Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-02-04

among it's neighbors, with all of
whom the most friendly relations ex-
ist. Nevertheless the good Offices of
this government are not and have not
at any time been rendered with
show of dictation or compulsion, but
only as exhibiting the sohcitous good
will of a common friend.
For some years past growing
disposition has been manifested by
certain States of Central and South
America to refer disputes affecting
grave questions of international re-
lationships and boundaries to arbitra-
ton rather than to the sword. 1t
has been on several such occasions
source OF profound satisfaction to
the Government of the United States
to see that this country is, in a large
measure, looked to by all the Ameri-
can powers as their friend and medi.
ator. The just and impartial counsel
of the President in such cases has
never been withheld, and his efforts
have been rewarded by the proven
ton of sanguinary strife or angry
contentious between people whom we
regard as brethren.
The existence of this growing ten
dency convinces the President that
the time is ripe for proposal that
shall enlist the good will and active
cooperation of all the States of the
Western Hemisphere, both North and
South, in the interest of humanity
| and for the common veal of nations.
He conceives that none of the Gov.
erements of America can be less alive
than our own to the dangers and
horrors of state of war, and espe-
cially of war between kinsmen. He
is sure that none of the chiefs of gov
eminent on the Continent can be less
sensitive than he is to the sacred
duty of making every endeavor to do
away with the causes of fratricidal
strife, and he looks with hopeful con-
tidence to such active assistance from
them as will serve to show the broad
ness of our common humanity and
the strength of the ties which bind
us all together as a great and harmo-
NOUS system of american common
| wealths.
Impressed by these views, the
President extends to all the indepen
dent countries of North and South
America an earnest invitation to par
ticipate in General Congress to be
held in the city of Washington on the
22d of November, 1882, for the pur-
pose of considering and discussing
the methods of preventing war be-
tween the nations of America. He
desires that the attention of the Con
gress shall be strictly confined to
this one great object; that its sole
aim shall be to seek way of perma
nently averting the horrors of cruel
and bloody contest between countries
oftenest of one blood and speech, or
the even worse calamity of internal
commotion and civil strife; that it
shall regard the burdensome and far
reaching consequences of such strug
gle, the legacies of exhausted fnan-
ces, of oppressive debt, of onerous
taxation, of ruined cities, of paralyzed
Industries, of devastated fields, OF
ruthless conscriptions, of the slaugh
ter of men, of the grief Of the widow
and the orphan, of embittered re-
sentiments that long survive those
who provoke them, and heavily afiict
the innocent generation that comes
after.
The President is especially desir-
Gus to have it understood that in
putting forth this invitation the
United States does not assume the
position of counselling or attempting
through the voice of the Congress tC
counsel, any determinate solution Of
existing questions which may now
divide any of the countries of Amer
lea. Such questions cannot proper
ly come before the Congress. Its
mission is higher. It is to provide
for the interests of all in the future
not to settle the individual differ
ences of the present. For this rea>
son, especially, the President has in
dicated day for the assembling Of
the Congress so far in the future al
to leave good ground for hope thai
by the time named the present situa
ton on the South Pacific coast vii
be happily terminated, and that thos'
engaged in the contest may taxi
peaceable part in the discussion an(
solution of the general question al
fecting in an equal degree the well
being of all.
It seems also desirable to disclain
in advance any purpose on the par
of the United States to PREJUDICE thu
issues to be presented to the Con
gress. It is far from the intent o
this government to appear before tn
} Congress as in any sense the pro
tector of its neirghbors or the pre-
destined and necessary arbitrator o
their disputes. The United State
will enter into the deliberations o
the Congress on the same footing a
the other powers represented, ane
with the loyal determination to ap-
proach any proposed solution, no
merely in it's own interest or with
view to asserting it's own power, bu
as single member among many SUI
coordinate and co-equal States.
So far as the influence of this gov
eminent may be potential, it will b
exerted in the direction of concilia
ting whatever conflicting interests o
blood or government or historical
, tradition may necessarily come to