Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1836-01-28
SPECIAL MESSAGE.

&
from the President ofthc United States
4 To the Senate and House of Representa-
Il tireS:
/ GENTLEMEN: In my message at the
opening of your session, l informed you
that our Charge d'Ailuires at Paris had
been instructed to ask for the final deter
mnation Of the French Govern ment, in
relation to the payment of the mdemnif.
cation secured by the treaty of the 4th of
July, 1881, and that when advices of the
result should be received, it would be made
the subject of a special communication.
In execution of this design, now trans.
NIT to you the papers numbered from to
l3, inclusive, containing, among other
things, the correspondence OH this subject
between our Charge d. AfIaires and the
French Minister of Foreign Affairs, from
which it will be seen that France requires,
as condition precedent to the execution
Of a treaty Internationally ratified and
to the payment ola debt acknowledged by
all the branches of her Government to be
due, that certain explanations shalt be
made, of which she dictates the terms.
These terms arc such as that Government
has already been officially Informed can
not be complied with and ifpersis,ed in,.
they must be considered as deliberate
refusal on the part of France to fulfil en-
gagcments binding by the laws of nations,
! and held sacred by the whole civilized
world. The nature of the act which
| France requires from this Government is
clearly set forth i'll the letter of the French
! Minister. marked No. 4. We will pay
the money, says he, when " The Gorern-
ment Of the United States isready on its
part to declare to us, by addressing ITS
: claim to as officially IN uritimg, that re.
n grcts the misunderstanding rhich has dris
: en- bctween the ttro countries MatthiS mas
: understanding is tounded on "a mistake
e that It nerer entered into its intention TO cal
in question the good .taHh Of Me French
Government, nor TO take q menacing atfi.
tude touards France;" and he adds, II
the Government Of the United States does
not ,gire This asSurance,me shall be Obliged
to Mink that this misunderstanding is not
the result Of an error"
i In the letter marked No. 6, the French
Minister also remarks that the Gocern-
mcm of the United States hnous that upon
itself depends hencetor~ard the e1ecution,
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
United States. End persuaded that, on con-
sidering the correspondence now SUBJ
mitted to you, you can regard it in no
other light, lit becomes my duty to call your
attention to such measures as the eXi-
gency of the case demands, if the claim
of interfering in the communications be-
I IItween the different branches of our Co.
vernmcnt shall be persisted in. This pre-.
tension is rendered the more unreasona-
bic by the fact that the substance of the
required explanation has been repeatedly
and voluntarily given before 1t was iisis-
ted OH as a condition-a condition the
more humiliating because it is demanded
as the equivalent ofa pecuniary considera-
ton. Does France desire only declara-
1 ton that we had no intention to obtain
our rights by an address to her fears
rather than TO her justice? She has al
ready had it, frankly and explicitly given
! by our Minister accredited TO her Goverh-
| lment, his act ratified by me, and my con-
! firmation of it officially communicated by
him, i'm his letter to the French Minister
of Foreign Affairs of the 25th Of April,
1885, and repeated by my published ap-
proval Of that letter after the passage Of
! the bill of indemnitication. Docs France
want degrading, scrvlc repetition Of
! this act in terms which she shall dictate,
and which will involve an acknowledge
ment of her assumed ri ght TO Interfere in
our domestic councils She will never
obtain it. The spirit of the American
People, the dignity of the Legislature,
and the firm resolve of their Executive
! Government, forbid it.
II AS the answer of the French Minister
to our Charge d'Ailaires 1t Paris contains
an allusion to n letter addressed by him
to the Representative of France at thus
! place, it now becomes proper TO lay before
\ YOU the correspondence had between that
! iunctionarv and the Secretary of State
4 relative To The letter, aud To accompany
! The same with such explanations as will
enable you 10 understand the course OF
I, the Executive in regard to it.. Rccur-
J, ring 10 the historical statement made AT
i the commencement Of your session, OF the
N or;r;n and prorr.ss OF our difficulties with