 Soon after taking office , Blaine revived his old idea of an international conference of western hemisphere nations . The result was the First International Conference of American States , which met in Washington in 1890 . Blaine and Harrison had high hopes for the conference , including proposals for a customs union , a pan @-@ American railroad line , and an arbitration process to settle disputes among member nations . Their overall goal was to extend trade and political influence over the entire hemisphere ; some of the other nations understood this and were wary of deepening ties with the United States to the exclusion of European powers . Blaine said publicly that his only interest was in " annexation of trade " , not annexation of territory , but privately he wrote to Harrison of a desire for some territorial enlargement of the United States : 
