Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1852-12-22
Letter from the President.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 81.
The Republic by consent of the President
has published the following letter:
WASHINGTON Nov. -.
HUGH MAXWELL: Your note Of yesterday
came to hand this morning, in which you state
a conversation with Mr. Law, from which you
learned that the Crescent City will go to Cuba
and enter the port of Havana in defiance Of
the Spanish authorities, and if fred upon, she
will be surrendered, and that then he and 9TH
ers will Immediately commence hostilities
against the Island. You say, also, that you
desire to know whether he is right in presist-
ing in the pursuit of lawful business and that
ifthe Government shall tell him he must not
20 he will not. If, however nothing is SAID
against his going, he will infer he has right
to 60.
In regard to the chief matter Of your letter,
permit me to say in the first place, that do
not admit the right of Mr. Law. or any other
citizen, to threaten war on his own account,
for the purpose of seeking redress for real or
imaginary injustice, and then to call upon his
government to say whether it approves or dis
approves of such conduct, and assume its ap-
probation unless the act is forbidden. The
l.Qpnstitution If the United States has vested
hpgress alone the power of declaring war
the executive branch of the Gov.
George Law has any right to us
y commencing
and if he shall attempts -
~, and it is my determination, to
the power confided to the Executive
&c Government by the Constitution and
the laws, to prevent it.
am resolved at every hazard, to maintain
our rights in this controversy as against Spain,
and | am equally resolved, that no act of our
own citizens shall be permitted to place this
government in the wrong. Mr.. Law has an
undoubted right to pursue his lawful business,
bu. when question is raised between this
Government and a foreign nation, as to wheth.
er the business he pursues is lawful, or is pur
sued in lawful manner, the decision of such
questions belongs to the Government, and not
to him. If his object to assert his right to en-
ter the port Of Havana, with such persons as
he may choose to select, in defiance of the
laws of the Government of Spain, he has GER
tainly done enough to present that question
for decision to the Governments of Spain and
the United States. Negotiations have already
commenced, and our rights, as We understand
them, have been asserted, and, as I said
before, wall be maintained but the acts of this
Government cannot be controlled by the inter-
ference of any individual. 1t is certainly un.
necessary that Mr. Law should repeat these
attempts for the purpose of settling the con-
troversy. If he wilfully does so, and in so
doing violates the laws of foreign nation
within its own jurisdiction, and thereby loses
his vessel, he can expect no indemnity for
such an act of folly from this Government
We regulate the terms and conditions upon
which all foreign vessels enter our ports, and
we fix penalties for the violation of these laws.
The right to do so we shall never suffer to be
questioned by foreigners. We do not qeest.on
theirs to do the same thing He must wait the
result Of negotiations between the two Govern.
mcnts. This is not question to be settled
between him and Cuba, nor even between the
United States and Cuba, but between the
United States and Spain, which alone is re-
sponsiblc for the conduct of the governors Of
Cuba
You are at liberty to make known the contents
of this letter to Mr.. Law, and inform him that
as a good citizen. presume he will not a.
tempt any violation Of our neutrality laws by
attacking Cuba.
WILLARD FILLMORE.