erican Congress, then making
a progress through the United States, to be presided over by my
colleague, Senator Payne. As this speech is outside of the line
of my usual topics, the toast being "The Congress of American
States," and yet relates to a subject of vital importance, I
introduce it as reported in the Cleveland "Leader:"

"Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen:--The toast you ask me to respond to
is the expression of a hope indulged in by many of the ablest
statesmen of the United States ever since our sister American states
dissolved their political connections with European powers. Henry
Clay, as early as 1818, when proposing to acknowledge the independence
of the South American states, eloquently depicted the mutual
advantage of closer commercial relations with those states. Mr.
Monroe proclaimed to the world the determination of the United
States not to suffer any European power to interfere with the
internal concerns of independent American states. Still no effective
measures were adopted to promote intercourse between them. The
hope of closer union has not been realized, mainly because of the
neglect of the government of the United States. We have been too
much engaged in political disputes and in the development of our
own resources. Then we have had a serious unpleasantness among
ourselves, which, if it had terminated differently, would have made
us very unacceptable partners. But, now, all this is past and
gone, and I can give assurance to our guests that not only the
government of the United States, but the people of the United
States, all parties and of every section, have united heartily in
inviting you here, that they will do their full share in carrying
out your recommendations, and sincerely hope that your conference
will lead to a congress of American nations.

"I look upon this conference as having the same relation to the
future of America as the conference of the thirteen British colonies,
in 1774, had to the declaration of American independence. That
conference led to the constitution of the United States and was
the beginning of the independence of all the American states. Your
conference is of infinitely greater importance, for your deliberations
affect the interests of more than one hundred million people, while
theirs only affected three million. But, more important still,
your conference contemplates only peaceful aids for mutual benefit;
theirs provided for war and a desperate strug