José Ma Castro to Señor Gallegos, April 28, 1885

Señor Castro to Señor Gallegos.

To the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Salvador:

I have had the honor to receive and to bring to the knowledge of the President the very important telegraphic dispatch of your excellency, dated the 22d instant, conveying the proposal on the part of the Government of Salvador to that of this Republic, the scheme of delegating to a Central American congress the necessary faculties to proclaim the union of Central America into one Central American nation, and to decree the constitution which shall rule it, and, in case of acceptance, to send five ministers to the Central American congress which the Government of Salvador at the same time proposes, for the 15th of next May, in the city of Santa Tecla.

The President of this Republic, as well as I, highly appreciates these sentiments which have inspired the President of that Republic with the scheme referred to and the fraternal invitation which I answer. I regret that the full powers which were conceded to him in March last for the purpose of defending the autonomy of the nation are rather an obstacle in his way for determining by himself on measures which could in some way more or less radically affect that same autonomy. Being thus without authority, his decision is to-day the same as yesterday, that on the proposed subject it is only open to my Government to submit it to the sovereign Congress which is about to assemble, and this he promises to do in order that that high body, if it should deem it advisable, should take the necessary legal measures for the reform of the actual constitution, a previous step without which Costa Rica cannot make the transition from a political body, sovereign and independent, to the integral part of a common autonomy.

In regard to assuring peace between the Central American Republics, strengthening their interests by means of treaties which leave uninjured the autonomy, there is not with my Government any opposition or a want of the best disposition.

Concerning what your excellency indicates regarding the proposal of the actual President’s separation from the Government of that Republic, I must inform your excellency that in the consideration of my Government it would be beneficial to the peace of Central America that such a worthy and high person should retain the chief magistracy of Salvador.

I am, &c.,