Minister Hale to the
Secretary of State.
No. 17.]
American Legation,
San José
,
May 2, 1914
.
Sir: I have the honor to enclose a copy of the
message read by President Jimenez to the Congress of Costa Rica, which
met yesterday according to law, and a translation of the same.
I have [etc.]
[Inclosure—Translation—Extract.]
[Untitled]
Gentlemen:
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you and to give here a brief
outline of the general state of affairs of the Republic of Costa
Rica.
In our foreign affairs, the most important matters are: Our boundary
dispute with the Republic of Panama, which controversy, as you know,
is about to be settled; and the difference which came up as a result
of the canal treaty between the United States and Nicaragua, which
was made without our opinion and without our cooperation. When the
rumor circulated that the treaty was going to be signed, Costa Rica
took steps to have her rights respected by those two Governments. As
the treaty is as yet but a mere project, pending before the American
Senate for approval, there is no need of alarm, as it might never go
any further than its present state. So this Government deemed it
needless to press its complaint; and I have so much faith in the
high justice of those two Governments, signers of the treaty, and in
the strength of our claim, that I have no doubt that the matter will
be so arranged as to have the incontestable rights of Costa Rica
taken into consideration.
In other respects our foreign relations with the two mentioned
Republics, as well as with the rest of the world, have been good and
friendly.