The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-11-30
THE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL
CONGRESS.


No such representative American
body has ever been convened before.
It will embrace official representa-
tives of all the independent govern
ments on the American continent.
Beginning at the Canadian line and
going south to Cape Horn, every
square mile of territory except
Guiana is included in the area rep
resented, besides the republics of
Hayti and San Domingo, in the
island group between North and
South America. Canada and Cuba
and other islands are not to partici-
pate simply because they are the
possessions of foreign powers. and
are not at liberty to speak for them
selves, Including the United States
nineteen nations will deliberate IN
the Congress; and~it is fact Of sig
nifcance, as indicative Of her poll
tical influence in this Western world,
that, with single exception, all the
nations are republics, Brazil is an
empire with a foreign ruler; but vir-
tually it is a constitutional govern
ment with an Emperor as Presi-
dent.
There is, therefore, a bond of
sympathy between these American
nations, due In some measure to geo
graphical contiguity, but in much
larger degree to similarity Of poll
tical institutions and to toe wide
spread feeling of manifest destiny"
Though there are marked differ
ences between the United States
and its neighbors to the south in the
character of their populations and
the tone of their civilizations, the
conviction that there is a commun
ity of interest stronger than those
differences refuses to be set aside.
It is the persistence Of this conVic
ton that has led to the calling of the
Congress about to assemble at Wash
ington. Very appropriately the old
est and strongest Republic took the
initiative and formulated the scheme
for the meeting. The series ofques-
tions which are to engage the atten-
ton of the distinguished body brings
up an astonishing series of facts as
to the present relations between our
own and the other nations repre-
sented. It is almost incredible that
such serious hindrances to the inter
change of commerce and to more
frequent and friendly inter-commun-
icatiOn should have been allowed to
exist so long, without any determined
effort, until the present, to remove
them. We seek commercial rela-
tons with the most distant quarters
of the globe with more assiduity than
we seek them with our own CONT
mental neighbors. We are keen to
enter into commercial treaties with
China, Korea, and the interior Of
Africa, but slow to conclude such
treaties with Mexico and other ma
tions at our own doors. And even
now on the eve of the assembling of
the International Congress at Wash
ington, the leaders of public opinion
among us preserve an attitude of
silence that is ominous as to the out
come. The secret of this silence,
this apparent Indifference, we do not
know, we will not undertake to
guess. If the proceedings of the
Congress shall arouse the business
sense of our people, we may hope for
some action by our own National
Legislature, which has generously
provided for the Congress, but which
will hardly deal boldly and wisely
with the questions involved unless
public sentiment shall in some way
make itself felt,
The articles which we publish this
week on the question to come before
the Congress present with great force
and clearness the difficulties which
well-nigh shut off our commercial re-
lations with our neighbors. There
is, first, the condition of our carry
ing trade, which is most humiliating
to nation of our wealth of resour-
ces and productions. We cannot
here discuss the merits of the
various schemes to improve it; but
it will be noticed that our contribu-
ton are unanimous in the opinion
that government subsidies should be
given in fact, if not in form. We do
not hesitate to express our agree
ment with them. If we are apt to
put our own and not foreign bottoms
simply bearing our flag on the
routes to the Central and South
American ports we must afford ma
tional aid, however Objectionable
this may be to our American ideas,
and however liable to abuse. Other
nations do it, and we must if would
have our flag on the seas again, un-
less we are ready to accept the al
tentative of abandoning the protect
i've system to a dangerous if not dis
astrous degree This, however, is
chiefly national question for us
alone.
The second obstacle is in the diff
ferences between tariffs, the third in
the variety of customs regulations,
the fourth in the piracy of trade
marks and the fifth in the lack Of a
uniform system of weights and
Mr.. Mcconnell shows
how vexatious and cumbersome are
the methods which merchants must |
submit to in the transaction of bust
ness with the various South Amer
lean States. Uniformity in these
matters is of the greatest import
ance, in order that the channels of |
trade may be opened and kept open;
and the community of interest
which noiobhorhoOd s17ppeS+s Oi1oht !