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


NAV have beeu addressed TO the Department Of State
by any portion of the said claimants In relation
10 the proceedings and progress of the mixed
commission under the said Convention ami strike out
the latter clause, and insert also any coIrespon
dence which may have taken place between the Mex-
can Commissioners and the Secretary of State touch
ing the execution Of or proceedings under said
vention if not Of such character as in the opinion
of the President, 10 be improper 10 be communicated
He presumed that his friend from Mississippi would
have no objection the adoption Of the amendments
Mr. BUCHANAN moved that the resolution be
| referred 10 the Committee Foreign Relations as
that was the which II ought TO take There
were only TWO points at issue the first the
sumption that this mixed commission had mol done
theiIduty, the Mexican portion of il had aced i'm
properly or coriuptly, and that new negotiation
ought be insisted to correct any errors winch may
have. been committed; and the socopd was,
10 render the Government, in some way or other
responsible for this commission To the later point
he was opposed If the Mexican commissioners
should not execute their trust, it would become
proper subject of negotiation between tbs and the
Mexican Government, and in this they might,
with proprety, adopt resolution TO interp0se But as
tribunal acting under the treaty and al this
moment about TO complete its labors, he should not,
directly or indirectly, interfere with it, Permit the
awards to be completed as far as possible, let them
know what American claimants have been deprived
of their lust rights and them and not till then would
il be proper for the President and the Senate to in
the Senator from Mississippi would consent mat the
resolution should go TO the Committee on Foreign Re-
latons, as the committee would be disposedto do
Justice.
Mr.. WALKER would consent either that thu
solutions should go 10 the Committee on Foreign Re
latons or that ns consideration should be postponed
and made the special order OF the day for Monday
week which would be the day subsequent 10 thai for
The termination of the commission. lie here, IA his
place protested in the name Of the Americas clti7
r,kta hail .ap Viz nIaba bn hal .ypI
and thought from the disclosures made by the partial
report which had already been made in reply TO re-
solution OF the Senate and he protested against the
keeping Of the information which had been called
for, in the secret bureaus of the Executive De-
parment. He desired that these claimants
should be heard, and far it in
| his power they should he heard, before this
nation and before this tribunal and he desired that,
inasmuch partial report Of the proceedings had
been already referred to the Committee On Foreign
Relations no part of the proceedings sholld be kept
back, but that al that the commissioners had done and
had failed to do, should be laid before this body If
Senators looked to our commerce with Mexico for
the last six years, they would find that il
had fallen almost to nothing, Whine the commerce of
Mexico with other nations had indNased The ex-
portation of specie from that countfN into New Or
! leans would show the condition of olM commercial
transactions with that nation In 1886 Me exports
of silver were 1857 900; in 1887, S4,Ni00O; in
1888, 81 754 600 in 1889, 81, 900; in 1874 Nj 004
|
of this decrease Why, 1t was because thN had
failed to protect the rights Of American mcrcha and
American citizens and because they had, in Vfect,
torn down the American flag within the limbs of
/ Mexico American vessels had been seized pr Yyerty
coniscated and justice made mere mockery. The
| French commerce had increased with Mexico, fSi the
reason that she protects her Subjects and demands
that justice be done when outrage is committed on
the rights and property OF citizens o France; and If
this Government permitted outrages to be committed
i ,y Mos icno me m 4 W. m
down to nothing. All tina, he desired that the
facts should be laid before the people of this country,
that they may know whether the Mexican Go
/ vcrnment had not violated the treaty, whether
4 documents had not been withheld by Mexico,
whether spurious and false documents had been fur
nished, in consequence of which just claims had
| been rejected He, therefore, moved that the fur
her consideration of the resolution be postponed and
made the order Of the day for Monday week.
i Mr. BUCHANAN had no objection whatever if
the Senator from Mississippi preferred this course.
His desire not to interfere with the commission
until its termination but he thought that the Senator
did not do his own Government justice. What was
the history of the case That the Mexican Govern
ment did the commerce of the United States great in
Justice no body could dispute but did this Govern
ment fail in its duty to the American People -
ass huarIuns Nero s-Lsa' .i.. w srroig maid
almost force from the Mexican Government the
/ treaty which in existence What more
could this Government do If the Mexican Commits
sion have acted unjustly, il subject for future
complaint and negotiation; the American Govern
ment was not obnoxious to this charge. They had a
treaty which, if fairly carried into execution would
provide indemnity for lust claims and therefore the
Government could not be charged with want Of at
tention to the interests of its citizens
MIR. LINN said that as this resolution would be de-
ayed he would suggest to the Senator from Mississippi
to strike out the latter clause of it. and permit his MIR
Linn's) resolution which called for similar niorma-
| tion tobe passed upon at the present time
Mr.. WALKER had but one word to say with re-
gard TO doing their duty. lfhey had done their duty
their commerce with Mexico would not now be in a
fallen and dilapdated state, whilst the commerce Of
other nations with that Government had increased -
But while they were told that Government did full
justice to its czens, why il that their commerce
had dwinded down to nothing He called on ms
friend to remember that when the treaty was present.
ed TO the Senate, he Mr. Walker) protested against
the convention, and said at, the time that II would be
followed by disaster. This was not the measure
General Jackson recommended; he proposed d dife-
rent negotiation in his message and that was TO take
the course that France had lately pursued-at the
mouth of the cannon IL this had been done they
would have had war, and they probably might have
preceded France in baterng down the walls OF the
Castle OF Juan de Ulloa and instead of their com
merce with Mexico being reduced 1t might now be as
large as 1t ever was with that nation.
MIR. BUCHANAN called the recollection of the
Senator from Mississippi TO the circumstances attend
ing the appointment, by the Government, of a spe-
ca minister to carry out list of the claims of
American citizens and the testimony their support
and To the fact that it not till after this that the
treaty made If the Mexican commissioners
have violated the treaty and the rights of American
citizens, this Government should call upon Mexico
for redress, and require that Government to fulfil
its obligation according to the treaty but nothing
should be required of the Government ol'the United
States which would imply any right its part 10
pay the claimants out OF the public Treasury. II the
Mexican commissioners have done injustice the an
plication of this Government should be To the MeN
can Government to fulfil the treaty but in any
event let not this Government give, by direct or IN
direct action, any sanction to the idea that the claim
ants are TO be paid out of the public Treasury.
MIR. WALKER explained. He had no objection
to the postponement Of his resolution to day sbse.
quent to the close of the commission, and he acce,bd