Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-02-11
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
lFrcn our regular Corresponaent.l

tFrcm our regular Correspondence
The proceedings in Congress, for
the last week, have been of a more
than usually tedious and uninterest-
ing character. The refunding bill
has occupied the attention of the
Senate. In the House business is
much impeded by the great NUM-
bar of private bills that have been
introduced.
Mr.. Blaine is no longer in the
Cabinet or in Congress, but he is
still able to make himself heard
and understood, and is actually, !,
this moment, receiving IL larger
share of public attention than
the legislative and executive
branches of the government.
Whether or not the peace congres ;
of the American republics, proposed
by him, could have had any practi-
cal results, must, of course, remain
an open question until, perhaps,
Mr.. Blaine is in "A position to give
it proof. 1t is well known that
trade winds are not guided by SEN
timent, and that the courses of
commerce are little affected by res
olutiO1s passed in peace conven-
tions. But there is that in the idea
of a peace convention which APP
peals powerfully to moral senti-
ment in the United States, and it
will have advocates by every fire.
side and in every pulpit in the
world. 1t is true that our traditions
are opposed to diplomatic inter-
meddling with the affairs of foreign
powers. But this country, no more
than its churches, is devoid of the
missionary spirit, which has sent
its propagandists to every heather
shore. If the spirit of propaganda
ism has not found active National
expression, it is because we have
recently found, within our own broad
limit, space for our almost immeas-
urable power. But the day is not
distant when we willneed morespace
for the wonderful progress devel-
oped in the last fifty years. We
cannot harbor the thought of bloody
conquest. We will not use our gil
ant strength like giant, but the
peaceful suzerainty of the United
States, in this hemisphere, is duty
and detsiny that we cannot escape.
There are very few healthy Ameri-
cans who will not interfere between
lighting children in the interests of
peace, and it cannot be that the
blessedness of the peacemaker,
which the bible has said is of the
kingdom of Heaven, be less in
herited by nation than by indi-
viduals.
1t has been a long time since this
country has had political issue
that looked beyond our own bor-
ders, but time ami tide seem to be
ripening such an issue. American
enterprise is pushing railways into
Mexico. The Isthmian canal will
bring us nearer to Chill than we
are now to Rio Jeneiru. 1t would
seem to be a very short-sighted
policy that should fail to bind these
undeveloped republics to ourselves
by the benign influences which we
are so well qualified by our proX-
unity, our civilization and our
to exercise. The question
of profitable commercial relations
is an Interior matter, dependent on
time and fixed laws. Men of fore
cast cannot be Indifferent to the
of opening new markets
for our produce, and new fields for
our manufactures. South America
was once a remote continent, but
consid ering the improved means of
comm cree and communication, we
are much nearer to South America
than we were to England thirty
years ago, and we are now nearer,
by from fifteen to twenty days,
than any other first class power.