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A PROPOSED PEACE CONGRESSSource: Advocate of Peace (1847-1884), New Series, Vol. 13, No. 2 (APRIL, 1882), pp. 17-18Published by: World Affairs InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27906251 .
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THE ADVOCATE OF PEACE.
THE SOUTH AMERICAN REPUBLICS. The attention of the people of North America has
for several years been directed to the condition of the South American republics, and of late more
closely and intimately than ever. War has been of
frequent occurrence among them, and they have been made still more feeble by its devastation. The nu merous international strifes in which they have en
gaged have been carefully watched by the statesmen of the United States, and much speculation has been rife as to the future of the several republics. A
glance at their political and material condition has served as the basis for a very instructive article by
Mr. T. W. Osborn, in the current number of the In ternational Review, in which he discusses their possi bilities for becoming a power among the nations of the world.
There are ten independent governments in South America and the three Guineas, which are depend encies on European powers. Of these governments Brazil is an empire, having an area of 3,609,160 square miles, and 11,058,000 inhabitants. The other nine are republics, their area and population being 3,789,220 square miles and 16,436,751 inhabitants. The aggregate area of the nine republics exceeds that of Brazil by 180,060 square miles, and the total
population exceeds that of Brazil by 5,069,552. Mr. Osborn pertinently observes that the national
weakness of these nine republics and their lack of
stability have long been their most prominent char- ! acteristics. For various obvious reasons, he contends
that these nine South American republics could and should confederate together and organize a central national government, thereby creating one great re
public, in which the present nine republics would as sume the position of sovereign States subordinate to the central power. "By doing so they would in
every governmental and material manner be benefit
ed, and the welfare of all their people would be ad. vanced. The aggregate area, the number of inhabi
tants, the active and the latent wealth of the coun
try, and the ability and the experience of the South American statesmen, are sufficient to make and main tain one magnificent nation. A nation would be created which would at its birth rank seventh or
eighth among the great powers of the world, and third among the great republics. In a short time it would stand equal with the foremost ; it would have
recognized influence in international councils, and it would add a third to the two great republics now when the masses of all nations tend toward the prin ciples of republicanism. As these nine republics now stand, the voice of any one of them, or of all, in the aggregate, is unrecognized in international
politics. As nations they are weaklings, and have
been too unstable to secure influence beyond their nearest neighbors. Their confederation would insure
; stability at home, and secure that power abroad which every nation covets."
This proposition has many advantages to recom
I mend it, and perhaps may be the true solution of all the South American troubles. At present not one of the republics could successfully resist an army sent
against it by any of the great powers. A confedera tion of the kind outlined would create a nation hav
ing an area of 3,789,220 square miles, almost 17, ! 000,000 inhabitants and an annual commerce of $363,
000,000. That is a greater area of square miles than the United States now has, and we began as a na
I tion with only 3,000,000 people. The Spanish blood
predominates, and the Spanish language is every I where spoken. The several governments are at
peace, or will be soon, and ther^e would be no distur bance by a change te an enlarged nationality. The burdens of taxation would certainly be reduced, as one government would then be supported where nine distinct ones are now carried on with all the costly appliances, such as the army, navy, diplomatic corps, etc. With a connected system of railroads, it is not difficult to see that the present annual commerce of
$363,000,000 could easily be increased, as the bound less resources of the country would then be devel
oped. In conclusion, as the writer well says, wars, revolutions and insurrections in all that country would cease and the stain of instability would be re
moved from the name of republic.?Boston Daily Globe.
A PROPOSED PEACE CONGRESS. The late Secretary of State, James G. Elaine,
with the concurrenc? first of President Garfield and then of President Arthur, issued an invitation to all the independent governments on the American con
tinent, each to send two Commissioners to a con
gress to be held in Washington, "for the purpose of
agreeing on such basis of arbitration as would re move all possibility of war in the Western Hemi
sphere," between the Powers represented. The date of this congress was to have been Eleventh mo. 22d, 1882. The circular of invitation states that, "For some
years past a growing disposition has been mani fested by certain States of Central and South Amer
ica, to refer disputes affecting grave questions of international relationship and boundaries to arbitra tion rather than to the sword." * * *
"The existence of this growing tendency con
vinces the President that the time is ripe for a pro
posal that shall enlist the good will and active co
operation of all the States of the Western Hemi
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18 THE ADVOCATE OF PEACE.
sphere, both North and South, in the interest of
humanity and for the common weal of nations. He conceives that none of the governments of America can be less alive than our own to the dangers and horrors of a state of war, and especially of war be tween kinsmen.. He is sure that none of the chiefs of government on the continent can be less sensitive than he is to the sacred duty of making every en deavor to do away with the chances of fratricidal
strife, and he looks with hopeful confidence to such active assistance from them as will serve to show the broadness of our common himianity, the strength of the ties which bind us all together as a great and harmonious system of American commonwealths."
