File No. 832.032/5.
Message of the President.
[Extract—Translation.]
The American Ambassador, in a note of January 21, 1913, suggested to
our Foreign Office that it would be desirable, for strengthening the
traditional friendship that unites Brazil to the United States, that
the statesmen of the two countries should cultivate personal
relations with each other, thus emphasizing the benefits produced by
the visit which the Secretary of State, Mr. Elihu Root, made to us
in 1906 on the occasion of the Third International American
Conference.
To this end the Ambassador stated that he was instructed to say that
if the Government of Brazil found it suitable to appoint the
Minister for Foreign Affairs to return the visit of Secretary Root,
he would be very cordially and affectionately received as the guest
of the American Nation, which would endeavor to give him the
opportunity to become acquainted with that country under the most
favorable auspices in so far as the period of his visit would
permit.
Since Mr. Taft’s term of office would expire on March 4, and he would
be succeeded by the President-elect, Mr. Wilson, the Ambassador’s
note added that the Administration that had the honor and pleasure
of extending this invitation to our Minister, would not be the one
officially to welcome him upon his arrival; but that the
Administration of President Wilson, who would then have been
inaugurated, would doubly esteem that visit in case it should occur
in the months of March and April, thus evidencing the desire of the
Brazilian Government to salute the new Administration immediately
upon its taking office, and to establish personal relations with the
American Executive and the statesmen who would direct the public
affairs of the United States during the ensuing four years.
In a note of April 18, 1913, our Ambassador stated to the Minister of
State for Foreign Affairs that the Administration of President
Wilson had shown the same cordial appreciation in regard to his
visit to the United States as the Administration of his illustrious
predecessor had manifested, and that the Secretary of State, Mr.
Bryan, would take satisfaction in receiving the visit of our
Minister in his official capacity whenever it might be convenient
for him.
Accepting this gratifying invitation, the Brazilian Government
resolved that Doctor Lauro Müller, in his official character as.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, should visit the great
American Nation, in recognition of the visit of Mr. Root, made to
our country in 1906. He will leave in a few days to discharge this
national mission.
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The proceedings relating to sales of coffee from the valorization
stock, instituted in the United States, have been happily ended and
the two Governments have arrived at an understanding whereby the
existing stock can be placed on the market without valorization.
Through the medium of our Embassy at Washington our Foreign Office
declared that the sales had been bona fide, whereupon the Attorney
General of the United States, satisfied with that assurance, also
declared that the American Government would not prosecute the matter
further.
Brazil took real pleasure in welcoming the Delegates of the American
Republics to the International Commission of Jurists created by the
Convention of August 23, 1906, signed in Rio de Janeiro during the
Third International American Conference. The commission met from
June 26 to July 19, in this city, and the Delegates of seventeen
Nations were present at the opening session, namely those of the
United States of America, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Salvador,
Uruguay and Brazil; and, at a later session, those of Cuba, Bolivia
and Venezuela. The Dominican delegate, Mr. Americo Lujo, did not
take part, being still en voyage on the closing day. And we regret
that the Delegates of Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua were not
present.
The Commission held six ordinary sessions besides the preparatory,
inaugural and closing sessions. At the inaugural session Doctor
Lauro Müller, Minister of State for Foreign Relations, was made
Honorary President, and Doctor Epitacio Pessôa, the Brazilian
Delegate, was elected President.
Of the special committees appointed by the International Commission
of Jurists, there are at work those of Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo,
Santiago de Chile, and Buenos Aires; those of Washington and Lima
have not yet convened.
The law No. 2416 of June 28, 1911, regulates extradition of nationals
and foreigners and the prosecution and sentence thereof when
perpetrators, outside of this country, of any of the crimes
mentioned in the law, and Article 12 provides that upon the
promulgation of the law copies be sent to all the Nations having
relations with Brazil, all existing treaties of extradition being
terminated. By virtue of this provision copies of the law were sent
to the interested Governments and the existing treaties terminated
by our Government. At the date of this law the following Acts
relative to extradition were in effect:* * * with the United States
of America: the Treaty of May 14, 1897, and the annexed Protocols of
May 28, 1898, and May 29, 1901. The Treaty and the two Protocols
were denounced on January 23, 1913, by a note of our Embassy at
Washington; as the provision for terminating them is for a period of
six months, the three Acts will cease to be in effect on July 23 of
this year.
* * * The Fifth Annual Conference of the Southern Commercial
Congress, with its seat at Washington, will meet: at Mobile,
Alabama, in the fall of 1913, on the occasion of the opening of the
Panama Canal. The Delegate of Brazil is our Consul General in New
York, Mr. Manuel Jacintho Ferreira da Cunha.
