Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-02-14
DAILY posT-INTELLlGEHcER
nsxE ABeeT Tas ceses CONFER
ENTE

uogR aBsET zee coSss eOsfEa-
ExCE-
In the nidst Of the more importAnt
news telsrrspbsd from Earope In these
day. Of var In Egypt and dynamite IN
I.oudon, the comparatively uneIeistn9
Congo Copfsreree aud it, modest vork
Of pareslIina out half continent, sesaa
10 have been entirely forgotten The
Confsrerae u isoz scarcely mentioned
outslde Of A.aegica and even here q -
brought up oas7 when some ns~spspef
wishes 10 score point aRainss Frssl'
dent Arthur's administration. For, ST
tsr thorough discussion,ii is undoabtsd-
In tue sober second shcDght OF ses peo'
ole of the Uniisd States that grave
mistake was made IN allowing Ansrican
representatives 10 enter the Conference
Tkis cauviesion bad been growing Tor
anna time, antil when Mr.. Prsiinahuy-
sen transmitted 70 the Hosss Of Repre-
ssutativsa his statement Of the reasons
for Mr.. Kasson's pressnes auoonG see
assembled diplomats Of RaFOTe. his case
appeared NO weak that the public Al
once became convinced that there sx-
isssd no reil reason fer tbs action.
At frs. !. seemed the proper thing for
lhe United States 10 receive this FeeoR.
milton At the hands Of the European
Powers. Ths vanity Of the people vas
ticklea, bat their eInltstion did not last
fer q great while. Wbea the Confer
saos passsd beyond the consideration 81
mere commercial restrictions and regn.
iatsons, and began 10 divide up large
sections Of tsrrit0ry, and 70 ses 40 gov
eminent over what vas left. our dele
gates began 10 appear decidedly out OF
place. When ct last IL was limited that
Earops Vas casting about for prince
70 pisos at the head Of the new state,
the situation becslme grotssqas. II did
not seem ut all fitting for the Govern
meat founded by Washington, jefferson
and Franklin TO I've combining With the
meaarohsss OF tie old world with the
amiable intention Of forcing prince
upon people who had never expressed
any desire for such . luxury.
Bat saide from the inoongruity OF thu
situation, 1t m plain that serious mis-
take has been made. The United States
while they cannot permit any EuropeaI
nation TO interfere in the affairs Of thi
continent, on the other hand. eanno
themseIvss afford to interfere in th'
Affairs Of any other continents. Walk
eur participation In the Congo Confer
enos will probably not be made pre-
tsxt for Earopean interference in th
affairs Of Central or South America, tn,
fac4 remains that il could with sozs
iastica be made such preteIt. Will
TO actual damage may have been done
the impregnable position occupied b,
America Ia the unbroken assertion OF
the Monroe Doctrine has been more o
less broken down. 10 this fact lie pos
abilities which are not At all pleasant
10 Contemplate. 10 be sure We can con
grainlste ourselves on the fact that the.
are only possibilities instead OF proba
bilities; bat there was no necessity fo'
their existence either ~ the ons or the
othar.
sapposs, for instance, and in contem.
plating possibilities all snppositions
must be considered, that Bismarck
should desermiRa. In the near future,
that any canal constructed across the
isthmns OF Panama must be under in
isrnasioaal control, or suppose that
England should take the same measures
70 seeuFe payment Of the Mexicsn bonds
that she onos took 10 secare thar Of the
Egypsian. OF suppose that sone in,erna
tional conference should undertake q
rearrAngt the basin of the Amazon. In
answer 10 the protest frsm Ameries
whioh any such action woaid surely cal
forth. The Eurspsa,n ueddleEs could
point significantly b the records Of the
Congo Conferences. where no one took q
more active part than Mr.. KAsson and
bic two lieutenants. who we're supposed
20 represent America. while they reall,
represented oaly Arthur. Frelinghuyssr
and Bancroft Davis.
There vas no necessity for the pres
eaee Of Amerioan delegates 10 the con.
ferenee. We have nothing 20 do viii
the Congo, and We are not anxious fol
any acquisitions in THAI direction. Al
fer or commercial interests. they arr
more Hypothetical than real. and ths
iealsmsies Of che European nation,
would make il impossible for any vio-
lent discrimination IN favor 0f OF
acainst any countEy. II Tiers 10 10 b
any more confefrinR about the Congo
u bad better be done without American
l@..sa-.az~z~