The following is from the " Philadelphia Bulletin"
Even before its regular organisation was effected, the Pan-American Congress at the Mexican capital placed itself on record in favour of peace on this hemis sphere by adopting a resolution urging the governments of Colombia and Venezuela to stop fighting and compose their differ~ ences in a friendly manner.
Tt may be doubted whether this recommendation will have a decisive effect, but ib is at any rate an encouraging indication. for it shows that a majority of the dele gates realise the importance of framing some scheme of procedure under which Latin-American disputes cane settled without recourse to the wasteful savagery of war.
It is to be noted that Chile strenuously opposed the sending of this message, but its attitude should not excite surprise. Confident of their own military and naval strength and chronically hostile to every proposition which has the United States behind it, the Chileans are disposed to resist all attempts to put the principles of arbitration in practice on the South American continent. Holding, as they do, a large portion of what was formerly the most valuable territory of Peru and apparently aspiring to further forcible expansion in the hope of becoming the dom-mant power below the Isthmus of Panama, the ruling element in Chile are in no mood to accept a programme which would tie the hands of their sailors and soldiers.
If the Congress fails to carry out the beneficent and peaceful purpose for which it was convened, the responsibility for its failure will chiefly rest on the aggressive little nation whose past successes in war have seemingly turned the heads of its governing classes.
The New York "Sun," commenting on the pro-Spanish sentiment expressed at Congress, says:—
There was nothing not entirely true and proper in the eloquent remarks of Gen. Ratael Reyes, Colombian delegate to the Pan-American Congress, concerning the close bonds between the South American republics and their mother country ther the dignity of this nation nor the potency or potentiality of the Monroe Doctrine was impaired in the slightest deuxee by the oratorical expression of an of mag fectionate sentiment toward Spain. was natural that Gen. Reyes should speak as he did at the banquet to the delegates in the presence of the Spanish Minister to Mexico. The circumstance t! the Umited States had been recently at war with Spain was no bar to hearty concur rence in the spirit of Gen, Reyes': remarks by the representatives of this country officially present.
The ties between the Latin-American peoples and Old Spain are those of race, language, history, tradition, and psychology. They are not political. In the nature of things they cannot again become political in any sense inconsistent with the requirements of the Monroe Doctrine, which means as much to the republics south of us as it does to ourselves.
Good feeling toward Spain is probably as conspicuous at this time north of the Rio Grande as anywhere on the American continent beyond that river. We doubt if there is any country in the world where good wishes for Spain's welfare and increasing prosperly are livelier than here in the United States to-day: and it is a pleasure to add that every indication of the sentiment of the Spanish people points to a re-establishment of the friend-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.