Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-16
THE TWO AMEtICAS.

Mr.. Blaine's Defense of the Foreign Policy
of the Garfield AdininistratiOn-The Pur-
pose of the Proposed Peace Congress of
American Republics.
CHICAGO, Sept. 15.-The Chicago Weekly
Magazine will publish tomorrow an arti-
Gle from the pen OF Hon. James 6. Blaine
in review of the foreign policy of the Gar
field administration. He details at length
the negotiations set on foot for the assem-
bling of peace congress of the republics
of North and South America. and insists
that such a gathering would have been
productive of great good in a commercial
as well as political sense. Its purpose,
and the results expected from it. are thus
summarized by M. Blaine at the conclu-
sion of his paper:
1t is only claimed for the peace congress.
designed under the administration of Gar
field, that it was an important and i'm
pressive step on the part of the United
States towards closer relationship with our
continental neighbors. The present ten
dency in those countries Is towards Europe.
and it is lamentable fact that their peo-
pie are not so near to US in feeling as they
were sixty years ago when they threw off
the yoke of Spanish tyranny. We were
then weak republic of bat ten millions.
but we did not hesitate to recognize the
independence of the new government, even
at the risk of war with Spain. Our foreign
policy at that time was especially design
ed to extend our influence in the Western
hemisphere, and the statesmen of that
era-the era of Dewitt Clinton and the
younger Adams, of Clay and of Crfwford,
of Webster and Calhoun, of Van Buren,
and Benton. of Jackson and of Edward
Livingston-we always courageous in
the inspiring measures which they advocat-
ed for the expansion of our commercial
dominion.
Three score years have passed. The
power of the republic in many directions
has grown beyond all anticipation, but we
have relatively lost ground in some great
fields of enterprise. We have added thou
| sands of miles to our ocean front, but our
commerce has fallen of. and from ardent
| friendship with Spanish America we have
| drifted into indifference. if not into cold
ness. 1t is but one step further to reach a
condition of positive unfriendliness, which
may end in what would be equivalent to q
commercial alliance against us. Already one
| of the most dangerous of movementS-tha,
of European guarantee and guardianship
| of the inter-oceanic canals suggested
and urged upon the rgeat foreign power:
by representatives of a South Amen cal
country. If these tendencies are to b,
averted, if Spanish American friend ship i
to be regained, if the commercial empir,
that legitimately belongs to us is to b,
ours, We must not lie idle and witness it
transfer to others. Ii We would reconque
it great first step is to be taken. 1t i
the first step that costs. 1t is also tn
first step that counts. Can there be sug-
gested wiser step than the peace con
gress of the two Americans. that was de
vised under Garfield and had the weight o
his great name:l = le'e'sFrsassaassIf ri "~~r'
In no event could harm have resulted
from the assembling of the peace congress
Failure was next to an impossibility. Sue
cess might be regarded as Ecertain. Tn,
subject to be discussed was peace, and hov
it can be permanently preserved in Nortl
and South America. The labors of tn
congress would have probably ended III
well digested system of arbitration, unde
which all future troubles between Ameri
can states could be quickly, effectually an
satisfactorily adjusted. Such consum
nation would have been worth a grea
struggle and great sacrifice. 1t coul
have been reached without any struggl
and would have involved no sacrifice ]
was within our grasp. It was ours sstsa,