ert not so much its
position as guardian of the Monroe Doctrine as its headship, if not its
actual dominance, in the New World, and would so widen the bounds of its
political and commercial influence--a tendency known as "imperialism."
Such was the way, at least, in which the Hispanic republics came to
view the action of the "Colossus of the North" in inviting them to
participate in an assemblage meeting more or less periodically and
termed officially the "International Conference of American States," and
popularly the "Pan-American Conference."

Whether the mistrust the smaller countries felt at the outset was
lessened in any degree by the attendance of their delegates at the
sessions of this conference remains open to question. Although these
representatives, in common with their colleagues from the United States,
assented to a variety of conventions and passed a much larger number of
resolutions, their acquiescence seemed due to a desire to gratify their
powerful associate, rather than to a belief in the possible utility of
such measures. The experience of the earlier gatherings had demonstrated
that political issues would have to be excluded from consideration.
Propositions, for example, such as that to extend the basic idea of the
Monroe Doctrine into a sort of self-denying ordinance, under which all
the nations of America should agree to abstain thereafter from acquiring
any part of one another's territory by conquest, and to adopt, also, the
principle of compulsory arbitration, proved impossible of acceptance.
Accordingly, from that time onward the matters treated by the Conference
dealt for the most part with innocuous, though often praiseworthy,
projects for bringing the United States and its sister republics into
closer commercial, industrial, and intellectual relations.

The gathering itself, on the other hand, became to a large extent a
fiesta, a festive occasion for the display of social amenities. Much
as the Hispanic Americans missed their favorite topic of politics, they
found consolation in entertaining the distinguished foreign visitors
with the genial courtesy and generous hospitality for which they
are famous. As one of their periodicals later expressed it, since
a discussion of politics was tabooed, it were better to devote the
sessions of the Conference to talking about music and lyric poetry!
At all events, as far as the outcome was concerned, their national
legislatures ratified comparatively fe