346 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



neither our intention, nor the desire of the other American 

 states, that we should depart." 



To the Colombian and Mexican ministers, the President 

 had said he would send delegates to the Congress, " should 

 the Senate of the United States . . . give their advice and 

 consent " ; to the Senate he simply said, " Ministers on the 

 part of the United States will be commissioned to attend." 



It was generally supposed to be the custom, as well as 

 within the law, for the executive, in the creation of a new 

 mission, simply to nominate envoys for the purpose, in which 

 case, if the Senate did not agree with the President in the 

 expediency of the suggested mission, it could exercise its 

 authority by declining to confirm the nominations. The 

 President's numerous political enemies in the Senate chose 

 to avail themselves of this opportunity to attack the adminis- 

 tration, and a bitter discussion of the constitutional right 

 of the President to create the mission to Panama followed. 

 On December 26 (1825), the President sent a special mes- 

 sage to Congress on the subject, in which he remarked : 



Although this measure was deemed to be within the constitu- 

 tional competency of the Executive, I have not thought proper 

 to take any step in it before ascertaining that my opinion of its 

 expediency will concur with that of both branches of the Legisla- 

 ture, first, by the decision of the Senate upon the nominations to 

 be laid before them, and, secondly, by the sanction of both Houses 

 to the appropriations, without which it cannot be carried into 

 effect. 



In defence of his policy he went on to say : 



It will be seen that the United States neither intend nor are 

 expected to take part in any deliberations of a belligerent char- 

 acter ; that the motive of their attendance is neither to contract 

 alliances nor to engage in any undertaking or project importing 

 hostility to any other nation. 



The President further suggested that the South American 

 nations " in the infancy of their independence " and through 

 mere inexperience, had failed in some of their duties to other 

 nations ; that through the friendly means of a general Con- 



