people is the glorious banner "thick sprinkled" with stars and striped
with vivid red and white.

You, sir, have held aloft that banner. You have added to the glory of
our country.

On the sacred field of Gettysburg, ground consecrated by torrents of
American blood, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, gave to
us a classic which will live while our country exists. You, sir, in your
exposition of the attitude of the United States toward other countries,
have enunciated a classic that also will live and be a bond of
friendship between us and all the nations of this hemisphere.

Gentlemen, I will read to you that classic:

We wish for no victories but those of peace; for no
territory except our own; for no sovereignty except the
sovereignty over ourselves. We deem the independence and
equal rights of the smallest and weakest member of the
family of nations entitled to as much respect as those of
the greatest empire; and we deem the observance of that
respect the chief guaranty of the weak against the
oppression of the strong. We neither claim nor desire any
rights or privileges or powers that we do not freely concede
to every American republic.

With such dignified sentiments resounding in our ears, have we not
reason to be proud of our guest?

And now, sir, in the name of the American colony of Mexico, I bid you
welcome. Yes, thrice welcome! May every choice blessing attend upon you
and those you hold dear.

MR. ROOT'S REPLY

It is a long way from the Bowery, but I feel quite at home! It is
delightful to feel that my country is represented in this land of beauty
by so many handsome and cheerful-looking men; it is delightful to see
the evidences of prosperity in every American here, and it is delightful
to see that that subtle, indefinable quickening of spirit that comes
from separation has given to each of you, exiles in a foreign land, a
new significance in every star and stripe and every reference to the old
flag and the old home.

Your welcome is very grateful to me; your kind expressions I most
heartily reciprocate. I do not wish to return evil for good by
preaching, but it occurs to me that you have--I will not say that you
have left your country for your country's good--you have not abandoned
your opportunities to serve her; you have rather reached the position
where you have new opportunities for service as American citizens. One