The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-07-10
[From the Chicago Weekly Magazine Sept
10. 1891
Foreign Policy of the Garfield Ad-
ministration.
PEACE CONGRESS- OF THE TWO AMERICAS.
BY JAMES G. BLAINE.

/ PEACE CONGRESS- OF TIE TWO AMERICAS.
BY JAMES G. BLAINE.
The foreign policy of President GarfieId's adj
| ministration had two principal objects in view;
| First, to bring about peace, and 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 the export trade of the
! which we are abundantly able to compete with
the manufacturing nations of Europe.
accomplished. 1t would be idle to attempt the
development and enlargement of our trade
with the countries of North and South America
If that trade were liable at any unforeseen
| moment to be violently interrupted by such
1 wars as that which for three years has engross-
ed and almost engulfed Chill, Peru, and Bo-
between Chill and, the Argentine Re-
| poned by the same good offices, but not decis-
lively abandoned, between Mexico and Guate-
| ma1a; as that which was threatened between
| Brazil and Uruguay; as that which is even now
| fOreshadowed between Brazil and the Argen-
tine States: Peace is essential to commerce, is
the very life of honest trade is the solid basis
no part Of the world where a resort to arms is
SO prompt as in the Spanish American Re-
publics. Those Republics have grown out of
| the old Colonial divisions, formed from capri
cious grants to fayorites by Royal charter, and
defined and consequently afford the basis of
| continual disputes, breaking forth too often in
/
| States to adopt some peaceful mode of ADJUST
| ing their frequenti recurring contentious was
regarded by the late President as one OF most
| honorable and useful ends to which the diplo-
| macy of the United States could contribute
useful especially to those States bysecuring
permanent peace within all their borders, and
| useful to our own country by affording COW
| eted opportunity for extending Its commerce
and securing enlarged fields for our products
| Instead Of friendly Intervention here and
4 there, patching up treaty between two coun-
%,sA ff. 1nxr nnrir, hof w an fvUfA
| others tomorrow, it was apparent to the Presi-
| dent that a more comprehensive plan should be
Hemisphere 1t was evident that certain Eu-
ropean Powers had in the past been interested
in promoting strife between the Spanish
American countries. and might be so interest
/ ed in the future, while the interest of the
/ United States was wholly and always on the
side of peace with all our American neighbors,
and peace between them ALL g.
i It was therefore the Presidents belief that
i mere incidental and partial adjustments failed
4 to attain the desired end and that common
| agreement of peace, permanent In its character
and continental in its extent, should If possible
| be secured. To effect this end it had been re-
solved before the fatal shot of July I'd, to invite
| all the independent governments of North ana
| South America to meet in Peace Congress at
Washington. The date to be assigned was the
| 18th of March, 1882, and the invitations would
1 have been issued directly after the New Eng
| land tour, which the President was not per-
| the I'D of November, President Garfield s sue
| cessor issued the Invitations for the Peace Con
X
same limitations and restrictions that had peen
i originally designed.
| AS soon as the project was understood in
! South America it received most cordial ap-
proval, and some of the countries, not follow
| Ing the leisurely routine of diplomatic cores
| pondence, made haste to accept the invitation.
There can be no doubt that within brief
| period all the nations invited would have for
mally signifed their readiness to attend the
| Congress; but in six weeks after the inv1-
| tatiOns had gone to the several countries,
President Arthur, caused them to be recalled
! loo tons dQd GnhinHt
| wards referred to Congress, in specia! mes
sage, in which the president ably vindicated
| Congress, but expressed desire that the Leg
| islative department of the government should
give an opinion upon the eXpediene9y Oh me ne
convene. Meanwhile the nations that re-
ceived the invitations were in an embarrassing
situation; for after they We're asked by the
| President to come they found that the matter
had been reconsidered and referred to another
department of the government. This change
| was universally accepted as practical though
| indirect abandonment of the project, for 1t was
II OF from the first probable that Congress would
take any action whatever upon the subject.
