New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-15
THE PEACE CONGRESS.
PRESIDENT ARTHUR's MESSAGE.

| the State Department. An immediate addltioh 10
its library shoud be made Of Quackenboss Rhetoric
and Mrs. Wards Home Manners" We have scarce
" wiped from our sympathetic brows the beaded
drops of compassion over Secretary frelipghuysens
"rasten with his feelings about the Queens
assassination-in which that amiable and high
bred gentlemen was decidedly thrown-when we
are again called upon to reconcile conflicting emo
tions over the Presidents sincere but shyng hospi-
| tally.
81 send herewith" says that generous and emnenty
social public fnclionAry the avshness and elegance OF
of the circular vitation extended to all the independent
countries OF North and south America TO NJ
ton, the I'D Of November next Tor the PURPOSE Oh
considering and discussing the methods or preventing
war between the Nations Of America"
SO far, so good. Such invitation, then, has
actually been issued. Why copy of it should be
| formally sent to Congress, why, If it were to be
sent it should bo sent at this especial moment,
five months after the original invitations were for
wared to the desired guests, is to me a little oc-
! cult and no part of the message throws any llght
on the mystery. But great is the President OF TINS
great Republic and there is nothing in the Union as
1t was or The Constitution as it is, to prevent HIM
from sending his tailors bills or his love-lettcrs to
| Congress if he wants TO-
In giving this invitation" continues our conndlne
Chief Magistrate g" was not unaware tmt mere eXiT.e
differences between several of the Republics oI SOuth
which might otherwise be expected fom Such al aSse
bagc."
Hush hush dear Mr.. President, would the
shocked director of Home Manners cry. We
know, when we invite company. that they may
have, Often that they do have, their own little
| chickering's. Sometimes invite them to our
table for the very purpose of composing these euds
into a better understanding and possible fricndli-
ness But always, if these differences not too
! big to preclude the invitation, slip very quietly
over the fact that there are differences. We ignore
it, We stare over it straight at the ceiling, like
Sam Weller We never in good society-no, never
draw attention to il, proclaim 1t beforehand call
out TO the neighbors in our guests hearing that
knew all the time they were fighting like cats and
dogs. They would lie not to like it,
But it was hoped" says this remarkable message"
these differences would disappear before the tlmc
fixed for the meeting of COnsess. This nope mas hol
been realized"
No. but hospitable if spasmodic host, what is the
hurryi Time IS not half up YET. The invitation
was given in November The time fixed" was
next November 22. Only five months have gone.
There are seven months still left for our hayward
sisters to kiss and be friends. France gave Austria
and Prussia gave France a good sound drubbing,
beginning middle and end, in less time than that.
Why should the fountain OF promise for late autumn
run dry III early spring! What has frozen the
genial current of the Presidents soul that gushed
so peacefully last falll What blight has fallen on
the Executive heart, that the hope which, IN Novem-
Der, 1850, was strong enough 10 bud and bloom
into a full-blown invitation to distant countries
has now in this green-growng April wilted into
piteous petition to an uncOncened Congress at
home
Having observed that the authority Of the President TO
suc Congress has en- guestioned beg leave
to state tna he 6onstiutlon 9oltfs pom te lres'eh
the power, by ana WIN me adVlce aht consent OF he
Senate make treaties and that his provision confcrs
the power to take all requisite measures To initiate Them
and to this end the PRESIDENT may ircey confer WIN one
several commissioners or delegates from other ma
tons
True as the blessed Gospel but who has ques
toned itl Housel Supreme Courtf Senatel
Anybody but the gay young larks who chirp
through all streets in search Of items for their
spectiye newspapers, and who would question with
lust as careless q twittering the authority OF the
Great White Throne, if thereby they could enhance
the value of "Our ontcrprising reporter" to the
journal that employs himl But shall President of
the United states send messages to Congress to
teach the G OF the Constitution to the nOvices of
Newspaper Row1 Let the President be assured that
he NAV confer" with the commissioners and dele
gates of other nations just as freely" as with Mr.
Murphy and other commissioners or delegates from
New-York and that he more needs to argue out
with Congress his right to confer with Mr.. Gem
missioner of Guatemala than his right to confer"
with Mr. Bigln of NeW-Yorll till o'clock in the
morning The one Is hardly simpler right than
the other
The congress contemplated by the invitation could
only effect any valuable result by it's conclusions eventu-
aly taking the of treaty OF peace between the
represented, and, besides, the invitation to the
States Of North and South America j. merely prenl-
nary net which the cOnstitutiOnalty the want Of
it, hardly be affirmed
True. again but whcrcforel With what unseen
opponent, pursucs the President his pathetic
soningl "And, BESIDES" says the message, paren-
h,fto
boudoir hat than the smooth matured conclusions
of a State paper In the rough and tumble of
daily journalism people expect n hop-and-gO-fOr
ward style now and then, but surely from the high
bred calm in which we have been taught that the
State Department now repOscs we should not look
for the verbal agitation and the varied inelegance
| of this schoolgirl syntaX.
| The syntax and the logic of the following SEN
| tence meet and kiss each other:
It has been suggested that while the International
Congress would have power affect the rights of ma
tiOnaes there represented, stu Congress might be
willing to subject the existing treaty rights OF the United
States the Ishmus and elsewhere the continent
cOuded and rendered uncertain by the expression of
opinions of congress composed largely OF interesee
parties.
protest that the citizens of this country are Just
as unwilling Congress can be, to subject things
| to be clouded TO the Peace COngresS-whateycr
| that may mean. But why the President should APP
| peal TO a Congress that has nothing to do with
treaties TO defend treaty rights against Congress
| that has no power over rights, fail TO see. How
the Isthmus rights of the United States-the strong
est nationality represcntcd-can be liable to be
clouded, or ne-gailed, showed in. or sunstruck,
by body which is admitted to have no power to
affect any rights of any nationality, is problem
TO whose solution | feel constrained to beg the
President to devote supplementary Presidential
message.
am glad to have it in my power offer the Con
grcss of United Staes now do the propTicy of
con veniDg the suggested International Congress.
But great heavens Mr. President the deed is