ch is
the process of civilization; and in destroying the isolation, the
separation of American states from each other, in building up an
American public opinion, we are preparing ourselves the more perfectly
to unite with our friends of Europe in a world public opinion, which
shall establish the reign of justice and liberty and humanity throughout
the world by slow, practical, untiring processes of intercourse and
friendship in place of the rules of brutal force.

THE PAN AMERICAN UNION

There has been, especially in recent years, a very strong feeling that
the points which the American republics have in common greatly exceed
their differences and that stated conferences of the American republics
would not only tend to accentuate the points in common but would enable
them to take common action in matters of common interest, remove
unwarranted suspicions which often exist between and among peoples which
do not come into contact, and tend to lessen the very differences.

In 1881, the Honorable James G. Blaine, then secretary of state of the
United States, stated that in the opinion of the President of the United
States "the time is ripe for a proposal that shall enlist the good-will
and active cooperation of all the states of the western hemisphere, both
north and south, in the interest of humanity and for the common weal of
nations."[7] Mr. Blaine proposed on behalf of the President, that a
congress meet in the city of Washington. The congress or conference
actually took place in that city in 1889-1890, during the secretaryship
of state of Mr. Blaine. This is commonly called the International
American Conference. All of the American countries, with the exception
of Santo Domingo, were represented, and they agreed upon "the
establishment of an American International Bureau for the collection,
tabulation, and publication, in the English, Spanish, and Portuguese
languages, of information as to the productions and commerce, and as to
the customs laws and regulations of their respective countries; such
bureau to be maintained in one of the countries for the common benefit
and at the common expense, and to furnish to all the other countries
such commercial statistics and other useful information as may be
contributed to it by any of the American republics."[8]

This was the origin of the International Bureau of the American
Republics, out of which has grown the Pan American Union, "a voluntary
organization of the t