The circular suggests that "The attention of the
congress shall be strictly confined to this one great object, and its sole aim shall be to seek a way of
permanently averting the horrors of a cruel and
bloody contest between countries oftenest of one blood and speech, or the even worse calamity of in ternal commotion and civil strife ; that it shall re
gard the burdensome and far-reaching consequences of such a struggle, the legacies of exhausted finan
ces, of oppressive debt, of paralyzed industries, of devastated fields, of ruthless conscriptions, of the
slaughter of men, of the grief of the widow and the
orphan, of embittered resentments that long sur vive those who provoked them, and heavily afflict the innocent generations that come after."
Since the accession of Secretary Frelinghuysen, President Arthur has decided to place upon Congress the responsibility of such an invitation. It is to be
hoped that that. body will take favorable action
upon the proposal. But the fact that such an invi, tation was issued is a proof that a hatred of the brutal nature of war and the miseries it entails, be
gins to influence not alone obscure but tender-hearted men and women, but also men who are also leaders of nations. The sense of the grave incompatability of international slaughter with the religion of Christ is deepening, and although the hour may be de
layed, the same application of Christian principles which has so nearly abolished slavery in all Chris tendom will lead to the settlement of international
questions by legal methods. As other questions now claiming attention are satisfactorily settled, Christian statesmen, inspired by a noble and holy ambition, will seek to spread the reign of peace, and be sustained in their measures by the common consent of an enlightened Christian conscience.? Friends1 Review.
Dr. Charles E. Lord delivered a very able ad dress in the Shawmut Congregational Church, Sun day, April 2d, in the interests of the American
Peace Society, on "Peace and Arbitration."
VENEZUELA'S REPLY. Under date of Caracas, Jan. il, 1882, Mr. Carter
informs Mr. Frelinghuysen that on Dec. 28, in a
personal interview, he suggested to the minister of exterior relations of Venezuela "the desirableness of a congress of the independent States of North and South America, with a view of devising some
method by which controversies arising among them from any cause could be satisfactorily adjusted other wise than by a resort to force, so as to avert the evils of war."
Under date of Caracas, Jan. 7, 1882, Senor Sei
jas, in response to Mr. Carter's communication of
the 29th ult., acknowledges the receipt of the invi
tation, with its accompanying explanatory letter from Mr. Blaine, states that he has submitted it to the President of the republic, and adds : "After
the illustrious American had heard the reading of both communications he esteemed the conception that they conveyed as great and worthy of being ac
cepted with enthusiasm by all the Spanish Ameri can republics, for this idea is in the line of their wishes and coincides with the one that inspired Boli var in the formation of the congress at Panama, so
warmly applauded by th? President of the United
States, Mr. John Quincy Adams. It is certainly a source of satisfaction that the first republic of the
world, loyal to her noble antecedents (in view of the growing tendency of these countries to look to
arbitration, and not to arms, for the solution of in ternational difficulties, and to consider her as their
friend and mediator), should, after having inter
posed on various occasions her good offices, and
succeeded in preventing conflicts or putting an end to those existent, without pretension of dictator
ship and solely as a proof of common friendship, inspired only by considerations of philanthropy and civilization, take charge of a matter which con
cerns mainly the other countries of the western con
tinent, and should utilize the great influence derived from her immense progress and wealth to prevent the horrible calamities of wars between brethren, and should consent to preside over the deliberations of a peace congress that proposes to devise the means of ending future disagreement without an ap
peal to war ; and this satisfaction increases when
contemplating the United States acting in a man
ner that saves independence arid other attributes of
sovereignty, especially the equality between her and
the nations by which the congress is to be formed, in offering and employing all her influence in har
monizing whatever integrity of interest may exist
between the States which answer to this call, and
even assuming the expenses for the inauguration of
the congress, etc., as your excellency has informed
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