The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-02
WASHINGTON.
pressure.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-The following
letter was iss ued tonight by ex-Secretary
Blaine to the gent Of the Western Asso-
ciated Press:
WASHINGTON, Feb 1, 1882.
deem it due to justice to make brief
statement which ask you to transmit to
the papers of your association tonight.
On Monday morning, Jan. 3Cth, / ad-
dressed the following note to the Presi-
dent:
Ny dear Mr.. President:-As Mr.. Ere
linghuysen has made an allusiOn to the
proposed congress of American nations ia
a dispatch which he has made public, ana
AS the scope and design of that congress
arc greatly misunderstood and misrepre-
s,,nsed both at home and in Europe, /
res pectfully ask that you direct publica-
ton of the original invitation l have the
original draft myself, but of course | do
not fee. at liberty to use it without your
permission. If you do not wish to order
its formal official publication, will you
kindly grant me leave to use the copy az
nay discretion. Very sincerely,
JAMES G. BLAINE.
In the afternoon of the same day the
President sent his private secretary to his
residence with the verbal message that he
saw no objection to gra nting the request,
but that he had referred my note to the
Secretary Of State. Yesterday l received
message from the chief clerk of the
State Department that Mr.. Frclinghuysen
would publish the dispatch when called for
by Congress. This morning l wrote note
to Senator Window, Chairman of the Fer
eign Relations Committee, asking him to
introduce resolution calling for
the correspondence. When the New
York papers arrived found
the document, though with many errors,
published in the New York Herald.
understood it had been published in one
paper in each of the several large cities.
| The dispatch was obtained surreptitiousiy.
From whom or by whom | do not know.
1t was no doubt hastened to partial publ
cation in order to deprive it of the wider
advantages of the Associated Press, which
I was anxious to secure for it, in order that
the instrumentation concerning the lnVl
tations to a peace congress might he den
nitely corrected.
Very respectfully,
| JAMES G.. BLAINE.
The following is a corrected copy OF
Mr.. Blaine's dispatch inviting conference
| of North and South America republics to
meet in Washington:
/ DEPARTMENT or STATE,
/ WAsHINGToN,. Nov. 20.
SIR-The attitude of the United States
with respect to the question of general
peace on the American Continent, is wei
| known through its persistent efforts fol
| four wears past. to avert the evils of war
| fare; or these efforts failing, to bring pos
tive conflicts to an end through pacific
counsels or the advocacy OF impartial arbi
tration. This attitude has beenlconsistent
Iy maintained, and always with such fair
ness as to leave no room for impugning q
our Government any motive except hu
| name. and the disinterested one OF SAVING
| kindred States on the American Contlnen
| from the burdens of war. The position
the United States as the leading power
| the new world might well give to its gov
ernment authoritative utteranceIfor the ptr
pose of quieting discord among its neigh
bors, with all of whom the most friendl.
relations exist. Nevertheless, the goos
officers of this government are not ant
have not st any time been rendered with
show of distinction or compulsion. but a
only exhibiting the solicitous. good Will OF
common friend.
For some years past growing disposl
ton has been manifested by certain States
of Central and South America, to refer dis
| putes affecting grave questions OF 1nterna
| fional relationship and boundaries to arbi
tration. rather than to the sword 1t ha
/ been on several such occasions a source o
nrofouud satisfaction to the Government o
NE United States to do So This countr.
Is in large measure looked TO Dy q
| A, uerican powers as their FRIEND ana naeo