talk of coffee without thinking of its greatest consumer, the American
people.

Seventeen years ago, in 1889, James G. Blaine, one of your most
distinguished statesmen, called together the first Pan American Congress
in Washington. It is a long time for us business men to wait. We feel,
however, that the ideals of that great statesman have not yet been
realized. The great distance which separates us is perhaps somewhat
responsible for the want of closer relations between our peoples; and
when your visit to our shores was first announced, we Brazilians all
felt that your presence in Brazil meant a new departure in
American-Brazilian relations.

We are looking forward with eagerness for the results of the sessions of
the Pan American Congress in Rio; and this interest has been greatly
augmented by the high honor you confer upon us in selecting this
opportunity to visit our people and our country, thus strengthening the
ties of friendship between Americans and Brazilians; and though we
belong to a class accustomed to consider only facts and cold figures, we
are deeply touched by this high distinction, and, representing the
Santos Board of Trade and the coffee planters of Sao Paulo--the greatest
coffee producers of the world--I offer most hearty greetings to you, and
through you to the great American people, the chief consumers of coffee
in the world.

REPLY OF MR. ROOT

It is a great pleasure to represent here in this great commercial city
the best and largest customer you have. The United States of America
bought in the last fiscal year, the statistics of which have been made
public, from the United States of Brazil about $99,000,000 worth of
goods, and we sold to Brazil about $11,000,000 worth of goods. I should
like to see the trade more even; I should like to see the prosperity of
Brazil so increase that the purchasing power of Brazil will grow; and I
should like to see the activity of that purchasing power turned towards
the markets of the North American republic. I am well aware that the
course of trade cannot be controlled by sentiment or by governments. It
follows its own immutable laws and is drawn solely in the direction of
profit. But there are many ways in which the course of trade can be
facilitated, can be stimulated, can be induced and increased. Mutual
knowledge leads to trade. All the advertisement in the world which pays
is but the means of carrying information, knowledge, and suggestion to
the min