RECIPROCITY 
359 
profitably tilled by the citizens of European 
governments which sympathized with their 
subjects in their efforts to develop trade and at 
the same time provided them adequate protec 
tion of a substantial and impressive type. 
In the early days which marked the Eu 
ropean campaign for the commercial suprem 
acy of Latin America, most of these countries 
were the scenes of much bloodshed and the 
violence of devastating revolutions. As a re 
sult of the instability of their governments, 
there was positively little or no security of life 
or property. Concessions solemnly made 
were ruthlessly cancelled. Business ventures 
involving the outlay of immense patience and 
large capital were completely wiped out. In 
brief the foreigner in these lands was looked 
upon as an intruder and treated with scant 
consideration. When Americans were in 
volved in such occurrences, our State Depart 
ment, with very few exceptions, ignored the 
petitions of the victims, until its neglect in this 
regard became so notorious that finally no 
promoter had the temerity to seek capital in