No. 480.
Mr. Morgan
to Mr. Blaine.
Mexico, November 2, 1881. (Received November 17.)
Sir: Complying with instructions contained in your dispatch No. 164, August 24 last, that I should transmit promptly, as events progressed, all information on the pending difficulties between Mexico and Guatemala, I have now to report that a few days since I received the visit of Señor Herrera, the Guatemalan minister. He had lately had an interview with President Gonzalez, and he expressed himself to me as not being at all satisfied therewith. He appears to believe that hostilities will soon break out between the two countries. Although I have on several occasions lately seen Señor Mariscal, he has never mentioned the subject to me.
The only person at all connected with the government with whom I have had any conversation upon the matter since my last dispatch relating thereto, No. 289, October 20, is Mr. Fernandez, the “oficial mayor” of the foreign office. Meeting him casually one morning in front of my dwelling, I requested him to send me a duplicate copy of Señor Mariscal’s report to Congress, which I inclosed to you in my dispatch No. 291, October 25. He introduced the subject of Guatemala, but spoke in very general terms. I said to him that I saw with great pain that, a conflict between that country and Mexico was imminent, that I felt the United States had done everything in their power to prevent it, and that on my part I had endeavored to carry out my instructions in that direction. More than all, I said, I was grieved to see that my government’s intentions in the matter had been misinterpreted, for whereas it had never had any object beyond wishing to keep the peace on this continent between two neighboring republics, its kindly offer at mediation had been received as an officious interference in a matter which did not concern it, if not as a menace, and that until the subject should be mentioned to me by Señor Mariscal, in the absence of further instructions from you, I could say nothing further. Pleasantly, I said my great concernment in the matter was that, as the appetite is said to grow upon what it feeds upon, after Mexico had disposed of Guatemala, she would not be satisfied until she had eaten Texas. I spoke thus to Señor Fernandez believing that he would report our conversation to Señor Mariscal, and in the hope that that gentleman would when the occasion presented itself introduce the subject, and thus give me another opportunity to present to him your views.
Several opportunities have occurred since then, but he has kept silent.
The subject is on every tongue. It is constantly discussed by the press, and I feel it my duty to say that nothing has occurred since I have been here which has excited so much bad feeling against us as [Page 813] this proffer of arbitration. Say what I may to the contrary, it is considered as a menace. Every one I meet speaks to me upon the subject. To all I have held the same language, viz, that the United States had no other object in suggesting an arbitration beyond wishing to make a war between Mexico and Guatemala unnecessary, and that as regards Mexico, it would be, I considered it, deeply to be lamented if she set the example of acquiring territory by conquest, and this course I shall continue to follow until otherwise instructed.
The Trait d’Union of this morning publishes a paragraph to the effect that Mexico has 5,000 soldiers on the frontier of Guatemala, and that Guatemala also has a considerable number of troops there. The article and translation thereof I inclose.
I am, sir, &c.,