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ARGENTINA.

PRESENTATION OF A STATUE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON TO ARGENTINA BY AMERICAN CITIZENS RESIDENT THERE.1

File No. 835.413W27/7.

The American Minister to the Secretary of State.

[Telegram-Paraphrase.]

AMERICAN LEGATION, Buenos Aires, June 30, 1913.

In celebration of the centenary of Argentine independence, American citizens resident in Buenos Aires will present to the Argentine Nation a noble monument to Washington. On the fourth of July I shall make the presentation in behalf of the American Colony, and the gift will be accepted by President Saenz Peña in person. Not only our fellow-citizens here, but the Argentine Government, the public and the press would highly appreciate a message on that occasion from the President.

File No. 835.413W27/7.

The President to the President of Argentina.

[Telegram.]

GARRETT.

THE WHITE HOUSE, Washington, July 4, 1913.

On the occasion of Your Excellency's acceptance of the monument to George Washington, presented to the Argentine Nation on this anniversary day of the independence of the United States by American citizens resident at Buenos Aires, in celebration of the centenary of Argentine independence, I offer to Your Excellency my congratulations on the progress made by the Argentine Nation and its high standing among the nations of the world. I trust that in this noble monument Your Excellency will see a lasting evidence of the enduring friendship and good will which the American people entertain for the people of Argentina.

File No. 835.413W27/8.

No. 187.]

WOODROW WILSON.

The American Minister to the Secretary of State.

AMERICAN LEGATION,
Buenos Aires, July 5, 1913.

SIR: I have the honor to report that the celebration of the 4th of July in Buenos Aires this year was a marked success. It was made

'Continued from For. Rel. 1911, pp. 5–7.

especially noteworthy by the presentation of the statue of Washington, the gift of resident Americans to the Argentine Nation. The President, the Vice President, the Chief Justice, the President of the Senate, nearly all the Cabinet and other high officials of the Government attended the unveiling and great appreciation was shown of the monument. The American colony here is neither large nor wealthy when compared to the other foreign colonies and it is all the more credit to them therefore that they have erected and presented the most dignified and noble of all the monuments in Buenos Aires. After the dedication, the Monument Committee, composed of Messrs. Edmund P. Graves, Chairman, George E. Fuller, Secretary, James A. Wheatley, Treasurer, John C. Zimmermann, Arthur J. Simmons and Alfred Zucker, presented commemorative plaques to the invited guests. Two of the plaques were in gold, the rest in silver and bronze. The gold ones were intended for the Presidents of the two nations. At the request of the Committee I have the honor to send in the pouch herewith the plaque for President Wilson, and I respect fully request that it be delivered to him in the name of the Committee. The Committee, the American colony in general, as well as the President and officials of the Government were greatly pleased and touched by President Wilson's message.

Clippings from the newspapers giving good accounts of the proceedings and photographs of the monument are enclosed herewith. I have [etc.]

JOHN W. Garrett.

(Inclosure-Extract from the "Standard" (Buenos Aires) of July 5, 1913.]

No further evidence of the very friendly relations existing between the two greatest American Republics is necessary than the ceremony of the official presentation to the Argentine Nation of the George Washington statue at Palermo yesterday. The statue is the work of Mr. Charles Keck, a prominent New York sculptor, who was commissioned by the following committee of local United States residents:

Edmund P. Graves, chairman; George E. Fuller, secretary; James A. Wheatley, treasurer; John C. Zimmermann, Arthur J. Simmons and Alfred Zucker.

The statue is of bronze and is a reproduction of the one which stands in front of the New York Treasury building in Wall Street. It is 2.30 metres high, and represents the Father of his Country in the Colonial dress of the period in the act of speaking, having risen from his chair.

The pedestal, which is of Deer Island, Maine, granite, was designed and erected by Mr. Alfred Zucker, the well-known architect of this city, and forms an artistic finish which is in perfect harmony with the surroundings.

Engraved in the upper panel of the base of the monument is the following inscription in golden letters:

George Washington.

A la Nación Argentina
en conmemoración de

su centenario
M.C.M.X.

Los Ciudadanos de los
Estados Unidos de America
Residentes en la Republica

The site of the monument is a most happy one in the Parque 3 de Febrero, fronting the magnificent lake of the "Pabellón de los Lagos." The large trees and rare plants on either side and in the rear form an ideal background for such an imposing work. The base and pedestal of the monument yesterday were gaily bedecked with the colours and coats of arms of both nations.

