Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1836-01-29
THE ESPECIAL MESSAGE"
MEssACE PROM THE PRESIDENT TO BOTH
HousEs OF CONGRESS.


HoUsEs OF CoNGREss.
Received, and read, and referred to tk'
COmmettee on Foreign ReIGtsoH'S ir
both HouSes.
MONDAY, Jan. 18th, 1886.
To the Senate, and
House of RepreSentGtuue8:
GENTLEMEN-ln my message at the
opening Of your session, | informed you
that our Charge d'Adairss, at Paris, had
been instructed 10 ask for the final deter.
minalion Of the French Government, 10
relation to the payment Of the indemnif.
cation, secured by the Treaty of the 4lb
Of July, 1881, and that when advices Of
the result should be received, it would be
made the subject Of a special communica.
tloh.
lu execution Of this design, now trans
nit 10 you the papers numbered from ] TO
IL inclusive, containing, among other
things, the correspondence on this subject
between our Charge d'Afaires and the
French Minister of Foreign Affairs, from
which, 1t will be seen, that France re-
quires, as condition precedent 10 the ex
ecution of treaty unconditIOnalIy ralifi.
ed, and to the payment Of debt acknowI
edged by all the branches Of her Govern.
ment 10 be due, that certain explanations
shall be made, Of which she dictates the
terms. These terms are such as that Gov
ernment has already been officially in-
formed, cannot be complied with; and il
persisted in, they must be considered as
deliberate refusal on the part bfFrance
10 fulfil engagements binding by the laws
of nations, and held sacred by the whole
civilized world. The nature of the act
which France requires of this Govern
ment, Is clearly set forth IN the letter Of
the French Minister, marked No. 4. ''We
will paw the money!" says he, when
tie Government Of the United States is
ready, on its part, to declare to US, by ad
dressing lis claim TO US officially in wri
ting, that it regrets the misunderstanding
which has arisen between the two cOun.
tries that this misunderstanding is foun-
ded on a mislake--that II DCver entered
into it's intention 10 call in question The
good faith of the French Government, nor
to take a menacing attitude towards
France;" and he adds, ''If the Govern
ment OF the United States does not give
this assurance, we shall be obliged 10
lhiuk that this misunderstanding is not
the result Of an error" In the letter
marked No. 6, the French minister also
remarks, ''lhat the Government ofthe U
States knows, that upon itself depends
hencelorward the execution Of the treaty
of July 4, 1881"
Obliged by the precise language thus
used by the French Minister, to view it
as a peremptOry refusal to execute the
treaty, except on terms incompatible with
The honor and independence Of the Uni
ted Safes, and persuaded that, on consId
ering The correspondence now submitted
10 you, you can regard it in 40 other light
1t becomes my duty to call your atten-
ton to such measures rs the exIgency of
the case demands, if the claim of interie.
ring in the communications between the
different brenches Of our government shall
be persisted in. This pretension is rem
deIed the more unreasonable by the fact,
that the substance of the required expla-
nation has been repeatedly and volunta-
ry given before it was insisted on as
condition "a condition the more humili
allng, because it IS demanded as the e.
quivaent Of pecuniary consideration.
Does France desire only declaration
that we had no intention TO obtain our
rights BY an address TO her fears rather
than herluslice! She has already had it,
frankly and explicitly given by our Min.
ster, accredited to his government, his
act ratified by me, and my confirmation
Of it officially communicated by him, in
his letter to the French Minister of For
sign Affairs, of the 25th April, 1885, Of
'epeated by my published approval &
hat letter after the passage OF the bill OF
ndemniication. Does France want a
servlIe repetition of this act,
n terms which she shall dictate, and
which will involve an acknowledgment
If her assumed right to interfere in our
lomestic councis2 She will never oh.
ain it. The spirit Of the American PeO
DE, the dignity fthe Legislature, and the
irm resolve oftheir executive, complete
y forbid it
As the answer of the French Minister
o our Charge d'Afalres at Paris, con.
an aIlusion to letter addressed by
I'm 10 the representatives of France at
his place, it now becomes proper 10 lay |
,efore you the correspondence had be |
ween that functionary and the Secretary |
# State, relative 10 that letter, and 10 &C
the same with such explana'
ions as will enable you to understand the
course of the Executive in regard to It,