

354 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



that he looked "... on the message of December, 1823, as 

 forming a bright page in our history. I will neither help to 

 erase it or tear it out ; nor shall it be by any act of mine 

 blurred or blotted. It did honor to the sagacity of the gov- 

 ernment, and I will not diminish that honor. It elevated 

 the hopes and gratified the patriotism of the people. Over 

 those hopes I will not bring a mildew ; nor will I put that 

 gratified patriotism to shame." 



The force of Daniel Webster's logic did not convince 

 the members from the South. The necessary appropriation 

 bill was finally passed, but a heavy tail to the kite was 

 attached by the following resolution : 



It is therefore the opinion of this House that the Government 

 of the United States ought not to be represented at the Congress 

 of Panama except in a diplomatic character, nor ought they to 

 form any alliance, offensive or defensive, or negotiate respecting 

 such an alliance with all or any of the South American republics ; 

 nor ought they to become parties with them, or either of them, to 

 any joint declaration for the purpose of preventing the interfer- 

 ence of any of the European powers with their independence or form 

 of government, or to any compact for the purpose of preventing 

 colonization upon the continents of America, but that the people 

 of the United States should be left free to act, in any crisis in such 

 a manner as their feelings of friendship toward these republics 

 and as their own honor and policy may at the time dictate. 



The way being at last cleared, on May 8 (1826), Mr. Clay, 

 the Secretary of State, instructed the two envoys : - 



" The assembly of a Congress at Panama, composed of dip- 

 lomatic representatives from independent American nations, 

 will form a new epoch in human affairs." With the idea 

 before them that the republican nations of the New World 

 should meet to examine and pass upon their own interests, 

 which were now distinct and separate from the interests of 

 the Old World, the commissioners were to devise means of 

 preserving peace in future among the American nations. 

 They were to assist in the revision of a number of vaguely 

 expressed or unsatisfactory principles of international law, 

 especially as related to the sea " to propose a joint decla- 



