THE MONROE DOCTRINE 347 



gress, such mistakes against the United States might be cor- 

 rected. In this document from the White House, a number 

 of other reasons were urged all seemingly sufficient to the 

 President that the United States should be represented 

 in a general Congress of the Americas. The following sig- 

 nificant words are noteworthy : 



An agreement between all the parties represented at the meet- 

 ing that each will guard by its own means against the establish- 

 ment of any future European colony within its borders may be 

 found advisable. This was more than two years since announced 

 by my predecessor to the world as a principle resulting from the 

 emancipation of both the American continents. It may be so 

 developed to the new southern nations that they will all feel it 

 as an essential appendage to their independence. 



The message closes with the nomination of Richard C. 

 Anderson of Kentucky, and John Sargent of Pennsylvania, 

 " to be' envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary 

 to the assembly of the American nations at Panama." 



A storm of disapproval met the reading of this message. 

 In the Senate many expressed indignation at the President's 

 assumption in nominating delegates to the Panama conven- 

 tion, without first having asked the consent of Congress, and 

 were moved to expressions of greater wrath by the Presi- 

 dent's bold assertion of his constitutional right to send such 

 envoys as he proposed. They railed against his " patroniz- 

 ing effrontery " in asking if Congress did really concur in 

 his opinion of the expediency of the Panama mission, when 

 he had already signified his intention to send delegates. 



A bitter prejudice was engendered in both branches of Con- 

 gress, against the President's project, quite aside and apart 

 from the merits of the question itself. 



There were also many in Congress who did not favor 

 sending commissioners to Panama, for any reason whatever, 

 as they distrusted the volatile character of the Spanish 

 descendants ; and as they doubted their capacity for self- 

 government, they wished to have no political connections with 

 them. It would be unwise, they said, to entangle ourselves 



