The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-02-10
THE PROTOCOL.
lnE PRESIDENTS MEssAeE

MED with all The documents and correspondence &c
lang 10 the treaty Of pence concluded between Tue
United States and Mexico At Guadalupe iidnlsn, on
the second Of February lsI7, and 10 the amend
menis OF the Senate ihsrtto, as requested by the
House Ia the said resolutions.
Amongst The tocnnents transnisi~d " VI be found
a copy OF the instructions given 10 the commission.
ers Of the United States who took 10 Mexico the
treaty as amended by ihs Senate and ratified BY The
President Of the United States. In my message 10
Tie House OF Representatives Of the twenty ninth
Of July, 1915, gave as my reason ior declining 10
furnish these instructions, IN compliance with Q rec
olution of the House That I'm nay opinion u would
be inc ons-ant with the public interests 10 give pub
lcity 10 Them al The present tine, Although u
may still be doubted, whether giving them publiriy
in our own country and, as necessary consequence
in Mexico, may not have pIclndlcial INFLUENCE "n
our public interests, yet MS they have again been
called for by the House. and called for In connection
with other documents, 10 the correct understanding
Of which they are indispensable ] have deemed II
my duty 10 transmit them
still entertain the opinion, expressed In the nltf-
sage referred TO- that as a general rue, applicable
10 all our important negotiations with iofegn Pow
ers, il could mol fail 10 be preudical 10 The publir
Interests TO publish the Instructions 10 our ministers
until some time had elapsed after the conclusion o
such negotiations" 9
In these Instructions Of the 18th Of Mash islS
il will be perceived that the task was assigned 10
the commissioners Of the United States OF consains
ang The treaty Of peace which was signed at Tau
dalupe llidago, on the secoEd day OF February last
between the United States and The Mexican tepub.
lie and which, on the tenth of March last, Was rat
| flied by the Senate with amendments
They were informed that this brief statement will
| indicate you clearly the line OF your duy. You
are not sent 10 Mexico for the purpose Of nogotia.
ting any new treaty or of changing in any particular
the ratified treaty which yon will bear with YOU.
! None of The amendments adopted by the Senate can
be rejected or modified except by the authority of
| q that body. Your whole duty will, then, consist in
using every honorable effort obtain from the
Mexican Government ratification of the treaty in
the form in which il has been ratified by the Senate
and this with the least practicable delay" =" For
this purpose it may, and most probably will, become
necessary that you should explain 10 the Mexican
Minister for Foreign Affairs, or TO the authorized
agents of the Mexican Government, the reasons
which have influenced the Senate in adopting these
several amendments TO the treaty. This duty You
will perform, as much as possible, by personal con-
ferences Diplomatic notes to be avoided, unless
in case of necessity These might lead TO endless
discussions and indefinite delay. Besides, they
could not have any practical result your mission
lis confined to procuring ratification from the Mex
ican Government Of the treaty as it came from the
Senate, and does not extend TO the slightest modif-
cation in any Of its provisions"
The commissioners were sent to Mexico TO pro-
cure the ratification Of the treaty as amended by the
Senate. Their instructions confined them TO this
point. 1t was proper that the amendments to the
treaty adopted by tile United States should be ex-
planned 10 the Mexican Government, and explana-
tons were made by the Secretary Of State, in his
letter of the 18th Of March, 1913, TO the Mexican
/ Minister Of Foreign Affairs under my direction
| This despatch was communicated to Congress with
my message of the 9th of July LAST, communicating
the treaty OF peace, and published by their order.
| This desp atch was transmitted by our commission
ers from he city of Mexico To the Mexican Govern
ment, then at Queietaro on the lIth Of April 1915,
and its receipt acknowledged on the 18th OF the same
month. During the whole time that the treaty, as
amended was before the Congress OF Mexico these
explanations Of the Secretary of State, and these
alone, were before them. v.
The President of Mexico, on these explanations
on the 9th day of May, l54a, submitted the amended
treaty TO the Mexican Congress, and on the 25th of
| May that Congress approved the treaty as amended
| without mobilization or alteration The final action
/ of the Mexican Congress had taken place before the
| commissioners of the United States had been OH
cially received by the Mexican authorities Or held
any con ference with them, or had any other COM
munication on the subject Of the treaty, except 10
transmit the letter Of the Secretary Of State.
| In their despatch transmitted TO Congress with
| my message of the 9th of July last, communicating
the treaty Of peace, dated City of Queretaro, May,
IS ls4a, nine O'Clock p m" the commissioners
say; awe have the satisfaction TO inform you that
we reached this city this afternoon at about five
O'clock and that the treaty, as amended BY The Sen
'ate of the United States, passed the Mexican Sen
'ate about the hour OF our arrival by vote OF 80 TO
| IS. 1t having previously passed the House Of Dep
J 'uties, ohng now remains but TO exchange the
J ratfcati nns of the treaty.
On the next day, thc Goth of May) the commits
soners were for the first time presented 20 the Pres
iden, of the Republic, and their credentials placed
In his hands. On this occasion the commissioners
delivered an address 10 the President Of Mexico and
he replied In their despatch of the Both Of May tht
commissioners say: ave enclose a copy Of oul
address 10 the Pres dent, and also copy Of his
| 'ply Several conferences afterwards took place be
tween Mes3rs. Rosa, Cuevas, Couo, and ourselves
(which il Is not thought necessary TO rccapuats, as
we enclose a copy Of the protocol, which contains
| The substance of the conversations. We have now
/ the satisfaction TO announce that the exchange of
'ra,ifcations was effected to-day" This despatch
was communicated with my message OF the 9th Of
July last, and published by order Of Congress.
The treaty, as amended by the Senate Of the L
States, with the accompanying papers, and the evi.
dcnce that in thar form it had been ratified by Mex.
ico was received at Washington on the 4h .day OF
July 1913, and Immediately proclaimed as the s,l.
preme law Of the land. On the 9th of July | com.
nunicated TO Congress the ratified treaty with such
accompanying documents as We're deemed material
TO full understanding Of the subject to the end
that Congress might adopt the legislation necessary
and proper to carry the treaty into effect Neither
the address of the Commissioners, nor the reply Of
the President OF Mexico the occasion of their
presentation, nor tho memorandum of conversations
embraced in paper called the Protocol nor the cor.
respondence now sent, We're communicated because
they were not regarded as in any way material and
in this conormed TO the practice Of our Govern.
eminent. II rarely, II ever happens that athe cor.
respondencc, and especially the instructions 10 on
ministers, Is communicated. Copies Of these pa.
pers are now transmitted as being within the reao
lutions of the House calling for all such ''corres
pondcnce appertans TO said treaty.
4 when ihess papers were received At Washington
peace had been restored the first inslanen Of TIRES
millions paid TO Mexico the bockades were raised