[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 149 (Thursday, October 15, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ``MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS''

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 15, 2009

  Mr. REYES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to mark a unique date in our 
history, the 100th Anniversary of the ``Meeting of the Presidents''. On 
October 16, 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft and Mexican 
President Porfirio Diaz met in both El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, 
Mexico in an historic meeting that established the personal 
relationship between our two countries. The event marked the first in-
person meeting between the Presidents of the United States and Mexico. 
In fact, prior to 1909, no sitting U.S. President had left our country 
to visit a foreign nation.
  The sister cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez went to great lengths 
to ensure that this meeting was unlike any other, by adorning memorial 
columns and welcome arches with the colors of the two nations--red, 
white, and blue, and red, white, and green. Principal thoroughfares 
were decorated, thousands of incandescent and arc lamps were lit, and 
it is said that the cities competed with each other to demonstrate 
their best hospitality to the visiting Presidents.
  The Stone and Webster Public Service Journal of 1909 has a great 
account of the day's historic events. President Taft arrived in El 
Paso, on the morning of October 16, 1909 and was met by El Paso Mayor 
Joseph U. Sweeney. After breakfast, President Taft was taken to the 
Chamber of Commerce through streets lined with thousands of school 
children who proudly waved colorful flags and sang patriotic songs. 
Mexican President Porfirio Diaz traveled across the International 
Bridge and was met by Secretary of War J.M. Dickinson, Texas Governor 
Thomas Mitchell Campbell, and Mayor Sweeney who escorted President Diaz 
to his meeting with President Taft at the Chamber of Commerce.
  After the meeting, President Taft journeyed across the border to 
visit Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Arriving at the border of the Chamizal 
zone, which was then disputed territory between the U.S. and Mexico, 
President Taft drove through the International Bridge and was saluted 
by the Mexican artillery with twenty-one guns. Upon arriving in Mexico, 
he entered the state carriage of President Diaz and was driven to the 
Custom House, which served as the temporary capital of the Mexican 
Republic. After a brief meeting, President Taft returned to El Paso, 
where he participated in a parade and addressed the cheering crowds. He 
ended the day by attending a reception in Ciudad Juarez where the two 
Presidents toasted each other and their respective countries.
  This marked the first international trip of any sitting U.S. 
President and remains a rich part of the storied history of the great 
city of El Paso, which I represent. To this day, El Paso and Ciudad 
Juarez have maintained close ties. Culturally, socially, and 
economically intertwined, these sister cities are home to the largest 
international border community with a population of over 2 million 
people. Since that time, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez have hosted four 
joint meetings between the presidents of Mexico and the United States, 
more than any other border city.
  On January 12, 2009, President-elect Obama continued this spirit of 
cooperation by meeting with President Felipe Calderon in his first 
face-to-face talks with a foreign head of state. This meeting fulfilled 
a tradition in effect since 1980 of U.S. Presidents talking with their 
Mexican counterparts before being sworn in, to underscore the special 
relationship between the two nations.
  My good friend, Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan, 
reflecting on this special occasion said, ``there is no more important 
bilateral relationship in the world today than the one between Mexico 
and the United States. . . . October 16th marks a date that should 
inspire us all to continue working to ensure that both Mexicans and 
Americans continue strengthening a partnership that must lead both 
countries toward greater development, security, prosperity and well-
being for our two peoples.''
  Let us mark this occasion by committing ourselves to push forward to 
strengthen the relationship between Mexico and the United States. I 
applaud the work of President Obama and President Calderon to foster a 
closer relationship with our southern neighbor. There is no better way 
to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ``Meeting of the 
Presidents'' than by continuing the legacy of strong diplomatic ties 
with our friends from Mexico.

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