The Arkansas advocate., 1836-01-08
NO. 40s

ot fn1ohihshuinS sdch measures may, in hia oplnion be required by is interests. From the performance of this duty he cannot be deterred by the fear of woundng the sensibiitios of the peope or government ot whom Il may become necessary 10 speak and he American people are incapable o snhta.tiln ta a, interference l ssy government on earth, however powerful, with the free perform anee ot the domestic duties which the conntiiution has imposed oa their public functionaries Thes discussions which intervene between the several departments of our government belong 10 otlrselyes and, Tor any thing said n them, our public servants are only responsible 10 their own constituents and to each othcr. If, in the eourso of their consult ations, iaets are enormously stated, or unjust de- dnchons arc made, they require no other induce- inent to correct them, however informed Of their error than their love ef insiiee and what due <, .heii own characters but they never submit 10 1 be interrogated upon the subject us a mailer of 1 right, by foreign power. When onr discussions terminate In acts, our responsibility to foreign powers commences, not individuals but as A nation. The nrineinla VI heh calls in anes.ien the President tor the language of his message. would equally justify foreign power in demanding ex- planaiion oi the language used in the report of a committee, or by member in debate.
 lhis is not the flrst iute that the government of France has taken exception to the messages of American Presidents President Washington, and the first President Adams, in the performance of thetf dulles to the American people, fell under the animadyersions ot the French Directory. The ob- lecton taken by the ministry oi Charles the Tenth, and removed by the explanations made by our Minister on the spot, has already been adyerted fo. When It was understood that the Ministry Of the present Aing took exception to my message of last year, putting construction upon which was disa- vowed its face, our fate Minister at Paris in a- swer to the note which first announced a dissatis- faction with the language used in the message, made communication to the French government, under date ot the 2yh otJannary 1855 calculated tc remove all impressions. which an unreasonable slls- ceptIbllity had created. He repeated, and called the attention of the French government 10, the dis ayowal contained in the message itself, of any in- tentlon to intlmidate by menace--he truly declared that Il contained, and was intended to contain, no charge of i'll faith against the King of tho French, 1 and properly distinguished between the right to complain, in unexceptionable terms, of the omission to execute an agreement, and all accusation of bad ;sesfFss ii, withholding such execution and demon- straed that the necessary of that right ought not tobe considered as offensive imputation Although, thls communication was made without instructions and entirely on the Ministers own responsibity. yet il was afterwards made the act of this govern ment by my full appreciation, and that appreciation was officially made known, on tic Both of April 1895. to the French government. It, however, failed to have any effect The law, after this friendly ex- planatlon, passed with the obnoxious amendment supported by the Kings Ministers, and was finally approved by the King.
 The people of the United States are justly et taehed to pacific system i'll their intercourse with foreign nations. It IS proper, therefore, that they should know whether their government has ad- hered to it, In the p.esaH; instance, II has been 1 carried te the utmost extent. that consistent ] with becoming sefrespect Tho nole of the 29t1 l of January, to which 1 have before alluded, was not the only which our Min!s.e. tccs ;ipo.i him. self tho responsibility of presenting, on tho saIrs subIec and III the same spirit. Finding flnf 1t was intended to make the payment of just debt depen- dent on the performance of condition which he knew could never De complied with, he thought lt
  French government that while self-respect and re- gard to the dignity of other nations would ulwayp prevent us from using any language that onght to give offence, yet we could never admit right in any foreign government to ask explanations of or I to interfere Tn any manner ill., the communications which one branch of our public councils made with another that in the present case, no such language had been used and that this had in former note been fully and voluntarily stated before was con. templated to make the explanation a condition and that there might be no misapprehension. he eses>S used in thai note, and he officially in. formed them, that i; had been approved by the Pre- sident, and that therefore. every explanation which could reasonably be asked, or honorably given. 1 had been already made--that the conemplated uaea 1 sure had been anticipated by voluntary and friend Y declaration, and was therefore, not only useIese but might be deemed offensive and certainly would not be complied with, if annexed as a condition. When this latter communication, to which es- pecially invite the attention of Congress- was laid
 
 was obviously intended to afford, of an honorable and speedy adjustment of the difficulties between the two nations, would have been accepted and | therefore did not hesitate to give it my sanction and iull appreciation. This was due to the Minister I who had made himself responsible for this act l; and it was published tu tine people of the United States and IS now laid before their representatives, to show how far their Executive has gone in it's saecay0ss 4 to restore 9 good understanding between the two countries. It would have been at any time commit 4 nicated to the government of France, had it been officially requested.
 The French government having received all the Il explanation which honor and principle permitted and which could in reason be asked, 1t was hopedit would no longer hesitate to pay the instalments now due. The agent authorized to receive the money. IeTosi i.fii.isiss of ;ais readinessto do so In reply to this notice, ho was told that the money could not then be paid because the ormalties required by the act of the Chambers had not been arranged
 Not having received any official communication of the intentions of the French government, and anxious to bring, as far as practicable this unples sant affair to close before tho meeting of Congress that you might have the whole subject before you, I caused our Charge d'Afairs at Paris, to be in- 1 siructed to ask for the final determination of tho French government; and i'll the event of their refu- sal to pay the instalmenfs now due. without far. ther explanations to return to the U. $.
 l The result of this last application has not yet reached us, but is daily expected. That it may bo favorable, is my sincere wish. Francc having now. through all tho branches cf her government, ac knowledged the validity of claims and the ot,li gaton of the treaty of 1881, and there really ex 1 isting adequate cause for farther delay will at length 1t may be hoped, adopt the course which