The Honorable John Work Garrett initiated the proceedings by calling upon Mr. Arthur J. Simmons to address the gathering in the name of the United States residents.

ADDRESS BY MR. ARTHUR J. SIMMONS REPRESENTING THE MONUMENT COMMITTEE.

Mr. President, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen: By permission of the municipal government, and honoured by the presence of His Excellency the President of the Nation and other high officials of State, we are assembled for an unusual event.

It is a significant occasion, in commemoration of the rounding out of the first century of a national growth and development. No great nation has ever yet come into existence and maintained its government without struggle, turmoil, strife. Humanity's destiny is upward and forward. The masses rise and advance through struggle, but the struggle is most courageously carried forward when led by patriotic action, and the rise is most rapid when leavened by patriotic wisdom. Intrepid patriotism is sublime. All peoples of the earth meet crises. In the supreme moment of coping with those crises, when humanity's fate hangs in the balance, to waver is fatal, firm resolutions must be adopted, and Perilous indeed, with consefearless, decisive action follow to enforce them. quences immeasurable, far-reaching and long-lasting, affecting the lives and well-being of future generations, is the crisis that pertains to the momentous Argentina has met, question of the fundamental principles of government.

struggled with, passed through, conquered and risen above the peril of this crisis in her history. And a pause has been made, at the first hundred-year mark, for the world to take note of the growth and development of this independent and progressive people. It is, indeed, significant.

The celebration of the Centennial of that glorious and memorable 25 de Mayo de 1810 by the Government and people of Argentina afforded an opportunity for the various foreign communities here resident, whose members still own allegiance to their respective native governments, to show their goodwill; to offer some token that might long stand as an expression of their appreciation for the Government and people of the land of their sojourn; for her Government which welcomes them and guarantees to all the enjoyment of the rights and privileges of labour, trade, commerce, and the untrammelled effort for the gratification of that universal desire-the pursuit of happiness; for her people toward whom we are drawn with such fascination, with whom we labour and dwell in such concord, among whom we count such warm-hearted friends and genial companions. No more appropriate date could be chosen for the ceremony of presenting the memorial which we of the northernmost republic have been privileged to proffer, than this, July 4th, the anniversary of the day when the first formal declaration of inalienable individual rights and the principle of free and independent government in the western hemisphere was solemnly adopted and boldly proclaimed to the world.

We citizens of the United States of America who reside in Argentina, in choosing the emblem that might permanently stand as our expression of good will, have deemed it highly fitting for the occasion as being the most suitable manner by which our community here resident might convey its sentiment, as being the most representative of the friendly spirit from our home land, as being the means of most delicately touching and vibrating the mystic chords of Sympathy between liberty-loving peoples, that the token should be a figure of that man whose character stands out, pre-eminent, as symbolic of Liberty, Independence and Republicanism in the New World.

Here, in the presence of this assembly, on this magnificent site, in this beautiful Palermo Park, to stand under the blue canopy of Argentina's skies, is now to he unveiled a statue of the immortal Washington. The stalwart form, the stately figure, the expressive features, the serene countenance of the patriot, statesman and gentleman seem to breathe forth the spirit of his sublime faith in the justice and ultimate triumph of the cause to which he so zealously devoted his life, and of which he himself said: “Our cause is noble, it is the cause of mankind."

No nation, no continent, produces many men whose fame becomes world-wide, and whose characters live in history. We of North America have one, you of South America have another, standing out with transcendental distinction. Though they laboured not contemporaneously, yet the life-long activities of the 140322°-F R 1913-2

one corresponded to those of the other in the same formative period of their respective country's history. The same high ideals of patriotism fired the strong passions of both to consecrate their lives to the same noble cause of mankind, It is, therefore, with appropriate fitness, on this notable occasion, that we lin to the name and fame of our immortal Washington, the name and fame of that other patriot, Argentina's immortal San Martín.

And now we, the posterity of the one, dedicate this memorial to you, the posterity of the other, and fervently exclaim: “ Viva la República !"

PRESENTATION OF THE STATUE BY THE AMERICAN MINISTER.

The orator of the day has well and eloquently expressed the feelings of our fellow-countrymen and countrywomen resident in the Argentine Republic towards the great Republic in which they live.

