The daily union., 1852-11-12

Judgment OF the department. If Purser Smith remained
an board the ship. abe would nOi be permitted to land
shsr passengers or mails On the very morning
when this correspondence appeared ia the Uaion the
R,pabRe Published article, apparently Official sta.
ling that the administration would in no wise shack
ovi,p but would do all that was proper to sustain
hs national rights and interests in the case and further
stating that Judge Conkng had been instructed to stop al
Havana on his way 10 Mexico. aad make due nvestga-
ton OF the whole matter IL happened that while this
statement was being written for publication in the Re
,bfe we fully answering il and exposing
il as a mere nake-shift TO gain time for the
came morning. in our brief Introductory comments
IN the correspondence, we set forth the fact that
,be department had already information OF the facts
IN the case in an official shape from its own agents
hang first the official letter OF Mr. Roberts on the part of
be company and secondly, the Official protest of Captain
,poer In addition to this. the administration had the
official letter Of the Cuban Preiect OF Police written in
the name Of the captain general, TO the effect that Purser
Smith was suspected Of being suspicious character and
that The Crescent City, having him board should not
have the privileges of the port We added that Judge
Cookng could moi be received by the capangeneral in
,v official character and that therefore, in sending him
10 Cuba to make inquiries, the Department OF State had
committed the manifest ndecoum OF sending mere pTl-
v,sczen 10 learn state OF facts of which II already had
o@cia information both from its own otcia agents and
, ,hs Cuban authorities On its face, therefore, the mis-
dian olludge Conkling to Cuba was mere preext and
awkward and unwarrantable pretext, to gain time
.od slave of the responsibility OF decision till after cleo
to0 And meantime Mr.. Acting Secretary Conrad had,
n terms scarcely courteous. on behalf OF the ad-
,,;istra,ion, declined all responsibility in the prem
;.ss and left the Crescent City and the company
oynine her entirely at the mercy OF the Cuban au-
tborlies; nlimaling that they would doubtless de-
orve her of the port privileges if Smith was on board
and he had made this response 10 company OF Aner
can citizens whose private right and interests largely IN
voIved and wantony and UNANIMOUSLY invaded, were yet
identified with their responsibilities IN the discharge oil
moortant public duties and who therefore presented In
b,r case every claim that American citizens ever can
peseut 10 official COUNSEL countenance, and protection
s.cb was the posture of this bad business when the
correspondence which copy below saw the light II
rvsals the astounding fact, that ,chs the Republic 'ras
,iru tint The tooud by means back
otn bu, tsoud naaintn NTH all zeal and fidelity all
American rights and interests, just then Mr. Conrad wai
,rtng to the Spanish minister that, in obedience TO the
,ppcn generals diet1tion, the Obnorious officers Of
h, Crescent City toouid be removed This caps
the climax of the whole case. Having deter
mined upon this course. why had not the admins
,auoo the manhood 10 ayow it, and take the response
batv Of in Why did they presume still 10 talk through
their organ about not backing OUT and to contradict de-
soaches averring that they had backed out Above all
why was information of this policy withheld from Mr.
Law when he respectfully, and in due course OF MS
business asked what doing by the government 10
regard 10 his ship and what protection and support he
could RELY upon the hands OF his government whose
AGENT he was! The answer is obyious-the adminisua
ton had not the courage to do anything but rgckle and
hack out before the demands OF Canedo and had not the
courage TO confess that it was trucking. For the
honor of the American government, we will say that SC
far as our knowe ge extends, such course in the con-
duct of our foreign relations is without any previous
precedent.
We make these remarks in no partisan spirit or puf
pose for there is no temptation SO TO do on th'
contrary we auaign the administration for lis gross NAL
easance in this business because its course has, IN ou
Judgment seriously eoparded American interests, II
has not tarnished the American name abroad. W.
are far from assuming that such course VIII d
be persisted in 0n the contrary, we cannot but anc,
pate that the accomplished and experienced diplomats
now at the head OF the State Department will 90 wha
may under the circumstances, be done TO place the ad
mnsration in a respectable attitude both beior
our owu country and before foreign powers
With these observations, we place the sutioned cor
espondencs before readers-simply remarkng tha
we are entirely unable to understand the policy in which
the Hon. Mr. Conrad has made up such record, or ih
moiirss which can have swayed him TO the adoption o
such a course.