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Show Accordingly the President accepted an invitation to confer at Berlin with the representatives of Germany^ Belgium, Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Spain, France, Great Britain, Italy^ The Netherlands. Portugal. Russia, Sweden and Norway, and Turkey upon: (a) freedom of commerce in the basin and mouths of the Congo; and (b) free navigation for all flags on the Congo and Niger»120 The United States was represented at the Conference of Berlin by its Minis- ter to Germany and his assistant delegate. At the first session, on November 15, 188i+, the Chancellor of the German Empire, Prince von Bismarck, after stating the purposes of the conference, saidj "The Congress of Vienna, in proclaiming freedom of navigation on the rivers which flow through the territories of several states, sought to prevent any monopoly of the advantages inherent in a watercourse * This principle has passed into public law, both in Europe and America,"121 This statement v\jb.s slightly modified to meet the very inconsistent objection of the United States Minister to the conclusion that such international law pre- vails in America; but the first to appear as signatories to the "General Act of the Conference" at its close were the same United States Minister and his associate^, followed by Prince von Bismarck. 122 After providing for the utmost freedom of navigation on the Congo and connected waters, the Act declaresj gateway or Central Africa; and by taking such steps, in concert with other com- mercial powers,, as shall assure freedom of passage, by land and water, through that region, unrestrained by any impositions, to all peoples in their legiti- mate pursuits; o „ o" Senate Misc. Doc, i+8th Congress, First Session, jj*j99 Vol. 2. 120 Kaeckenbeeck, International Rivers, I38-I7I* 121 (italics added*). . The statement of Prince von Bismarck was in part as follows? "The programme of the conference bears simply upon freedom of commerce in the basin of the Congo and at its mouths. Consequently, the Government of his Majesty the Emperor will have the honor to submit to the deliberation of the Conference the draft of a declaration treating of the freedom of commerce in that part of Africa, which draft contains the following propositions: "Any power that exercises or that may hereafter exercise sovereign rights in that region, is to allow free access thereto to all flags, without dis- tinction. It is not to grant any monopolies, or to introduce any discrimina- ting usage • • , • "This draft has been modeled after Articles 108 to 116 of the final instru- ment adopted by the Vienna Congress in I8I5, articles 1-5, 16 and 19 of the treaty of Paris of I856, the agreement with regard to the navigation of the Danube adopted in I857, the public agreement relative to the navigation of the mouths of -the Danube adopted in I865, and after the identical treaties con- cluded in I853 between France, Great Britain and the United States of America on'the one hand, and the Argentine Confederation on the other, in order to secure the free navigation of the Parana and the Uruguay." See House Exec* Doc, 48th Congress, Second Session, Vol. 29, ^2l|7 (1885), The General Act of the Conference of Berlin is printed in full in Senate |