New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-12-09
Our Relations With Mexico.
MIR. Calhoun 10 Mr.. ShGnnon.
;, DEPARTMENT or srArk. /

SIR: have the honor to acknDw ecye Inc re-
ceipt of your letter OF the 18th of April last
announcing your acceptance Of the appointment,
rendered you by the President of the United
States as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipoicntiary to the Republic of Mexico, and
notifying this department of your readiness to
enter on the discharge of the duties of your of.
fee.
You have already received your commission
and herewith enclose TO you full power, a
special passport, printed personal instructions, a
sealed letter accrediting you to the President of
the Mexican Republic, and an open copy of the
same for your own use. In presenting this letter
of credence TO the President, you will
avail yourself of the occasion to express
to the President of Mexico the. sincere
desire of the President of the United States
to maintain the most amicable relations with the
Government of the Mexican Republic, and his
purpose to promote this end by every proper
means in his power.
By g Convention between the United States
and the Mexican Republic, signed on the lth
day of April 1889. joint commission was
agreed upon, for the purpose of adjusting the
claims of the citizens of the former on the
Government Of the latter. This commission,
agreeably to the provisions of the Convention,
met in the city of Washington in August Is4D !;
but much Of the time allowed for the transaction
and close of its business was consumed by the
Commissioners of the two Governments in dis.
cussing the organization of the Board, and
proper forms of procedure to be adop;ed before it
The consequence iwas, that, at the expiration of
the period when, by the terms cfthe Convention,
the commission should expire, many of the
claims submitted for Its decision remained unde.
cided by the Board; while others referred to the
umpire were left in the same state, a. he con-
sidered his functions terminating with those of
the commission.
The Convention also provided that the claims
which should be allowed might be discharged by
the payment of Mexican Treasury notes; but as
these were much deprecated In value at the time
when the commission expired, it became mat
ter of Importance to effect some arrangement by
which specie should be substituted in their stead
10 this end your predecessor was empowered
and instructed to en'er into a negotiation with
the Government Of Mexico and Convention
was concluded on the 30th day of January,
1913, providing for the payment of the awards
and the interest accruiDg thereon, in specie, in
FIVE years from the 30,h day Of April, lS43, in
equal ins,alments every three months. These
instslments have been paid punctually, with the
exception of that which fell due in the month of
February last part only Of which was paid on
the day; and though the balance has since been
discharged, it is important to the interests in
voved that the strictest puDctuahty should be
observed. The last instalment, due on the Goth
day Of April, lS44 had not been paid at the date
of our last advices from Mr. Green. the Charge
d'Affaires ad interim of the United S;ates,
though repeated applications had been made by
him to the Minister of Foreign Relations. THIS
neglect of the solemn and express stipulations
cannot be otherwise regarded than as violations
of national faith, injurious alike to the honor of
Mexico and the interests OF the United States.
It will therefore be your 6uty to demonstrate, in
the strongest terms, against this apparent indif-
ference to the obligations of contracts, and TO
urge upon the Government of Mexico the neces-
sty of complying with the stipulations OF the
Convention agreeably 10 its terms.
You will fnd on the files of the legation
correspondence between your predecessor (Mr
Thompson) and the Mexican Minister on For
tign Relations, in regard TO an order addressed
by the Mexican Secretary of Wm, dated the 18th
of July, l643, to the Governors of the States OF
California, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chihuahus, d.
recting the expulsion Of the citizens of The United
States from their territories respectively. The
result of this correspondence seems to have been
none other than an enlargement of the terms of
the order, 30 as to embrace foreigners generally,
or such of them as might be deemed Migrants,
or dangerous to the public peace.
ment to expose the character of such an order
or to show its opposition to the treaty of the 5th
of April, 1881. The correspondence referred to
will mt You in possession of the points in issue,
and of the views of the government in regard to
them.
Asa large number OF our citizens, for the pur-
nose of trade, have settled themselves in the
States referred to, whose property and liberty
NAV be endangered in its enforcement, it will be
necessary that you give to the subject your eari-
est attention. You will perceive, byreference to
the correspondence on the files of the legation,
that the Governors of the States TO whom the or
der is addressed, are empowered arbitrarilyto INK
the time when those deemed obnoxious shall
leave the country, while no opportunity seems 10
be ysuchsafed 10 the suspected to vlndIcate their
characters. In the execution OF such an order,
it is more than probable that much indlvlcu.l
wrong and suffering may be inflicted; and while
you will protest in strong terms against the Or
der itself, as fragrant violation of the treaty of
1881, you will at the same time, exert your ut
most vigilance to protect the persons and proper
ty of those who may be made unjustly the sub
;ects of its operations EnjoiniDg on our citizens,
nm the one hand, = proper obedience to the laws
of Mexico, as a condition of your interference In
their behalf; and on The other, giving the Men
can Government to understand that the United
States cannot allow their citizens, induced to
take up their residence in its territories under the
solemn sanction OF treaty, to be driven ftom their
abodes. or otherwise injured In their persons or
property, on frivolous prete1ts.
Another question Of very grave importance
and which is still pending between the two go:
yerpments, grows out of the Mexican decree of
The 23d of September, lS43, prohibiting foreign
ers resident in Mexico from engaging IN the re,
tail trade. Your predecessor, MIR. Thompson)
was instructed to protest against the Application
If This decree to the citizens Of the United States,
as direct and palpable Infringement OF the .,
article of the treaty of 1881. and Incompatible
with other stpuladOps contained in it 1.-THE The
MEXICAN Minister for Foreign Affairs attempts
to sustain the decree on the general ground mat
BY the treaty the citizens of each country resi-.
dent in the other are subject to their respective
laws and usages. This, as general trutn' may
h,, .,relv II cannot be PRETENDED