BOLIVIA-A COUNTRY WITHOUT A DEBT 



By Senor Y. Calderon 

 Minister from Bolivia to the United States 



I HAVE been honored by the Na- 

 tional Geographic Society in being 

 asked to make an address, under 

 its auspices, on the subject of Bolivia, my 

 country. I accepted the invitation with 

 pleasure, coming, as it did, at the time 

 when the recent historic visit of the 

 Secretary of State, Mr Root, to South 

 America has awakened special interest 

 toward the republics situated south of the 

 Isthmus of Panama. 



It may be said that the foresighted- 

 ness and wisdom of this great statesman 

 has torn the veil that obscured the vision 

 of those republics and revealed to this 

 country the young nations striving for 

 progress and peaceful development. 



I was fortunate in hearing the ad- 

 dresses of the honorable Secretary of 

 State, delivered in Kansas City* and in 

 Cincinnati, and I earnestly recommend 

 to all of those who are interested in the 

 prosperity of the sister republics, and in 

 fostering our mutual relations, to study 

 them with careful attention. 



You are aware of the spontaneous ova- 

 tions with which Mr Root was received 

 by the countries where he touched on 

 his voyage. From the first moment, he 

 gained the esteem and the confidence of 

 the southern republics. With feeling 

 and eloquent words he interpreted the 

 sentiments of this great nation and the 

 message of peace, of fraternity, and of 

 respect for their sovereignty was pro- 

 claimed to the world by one of the high- 

 est officials as well as one of the most 

 eminent citizens of this country. 



The reception of Mr Root in South 

 America, besides being a personal tribute 

 ofifered to his merits, was the sincerest 

 expression of good will with which they 



* Published in the National Geographic 

 Magazine, January, 1907, 



accepted the proffer of friendship sent by 

 the government and the people of North 

 America. 



In his last message sent to Congress, 

 the great American who so brilliantly 

 guides the destiny of this Republic has 

 confirmed in clear and forcible words the 

 friendly declarations of the Secretary of 

 State, thus giving them governmental 

 sanction and dispelling the mistrust cre- 

 ated under the wrong impression that the 

 United States had designs on establish- 

 ing its supremacy and dominion over all 

 the continent. The words of President 

 Roosevelt reveal the high spirit of justice 

 that guides his policy, and mean the ap- 

 plication of the "square deal" to interna- 

 tional relations. 



If the progress and stability that pre- 

 vail in the South American republics had 

 not been known by Mr Root and he had 

 gone on his visit expecting to see some 

 of the insurrections which are supposed 

 to be occurring constantly, he would have 

 been greatly disappointed. In place of 

 military chiefs arrayed against each 

 other, of cities given over to disorder 

 and war, he would have found, as he did 

 find, peoples filled with life and anxious 

 to put themselves on a level with the 

 most advanced of the globe. 



OUR PAST DID NOT TRAIN US FOR THE 

 EXERCISE OF LIBERTY 



We have inherited from our ancestors 

 traditions little suited for the exercise of 

 liberty and the respect for human per- 

 sonality. Our education was not Hke 

 that of the English colonies in North 

 America; the political life of the Spanish 

 colonies was controlled by the delegates 

 of the crown, and the people had nothing 

 to do but to blindly obey. 



In honor of the good intentions of the 



An address to the National Geographic Society, January 25, 1907 



