Imperial Valley press., 1943-04-21
WORLDS AND EVENTS
RICH WITH MEANING

Words and events last Tuesday merg
ed into an occasion with import and
meaning when the President of the Unit
ed States and the President of our sister
republic of Mexico met deep in Mexico
and spoke words which will ring through
history for a long time to come.
The event was historic, to say the least.
It was as brimful of meaning as was the
Casablanca conference. 1t marked not
the end of period, but the speeding up
of new era in international affairs, and
especially in hemisphere affairs which
began long ago and which undoubtedly
will be the theme of the future.
To most Of us, Mr. Roosevelt's Good
Neighbor policy has been a thing of OBJ
scurity and words. Having little contact
with other countries, we pay little att2n-
ton to this new dealism applied to rela-
tionships between the Americas.
But Mr. Roosevelt's visit to Monterrey
awakened us to the fact that the Good
Neighbor policy really is something tan
glble. 1t permits us to reach out and
touch--virtually see at close range
evidence that an old era is gone and
new era is passing the stage of diplomat
ic words and is we'll on its way to being
actual, workaday fact.
Hemisphere relationships have been
largely a case of a lot of smaller coun-
tries lorded over and dominated by a
big, clustering United States. Mr.. RooSe-
welt has tried to eliminate this "class
consciousness between the nations of
the Western Hemisphere by preaching
that we are all equals and must deal as
equals, with complete confidence and
trust in each other.
That's what his Mexican visit symbol
lied j.. mutual trust. Mutual trust and
friendliness was the theme of the speech
of Mr. Roosevelt and the speech of Man
uel Avila Camacho of Mexico. This coun-
try showed its confidence by permitting
our chief executive to go far into our
neighbor's country. And that man showed
that he visited, not as great man conde-
scending to a small, unimportant nobody,
but as leader of one great country
coming to confer with the leader of an
orner great country.
In the utterances of each were express
ed the ideals and detectives of their mu-
tual nations and as a supplement there
to, the bare, vague outlines of how mutual
resources can he used to mutual future
benefit.
The specific references to what each
country is doing in furthering the war
effort may have some deeper meaning
it may, these words outline a new pattern
for the future.
President Roosevelt specifically said,
eve know that the day of the explota-
tion of the resources and the people of
one country for the benefit of any group
in another country is definitely over"
1t remains to be seen what the new order
will be, to which the President referrd
when he said, "The government of the
United States and my countrymen are
ready to contribute to Mexican progress
in the future" Here we may stop and
ponder, thinking in terms of tariffs and
investment and the like. But that might
well be postponed until later date when
plans for practical application are pre-
Sented.
Not only does the Presidents visit
stimulate the friendliness between Mexi-
co and this country. Of greater import
ance it demonstrates to the other Amer
lean republics that they too. can expect
similar fraternity in the New Order of
the Western Hemisphere.
And more, it shows the world that in
equality, regardless of size,
strength and riches may really have
something to it.
Let us not throw stones at this new
structure. Let us give it every chance
TO develop and mature.