Latin America and the United States: Addresses by Elihu RootRoot, Elihu
History
Latin America and the United States: Addresses by Elihu Root
Root, Elihu
America -- Foreign relations; Latin America -- Foreign relations -- United States; United States -- Foreign relations -- Latin America
This is the last opportunity I shall have in the City of Mexico to
express to you my gratitude and keen appreciation for all your very
great kindness to us during our visit to Mexico.
I came here with my mind filled by the idea of two countries, the United
States of America and the United Mexican States, rather an abstract and
cold conception. Gradually there has emerged from the sea of faces that
I looked upon on entering Mexico, one by one, a group of lovely women
and of fine and noble gentlemen, and beside the conception of two
countries becoming more and more friendly to each other, there has come
a realization that I have gained new friends--a most grateful and most
delightful thing. I shall never forget you, my friends; I shall never
forget your courtesy and your kindness, and I know I can say the same
for Mrs. Root, and I beg to offer a toast to the personnel of the
administration of President Díaz, a personnel which is more delightful
and will be met with more pleasure than it was possible for me to
conceive before coming here, and as I leave you I shall feel that with
my limited Spanish, which consists of not more than a half a dozen
words, I have, however, the most valuable words in the language in being
able to say: "Hasta luego."
RESPONSE OF SEÑOR CORRAL
Señor Ramón Corral, Vice-President of the Republic, made the
following response to this farewell address:
Since you have set foot on our soil we have had occasion to observe the
high and well-merited opinion which you entertain of our president,
General Porfirio Díaz, and of his splendid and statesmanlike
achievements, and if to this be added your own well-known merits, your
lofty character, and the sagacious, yet kindly notice you have taken of
all that you have seen, no wonder that you have won, not our admiration,
not our respect, not our good-will, for all these were yours already,
but something more intimate, something that dwells deeper in the
recesses of the heart--our affection.
Henceforth, sir, in addition to your high claims as an illustrious
statesman and wise administrator, you have from us the endearing title
of friend, a friend who appreciates us with fairness, who will rejoice
at our future triumphs in the arena of progress, who will lament our
misfortunes, who will applaud our victories and will encourage us in our
discomfitures.
For some time past, especially since you undertook the noble task of
proclaiming justice and righteousness as the basis for the relations of
the republics of America with one another, we have followed with the
liveliest interest your glorious career, of which the goal is the
promotion of ideals of human fraternity. We have admired you, we have
applauded you as one applauds the eloquence of wise and good men. But
henceforth a current of profound sympathy will flow between you and us,
and our admiration and applause will reach you, quickened by the
vibrations of our enthusiasm.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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