The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-02-17

rest 10 communicate the Senate all papers address
ell 10 the President of the United States or Depart
menl Of State from citizens of the United States hay
ing claims upon Mexico relating to the terms Of the
| convention between the United States and Mexico,
prior subsequent TO the execution OF the same stat
ing objections to lis execution and the answer there
to- also copies of the minutes Of the board appointed
| under said convention up TO the period when they
proceeded TO act on individual cases also, copies OF
any notification from the State Department. or from
any other quarter of the time and place OF FIRST meet
ing Of said be" rd also, copies oil any communiea'
| tons which may have been add TO the members
the board apo by the United States or any OF
either of them touching the organization oil the poard
OF It's mode OF proceeding also, copies OF tue cn'n
sons of all the members of said board, ana OF ,he IN
strucons if any from either Government 10 tue sal"
| hoard ar liz members: also, any communication ron
the late American Consul at Santa Re TO Inc Depart
ment of State touching any violation oil the rghis oil
| American citizens.
| Mr. WALKER said that at the time this resolu-
| tnn was submitted hasty opinion seemed to have
| been formed that II would operate unasorably
upon the claims which had already been ad
| Indicated by the mixed commission. Now, no.
thing was more foreign from his intention than
that the resolution should have this tendency and II
would be seen from the resolution itself that such
inference was fairly deducible This was but call
for the further proceedings of this board subsequent
to the period when the report was made by the board
in to resolution adopted on the first OF July,
| lS4l and all that he desired was to carry Out and
|
given. These were claims with regard to which he
desired to call the attention of the Senate. There
were cases which had been presented to the board,
and which had not been acted on for want of time
| and also cases in which the Government of Mexico
had not furnished documents, which she was bound
to furnish by the stipuations OF the treaty, and
| cases in which spurious and imperfect documents
| had been Furnished in consequences OF which those
claims had either been diminished or entirely reject
ed. These were cases which it would be proper for
| the In consider when complete answer shall
have been made to the call proposed by this re-
solution and he hoped, therefore, that II would be
adopted
President cause to be communicated to the Senate
| tabular statement of the names of claimants whose
cases have been acted on the nature of their CLAIMS
and the amount in each case, with the principal and
interest and the amount reported and allowed by
j the commissioners; and also showing the cases
| in which awards have been made by the UNI
pire. He said that he did not know whether or
not there any IMPROPERLY in offering the resou-
ton, but he had some doubts whetherh was expedient
| to make the call at this time. lie was acquainted
with one of the Commissioners (who was gentle
man of high respecabllity) and he had learned from
him that there business now before tie board
than it would be possible for them 10 act upon within
the ten days yet remaining before the close OF the
| commission. He supposed, matter OF course, that
the resolution could not be answered without divert
ing the attention of the Commissioners from their du-
ty and he presumed that would expect them to
suspend Their abors 10 answer TINS calli nut sun ne
believed that il this call should be made II would EN-
barrass their proceedings. The resolution to some
extent, seemed to contemplate the question as to the
validity of the proceedings under the treaty and there
fore it would be proper by all means, not to make the
inquiry proposed until after the expiration OF the
4 treaty as no question could be raised here or
elsewhere as to its validity on the part OF the Senate
There were claimants who alleged that injustice had
been done them by Mexico, and he willing to lend
his agency when it could be properly lent but he
10 akp stpn wi m he Oulht
up by the claimants, and insisted obligation
of this Government to pay their claims. He wanted
to the whole ground before he would commit
this Government in any shape and it appeared to
him to be the wiser to permit this resolution
to lie upon the table until the 26th instant by which
time the commission will have been closed.
Mr.. CLAY wished that the Committee on Foreign
Affairs would direct their attention to this subject
But as to the resolution what to be the result ;
What action was to take place after the information
called for shall have been communicated If the
commission had not been executed according to
the treaty, the Executive might properly take the
necessary steps to effect new treaty with Mexico
but here before the close of the treaty the Senate
called upon to draw these papers and the minutes
-.i.- a.. " - .. r. On
would think of any proposition to satisfy these claims
out of the Treasury. What purpose was to be an
swered by this call Z Why, they might get up hos
tile spirit against Mexico, and, by exposure of this
transaction by the public press, their negotiations with
that power mgh be materially injured. With regard
to the Creole case, certain information relating TO it
4 was prematurey called for by the Senate without
waiting for the action of the Executive, and by its
being made public presses had thereby been in effect
invited to circulate their animadyersons throughout
! the country. Was this the way that this Govern
| ment could get along with foreign Governments?
4 MIR. CALHOUN said that the case of the Creole
was of much Importance, and the call for informa.
| ton had had sautaIy effect.
! Mr. CLAY did not mean to refer to the Creole
case exclusively but he thought that the worthy Sc
nator from South Carolina must perceive, there had
been necessity for the call the part of the Senate
before the intelligence concerning that vessel could
have possibly reached Great Britain. And he asked
what good could result from it in the present sufli-
GENTLY irritated relations of he two countries
| Mr.. CALHOUN said that they had had partial
statement othe facts in relation TO the the Gre
ole and it became desirable to have full statement
that it might be understood by the country at large
and he would 90 further, and say that he believed that
the call was consistent with the usages Of the British
4 Parliament.
uniformly refusedcalls for papers connected with me-
| goations while they were pending; but this Gov
eminent sometimes exposed its correspondence pend
ing negotiation. He recollected that during the
tendency of negotiations at Client the most interest
ing part of the correspondence between the two coun-
tries published by the order of Congress- and il
reached there al critical time, and threatened to
produce serious consequences He, however, went
to the three British commissioners TO converse with
them, and he found them very angry, but eventuay
he succeeded in getting them into good humor
Mr.. RlVE S thought that there might be too much
strictness on side and too much latitude upon the
other, AS to the of the Creole, he had the con-
ISOLATION Of believing that no detrment to the public
interest was likely to result from exposure Of the |
facts which had been called for by the Senator from
South Carolina. He had no sort Of doubt that i'm |
portant negotiations between Independent Govern
ments might be embarrassed by ndscrcct disclosures
upon side the other; but while this Govern
ment had been in the habit of ndulgng in latitude,
foreign Governments had INDUCED in too much strict
ness; they were, however, conforming more and
more to American usages. case very recently oc-
Cured between the five European powers on the
Turco Egyptian question, which was very near kim