The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1847-07-30
DOMINGO IBARRA.
[CoPY.1.

To his szeeHeney The Minister Of Foreign Pela-
ttOHs ollie Mexican Republic.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
Washington, April Is, 1917.
SIR: I have the honor to acknowledg 90
the receipt of your excelleucy's note, of
the 22d February last in answer to mine
of the 18th January, proposing, on the
part ofthe President ofthe United States;
Immediately to despatch either to Ha-
wanna or JalapDa, as the Mexican gov
eminent may prefer, one or more of our
most distinguished citizens, as commits
s%ioners, clothed with full powers to con-
clude a treaty o peace with similar com
missioners on the part of Mexico, as soon
as he shall be officially informed that the
Mexican government will appoint such
commissioners"
The President deeply regrets the re-
fusal ofthe Mexican government to &C.
cede to this friendly overture, %"unless the
raising of the blockade ofour (the Next
CAM ports, and the complete evacuation
of the territory of the republic by the
invading forces, shall be previously &C
cepted as a preliminary condition"
The President has instructed me to
inform you that this "preliminary condi-
ton" is wholly inadmissable. Such a
condition is neither required by the hon.
or, nor sanctioned by the practice of ma.
tons. lift were, this would tend to pro.
ong wars, especially between contermi-
lus countries, until the one or the other
power was entirely subdued. No nation
which at the expenditure of blood and
treasure, has invaded its enemy's coun-
try, and acquired possession of any con-
siderable portion ofhis territory could ev.
err onsen TO withdraw its forces, as g
preliminary condition to the opening OF
negotiations for peace. This would be
at once to abandon all the advantage:
it had obtained in the prosecution of the
war, without any certainty that peace
would result from the sacrifice. Nay,
more: should such a negotiation prove
unsuccessful; the nation which had thus
imprudently Withdrawn its forces from
the enemy's territory, might not be able
to recover without a cost of blood and
treasure equal to that first expended, the
advantageous position which il had vol
UNFAIRLY abandoned.
Fortunately for the cause of peace and
humanity, the history ofnations that wal
affords no sanction to such a preliminary
condition. The United States are as
jealous of their national honor as an,
power on the face of the earth; and We
it never entered into the contemplation
OF the great statesmen who administered
our government during the period of ouI
last var with Great Britain. to insist that
the latter should ~relinquish the part OF
our territory of which she was in actual
possession, before they would consent to
open negotiations for peace. On the
contrary, they took the initiative, and aP-
pointed commissioners to treat for peace
whilst portions of our country were held
by the enemy; and it is a remarkable fact,
that the treaty ofGhent was concluded
by the plenipotentiaries of the two pow
ers whilst the war was raging on both
sides; and most memorable ofthe conflicts
to which it gave rise took place upon our
own soil afterthe negotiatiOnshad happily
terminated their labors.-History is full
of such examples, Indeed so far as the
undersigned is aware, there is not to be
found, at least in modern times, a single
case, except the present, in which it has
been considered a necessary preliminary
that an invading army should be with
drawn before negotiations for peace could
commence between the parties to the
war.
1t would, also, be difficult to. find a