, indispensable. If we are ever
to achieve general economic recovery.
II only to restore confidence in our
selves, something constructive must
and can be done on a great plan and
scale, in the Western Hemisphere, at
least.
The. new pan-Americanism is per-
haps the answer of American intelli-
gence and good will to the challenge of
armed international anarchy and the
Affrnyafei.xr ~ &n,.n;e ;er,, <li.& A-...1.s--