CHAPTER II.

LEGISLATION AND PROPOSED LEGISLATION RELATING TO THE

INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN CONFERENCE.

It may not be uninteresting to note briefly the steps taken in the Congress of the United States towards bringing about the International American Conference, from which sprang the Intercontinental Railway Commission. On the 21st of January, 1880, the Hon. David Davis, of Illinois, introduced a bill which is said to be the first suggestion found in the records of Congress of legislation bearing upon this subject. The bill was for the encouragement of closer commercial relationship between the United States and the republics of Mexico, Central America, the Empire of Brazil, and the several republics of South America, and, after reciting the advantages to accrue from better means of intercommunication, authorized and requested the President of the United States to notify the governments of Mexico, Central and South America to send delegates to Washington to meet in convention in the month of June, 1880, for the adoption of such measures as might be considered the most practicable to carry forward the work of constructing a through line of railroad running at the foot of the eastern slope of the Andes.

On the 24th of April, 1882, Mr. Cockrell, of Missouri, introduced in the Senate a bill to authorize the appointment of a special commissioner for promoting commercial intercourse with such countries of Central and South America as might be found to possess the most natural and valuable facilities for railway intercommunication with each other and with the United States, the said commissioner to visit the several states of Central and South America to obtain all facts and information that could be utilized in extending friendly and commercial intercourse between them and the United States, and to ascertain the disposition and purposes of the inhabitants of the several countries, with reference to railway intercommunication.

On the same day, Mr. Morgan, of Alabama, introduced a bill for the encouragement of closer commercial relations between the United States and the repub

lics of Mexico, Central America, the Empire of Brazil, and the several republics of South America, the President of the United States being requested to invite the governments to send delegates to meet in convention at Washington during the year 1882, to adopt measures to undertake and carry forward in the interests of peace, commerce, and mutual prosperity, the organization of an international administration to which should be entrusted the duty of encouraging the work of constructing a through line of railroad along and at the foot of the eastern slope of the great mountain-chain extending from Central America to Chile. Similar bills were introduced in the House of Representatives, and after being referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, an adverse report was rendered.

On the 8th of February, 1883, Mr. Cockrell, of Missouri, introduced a bill similar to that previously proposed by him, for the appointment of a special commissioner to visit Central and South America, a like bill being offered in the House. At the beginning of the next session, Mr. Cockrell reintroduced the bill in the Senate, and it was likewise offered in the House. On the 11th of December, 1883, Senator Sherman again tendered the bill that had been proposed the year before by Mr. Morgan, the same being introduced in the House. Mr. Townshend, of Illinois, presented a bill providing for the establishment of a commercial league by and between the nations of America, to be known as the Customs Union of America.

On the 3d of March, 1884, Mr. Cockrell introduced a bill to authorize the appointment of three commissioners to visit the principal countries of Central and South America for the purpose of collecting information looking to the extension of American trade and commerce, and the strengthening of friendly and mutually advantageous relations between the United States and all the other American nationalities. The commission authorized under this bill was to, "inquire diligently after and to collect such information as may be useful in extending trade and commerce," and also to, "inquire into and ascertain the feelings and inclinations of the peoples of those countries with reference to railway intercommunication between themselves, respectively, and the United States." The bill having been favorably reported by the Committee on Foreign Relations, served as the basis of an amendment to the diplomatic and consular appropriation bill, authorizing the commission which visited Central and South America in 1884 and 1885. Under the above authority the President appointed George H. Sharpe, of New York, Solon O. Thacher, of Kansas, and Thomas C. Reynolds, of Missouri, with William Elroy Curtis as Secretary. Mr. Sharpe resigning in March, 1885, Mr. Curtis was appointed to succeed him. The report submitted by this commission recommend

ed that invitations be extended by the United States to the several other governments of America to join at Washington in a conference to promote commercial intercourse, and to prepare some plan of arbitration.

The Customs Union proposition of Mr. Townshend having been reintroduced by him was adversely reported upon by the Foreign Affairs Committee, to which it had been referred, and the joint resolution offered on the 26th of January, 1886, by Mr. Worthington, authorizing the President of the United States to invite the autonomic governments of America to send delegates to an International American Congress to arrange for the arbitration of all national differences, met with a similar fate. On the 8th of February, 1886, there was reintroduced into both Houses of Congress the bill authorizing the President to invite delegates to a convention in Washington to be held during the year 1886, to consider questions relating to the construction of a railroad; but it was adversely reported upon by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Senator Logan's bill authorizing delegates to an International American Congress to arrange for the arbitration of all national differences, introduced on the 6th of May, met with no better fate at the hands of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

On the 23d of February, Senator Frye, of Maine, presented a bill to promote the political progress and prosperity of the American nations; on the 16th of March, 1886, Mr. Reagan, of Texas, introduced in the House of Representatives a bill to provide for a conference of the American nations on a common standard silver coin and for other purposes; and on the 20th of the same month, Mr. McCreary, of Kentucky, offered,

“A BILL authorizing the President of the United States to arrange a conference for the purpose of encouraging peaceful and reciprocal commercial relations between the United States of America and the republics of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Empire of Brazil.”

On the same day Mr. McKinley, of Ohio, introduced,

"A BILL to authorize the President of the United States to invite the autonomic governments of America to send delegates to an International Congress to arrange the settlement of national differences by arbitration."

On the 15th of April, 1886, Mr. McCreary reported from the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives,

"A BILL authorizing the President of the United States to arrange a conference for the purpose of promoting arbitration and encouraging reciprocal commercial relations between the United States of America and the republics of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Empire of Brazil.”