The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-05-28


| GARFIELD DAYS.
mr.. niniue'A Clear Expnsition OF The
Foreign Poiicy-ihe Fcacc Congress
anu Its Abandonment. ll,aUp r
The following letter, written by Mr..
Blaine and widely published at the time,
has q pecullar.interest now:
S9S AUGUSTA, Me-, September !, 1882. /,
The foreign policy OF President Gar.
heldB administration had two principal
objects In view: First, to bring about peace
aud prevent future wars In North and
South America; second, TO cultivate such
friendly commercial relations with all
American countries as would lead to a
large increase in tho export trade In the
United States, by supplying those fabrics
In which wO arc abundantly able 10 com.
pete with the manufacturing nati,ns Of
Europe. u 100
To attain the second object the frat must
bs accomplished. i. would bs idle 10 at.
tempt the development and enlargement
oil our trade with the countries OF North
and South America II that trade were
laoie Of any unforeseen moment IS be VIC.
lently interrupted by any such wars as that
which Tor three years has ensrotssd and
almost engulfed Chill, Peru and Boliyin;
as that which was barely aver;ed by the
friendly offices o. the United States DO.
tween Chill and tho Argentine Republic:
rs that which has been postponed by tho
same good offices, between Mexico and
Guatemala; as that which Is threatened be-
tween Brazil and Uruguay; as that which
is even now foreshadoHed between Brazil
and the Argentine States. Peace is essen.
tial to commerce, Is the very life OF
honest trade, is the solid basis
OF international prosperity; and yet
there Is no part OF the world
where resort to arms Ia 90 prompt as in
the Spanish American Republics. Those
Republics have grown out OF the old Colo.
NAL divisions, formed from cGpr;cious
granite to favorites by Royal charter, and
their boundaries are in many cases not
clearly dttlned, and consequently afford
the besis Of continual disputes, breaking
forth too often in open war. Toinduce tho
Spanish American States 10 adopt come
peaceful mode OF adjusting their frequent.
~ recurring contentious was regarded by
the late President as ono OF tho most hon.
orablo and useful ends 10 which the diplo.
macy OF the United States could contribute
useful especially 10 those States by secur.
Ing permanentpeace within all their bord-
ere, and useful TO cur own country by AT.
tording coveted opportunity for extend
ing its commerce and securing enlarged
fields for our products and manufactures.
TIE MOTIVE FOR CALLING A PEACE CONGRESS
Instead oil friendly intervention here and
there, patching up treaty between two
countries to-day, securing 2 truce between
| two others tom olow, 1t was apparent to
the President that more comprehensive
plan should be adopted if war was to cease
in the Weatern Hemisphere. It was evil
dent that certain European Powers had 10
the past been interested in promoting strife
between the Spanish American countries.
and might be go interested in the future,
while the United States was wholly and
always on the side Of peace with all our
American neighbors, and peace between
them all.
1. WAS therefore the Presidents belisf
that nero incidental and partial adius,-
ments failed to attain the desired end, and
that common agreement of peace, per-
manent in its character and continual in
ito extent, should, il possible, BIO secured,
To Effect thia end it bad been resolved, be-
fore the fatal shot OF July ., TO invite all the
independent governments Of North md
South America to meet in Peace Com
gress at Washington. Tho date to be al.
signed was the 18Th OF March, 1852, ana the
invitations would have been Issued directly
after the Nsw England tour, which the
President was not permitted to make,
Nearly six months later, on November %,
Pfesident GarfelG's successor Issued tbs
invitations for the Peace Congress- in the
same spirit and scope and with the same
limitations and restrictions that had been
originally designed.
AS soon rs the project was understood in
South America it received a most cordial
approval, and some OF tho countries, not
following the leisurely routine OF dip!o.
matte correspondence, made haste to &C.
cept the invitation. There can be no doubt
that within brief period all the nations
invited would have formally signified their
readiness TO attend the Conereae; but in
six weeks after the invitations had gone to
tho several countries, President Arthur
caused them to be recalled, or a. least sus.
pended. Tho subject was afterwards re.
ierred to Congress, in special message,
in which the President ably vindicated Ills
Constitutional right 10 assemble the Peace
| Congress, but expressed desire that the
legislative department Of the government
should give M opinion upon the expedi.
ency Of the step before the Congress uhould
be alloSed to convene. Meanwhile the
nations that received the invitations we're
in an embarrassing situation; for after thew
were asked by the President to come, they
found that the matter had been reconsid.
cred and referred to another department OF
the government. This change WIS uni.
versslly accepted as practical though
indirect abandonment Of the project,
for it was not from the first
probable that Congress would take any &C.
ton whatever upon the eubiee The good
will and welcome Of the invitation would
be destroyed by q long debate in the Sen.
ate and House, in which the question would
become necessarily intermixed with per.
sonal and party politics, and the project
would be ultimately wrecked from tho same
Gauge and by tho same process that de.
stroyed the usefulness Of the Panama Con.
gress more than fifty years ago, when Mr..
Clay waB Secretary o. State. Tho time for
Congressional action would have been at.
Ter the Peace Conference had closed its
doors. The conference could not agree
upon anything thst would be binding up.
on the United States, unIess aesented to 80
n treaty by the Senate, or enacted into
law by both branches. The assembling OF
the Peace Conference, ss President Arthur
go well demonstrated, was not in deropa.
ton OF any right or prerogative Of the Sen.
ate or Houee. The money necessary for
the expenses of the coniersnce-which
would not have exceeded $1,000
could not, with reason or propriety, have