The good will and welcome OF the invitation
would be destroyed by a long debate in the
Senate and House, in which the question would
necessarily become intermixed with personal
and party politics. and the project would be
ultimately wrecked from the same cause and by
the same process that destroyed the usefulness
Of the Panama Congress. more than fifty years
for Nc uny acton Would have
been alter the Peace Conference had closed It's
| labors. The Conference could not agree upon
ANYTHING that would be binding upon the
United States, unless assented to as treaty by
| the senate, or enacted into law by both
branches The assembling of the Peace Con-
ference, as President Arthur so well demon
strated was not in derogation of any right or
prerogative of the Senate or House The money
necessary for the expenses of the Conference
which would not have exceeded ten thousand
dollars-could not, with reason or propriety
have been refused by Congress If 1t had been
refused, patriotism and philanthropy would
have promptly supplied it.
The Spanish American States are in special
need of the help which the Peace Congress
would afford them. They require external
pressure to keep them irony When at war
they require external pressure to bring them
to peace. THEIR outbreaks are not only fire.
quent but are sanguinary and sometimes cruel.
The Inhabitants of those countries are brave
people belonging to a race that has always
been brave, descended of men that have always
take affront, ready to avenge wrong whether
real or fancied. They are at the same time
generous and chivalrous, and though tending
for yeurs past to estrangement and alienation
from us. they would promptly respond TO any
advance made by the Great Republic OF the
North as they have for two generations term
ed our government, The moral influence upon
the Spanish American people of such an Inter-
by the invitation and meeting under the
auspices of the United States, would have
proved beneficent and far-reaching. 1t would
have raised the standard OF their civilization.
1t would have turned their attention to the
things of peace; and the continent, whose IN
developed wealth amazed Humboldt, might
have had life given to it,, new and
splendid career opened to its inhabitants.
Such friendly interventiOns as the proposed
Peace Congress, and as the attempt to restore
peace between Chilli and Peru. fall within the
line of both duty and interest on the part of the
United States Nations like individuals often
require the aid of a. common friend to restore
relations of amity. Peru and Chill are In de-
plorable need of a wise and powerful mediator.
Though exhausted by war, they are unable 10
make peace, and, unless they shall be aided by
the intervention of friend, political anarchy
and social disorder will come to the conquered,
and evils scarcely less serious to the conqueror.
that it will not offer friendly Intervention to
settle troubles between American countries,
unless at the same time 1t freely comedies to
European Governments the right OF such inter-
vention, and thus consents to practical de-
structiOn of the Monroe doctrine and an I'M
limited increase of European and Monarchical
influence on this continent. The late special
envoy to Peru and Chill, Mr.. Trescot, gives 1t
as his deliberate and published conclusion that
II the instructions under which he set out upon
his mission had not been revoked, peace be-
tween those angry belligerents would have
been established the result of his laborS-
necessarily to the great benefit Of the United
states. 1t our government does not resume Its
efforts to secure peace in South America some
European Government will be forced to per-
form that friendly office. The United States
cannot play between nations the part of dog in
manger. We must perform the duty OF humane
Intervention ourselves, or give way to foreign
governments that are willing to accept the re-
sponsibility Of the great trust and secure the
ges resulting from such philanthropic and
benefcent course.
have followed the assembling OF the Peace
Congress. friendship and an intimacy would
have been established between the States of
North and South America, which would have
demanded and enforced a closer commercial
connection. A movement in the near future
as the legitimate outgrowth of assured peace,
would in all probability, have been great
commercial conference at the City of Mexico
or Rio Janeiro, whose deliberations would be
directed to better system of trade on the two
continents. To such a conference the Domin-
ion of Canada could properly be asked to send
Representatives, as that government is allowed
by Great Britain @ very large liberty in regu-
ating its commercial relations. In the Peace
CongI ess to be composed ofindependent govern
ments, the Dominion could not have taken any
part, and was consequently not invited. From
this trade conference of the two continents the
United States could hardly have failed to gain
great advantages At present the commercial
relations of this country with the Spanish
American countries, both continental and in
sular, are unsatisfactory and unprOhtable-in-
deed, those relations are absolutely oppres-
sive to the financial interests of the govern |
ment and the people of the United States. In |
our current exchanges it requires about one
hundred and twenty millions of dollars to pay |
the balance which Spanish America brings |
against us every year. This amount is fifty per
cent. more thansthe average annual product |
of the gold and silver mines of the United |
States during the past five years. This vast |
sum does not of course go to Spanish America |
its equivalent, to pay European countries for |
Spanish America-a large proportion of which |
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