Latin America and the United States: Addresses by Elihu RootRoot, Elihu
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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
But since Mr. Blaine, times have changed. We have paid our debts; we
have become a creditor rather than a debtor nation. We have for the
first time within the last ten years begun to accumulate surplus
capital, and it has accumulated with a wonderful rapidity,--a surplus
capital to enable us to go out and establish new relations with the rest
of the world. We now are beginning to be in a position where we can take
the same relations towards other countries that England took towards us.
We have paid our debts to England; the use of her capital in developing
the United States has resulted in great advantage to both of us; and
with the payment of the debt there has been left a warm and, I believe,
enduring friendship between England and the United States. I should like
to see the same kind of friendship between the United States and South
America. I should like to see the great surplus capital which we are
accumulating in the United States of North America turn southwards, to
see it used to develop the vast resources of this country, with mutual
advantage to both, so that when the time comes in the future, as it will
come, when the people of Argentina, with their resources developed, with
their population increased, have accumulated all the capital they need
and paid their debts, we shall have had our share both in their
development and in their prosperity, and an enduring friendship may
exist between us.
Now it has seemed to me, sir, that possibly the opportunity afforded by
the kind and courteous invitation of the Argentine Government to visit
this country might enable me to do something to this end, just at this
juncture when a change in the attitude of the United States toward the
rest of the world is taking place, when the change from the debtor to
the creditor nation, is made; from the borrower of money to develop
resources, to a country with surplus capital to send out to the
world;--it seemed to me possible that I might by this visit help to
establish the relations which I should like to see existing. I should
like to be able to qualify myself to say in the most public way that
this is a land to which the poor of all the world, who have enterprise
without money, can come and find homes and prosperity, so that by the
thousands, by the millions, they may come from the Old World and build
up Argentina as they have built up the United States. I feel able to say
that this is a shore to which the emigrants from the Old World may come
with a certainty of finding homes, occupations, and opportunities for
prosperity; that it is a country to which the capital of the United
States may come with the certainty that it will be secure, will be
protected, and will find profitable employment. I look forward to the
time when the wonderful development that is going on here now--not
confined alone to this country, but progressing here with an amazing
rapidity,--will be as great a wonder to the world as the advance which
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