s renewed under Mr.
Cleveland, and on October 2, 1889, Mr. Blaine, again secretary of state
under President Harrison, had the singular good fortune to execute his
former design and to open the sessions of the first American conference
at Washington. In an address of wisdom and lofty spirit, which should
ever give honor to his memory, he described the assembly as--

... an honorable, peaceful conference of seventeen
independent American powers, in which all shall meet
together on terms of absolute equality; a conference in
which there can be no attempt to coerce a single delegate
against his own conception of the interests of his nation; a
conference which will permit no secret understanding on any
subject, but will frankly publish to the world all its
conclusions; a conference which will tolerate no spirit of
conquest, but will aim to cultivate an American sympathy as
broad as both continents; a conference which will form no
selfish alliance against the older nations from which we are
proud to claim inheritance--a conference, in fine, which
will seek nothing, propose nothing, endure nothing that is
not, in the general sense of all the delegates, timely,
wise, and peaceful.

The policy which Mr. Blaine inaugurated has been continued; the Congress
of the United States has approved it; subsequent presidents have
followed it. The first conference at Washington has been succeeded by a
second conference in Mexico, and now by a third conference in Rio de
Janeiro; and it is to be followed in years to come by further successive
assemblies in which the representatives of all American states shall
acquire better knowledge and more perfect understanding, and be drawn
together by the recognition of common interests and the kindly
consideration and discussion of measures for mutual benefit.

Nevertheless, Mr. Blaine was in advance of his time. In 1881 and 1889
the United States had not reached a point where it could turn its
energies away from its own internal development and direct them outward
towards the development of foreign enterprises and foreign trade, nor
had the South American countries reached the stage of stability in
government and security for property necessary to their industrial
development.

Now, however, the time has come; both North and South America have grown
up to Blaine's policy. The production, the trade, the capita