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  protection ­
  of  a  substantial  and  impressive  type.
In  the  early  days  which  marked  the  European ­
  campaign  for  the  commercial  supremacy ­
  of  Latin  America,  most  of  these  countries
were  the  scenes  of  much  bloodshed  and  the
violence  of  devastating  revolutions.  As  a  result ­
  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  involved ­
  in  such  occurrences,  our  State  Department, ­
  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