It is my privilege, on their behalf, to present the noble testimony of their sentiments.

Before doing so I am happy to be able to read the following telegram:

"THE WHITE HOUSE,
“Washington, July 4th.

"On the occasion of Your Excellency's acceptance of the monument to George Washington, presented to the Argentine Nation on this anniversary day of the independence of the United States by American citizens resident at Buenos Aires, in celebration of the centenary of Argentine independence, I offer to Your Excellency my congratulations on the progress made by the Argentine Nation and its high standing among the nations of the world. I trust that Your Excellency will see in this noble monument a lasting evidence of the enduring friendship and goodwill which the American people entertain for the people of Argentina.

"WOODROW WILSON."

I ask you, Mr. Minister, acting in the name of His Excellency the President, to accept this monument as our tribute to the glorious achievement of the first centenary of independence and of the esteem and friendship we entertain towards our great sister nation.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE STATUE BY THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

The honour falls to me to interpret the sentiments of His Excellency the President of the Nation and to give testimony of the gratitude of Argentina for the gift of this beautiful monument, which is destined to perpetuate in the eternal beauty of art the friendly participation of the North American residents in our Centenary celebrations.

It is a happy and memorable circumstance that this ceremony should take place on the anniversary of that day on which, proclaiming the Independence of the United States, your forefathers gave life to a new nation which was destined to astonish the whole world by her marvellous progress. Nor is that circumstance less worthy of record that you should have had the praiseworthy idea to offer us as your gift a statue of the noble American who stood and stands first in the affections of your fellow-citizens and whose memory is held in veneration by all free men.

Washington holds high place in this, the fatherland of San Martín. His intellect and his work have received deep ceho in the thoughts of our statesmen and in the spirit of our people from the earliest hours of Argentine nationality. He was a stimulant and an example to our ancestors. His effigy is the highest symbol of all that constitutes the greatness of your nation, which has inspired ours by the wisdom of her laws and the reality of her democracy. Your Excellency; Gentlemen!

I express the wish that the statue of George Washington, rising amongst these trees, may help the children of the great northern Republic to feel more at home in this land from today onwards and that every day the bonds of honest friendship which unite our countries may be strengthened more and more and that the policy of the two Governments may be urged towards the same ideal of liberty and justice.

The reply of His Excellency Doctor Roque Saenz Peña to the telegram of the President of the United States is as follows:

THE PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA TO THE PRESIDENT,

In the person of Your Excellency I greet the great sister nation on the occasion of the glorious anniversary of your Independence, and sincerely return thanks for your felicitous greetings to the Argentine Nation on this day, when we receive with satisfaction and gratitude the statue of the great American, George Washington. It has given me great pleasure to assist at the unveiling of the monument consecrated to the immortal memory of the great Republic. Washington in North America and San Martín in the South are examples of character and citizenship that have modelled the soul of new nationalities and guided their destinies. May the monument which I have just unveiled be an eternal symbol of friendship between these two nations, which are developing their dominions amid deals of democracy and republicanism. I beg Your Excellency on this day of happy memory for America to accept the sentiments of friendship and sympathy of the Argentine Government and people for the people of the United States and for Your Excellency's personal wellbeing.

File No. 835.413W27/10.

The American Consul General to the Secretary of State.
No. 778.]

AMERICAN CONSULATE GENERAL,
Buenos Aires, July 18, 1913.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith one of the bronze medals commemorating the presentation to the Argentine Nation of a statue of George Washington by American citizens resident in Argentina, for such disposition as the Department may care to make of it.

I have [etc.]

File No. 835.413W27/9.

No. 87.]

R. M. BARTLEMAN.

The Secretary of State to the American Minister.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, August 27, 1913.

SIR: Referring to your No. 187, of July 5th last, the Department desires to say that it is directed by the President to ask you to convey to the George Washington Monument Committee of Buenos Aires an expression of his deep appreciation of its courtesy in forwarding to him the gold plaque struck to commemorate the dedication of the Washington monument at Buenos Aires on July 4th last.

I am [etc.]

File No. $35.413W27/11.

For Mr. Bryan:
J. B. MOORE.

The Secretary of State to the American Consul General.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 13, 1913.

Sm: Referring to your despatch No. 778 of July 18, 1913, there is enclosed for your information a copy of a letter from the Acting

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