Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-12-04
TO THE EDITORS.

L ~ TIE EDllOdS.
GESrnaxES: In presenHpg to your readers In yonr
per AZ the 23d instant the correspondence transmitted
~ the President Of the United States to the House Of
NepresSa atves in relation to the Island Of Cuba and
which correspondence has been communicated to the
public in obedience to resolution submitted by me ON
the 4th day Of February last you have accompanied its
publicston with editorial comments which demand
. brief notice from You say
SLOW it has happened that this interesting document
though sent to Congress IN reply 20 secvse es has mot
earlier seen the light Is explained by the indifference
the part of the House Of Representatives to comunic
tons made by the Executive, though called for by ITSELF
in consequence Of which this Presidential lay
the table for SIC iOeeks rhon being opened and
when opened Was without any examination of its con-
TENTS ordered to be printed for the Of the mebers
brief recurrence to few facts VIM satisfy you that
the charge which you have here preferred against the
House Of you have done that body nus
tce; apd certainly far the of that "spec6c
call" is concerned there Is not shadow Of foundation
for your censure
For several years past, and more especially since my
visit to Cuba in the month Of January 1885, have felt
lively interest in the fate Of that island and in its pro-
bable might say certain future destiny as one of the
States OF the Conedeacy and it my wish during the
last session Of Congress to- have presented in full before
the country my views upon this interesting problem Of
national policy Before doing SO, examined our pub
shed diplomatic correspondence for the purpose Of max
ing myself acquainted with the policy heretofore an
nounced by our Government in relation that island In
making that examination surprised to find SO little
in our published diplomatic instructions bearing upon the
subject Satisfied that question 50 full of interest to
every ctlen Of this republic could not have escaped thu
vglant attention of the many eminent men who for the
last thirty years had presided over the department Of
foreign affairs determined to offer resolution calling
upon the President to communicate to the House All
instructions from the Department Of State to the dplo
matte agents of the United States abroad not hsetooye
communicated 70 Congress- declaratory Of or relating to the
policy Of the Government Of the United States in relation
to the Island Of Cuba leaving it Of discretionary
with the President to withhold any paper the publication
Of which might be regarded by him as detrimental to-
the public interests The resolution was submitted to-
the House on the 4th day of February and unanimously
adopted.
After allowing month for response to that resolu
ton, called personally upon Mr. WEBSTER to learn when
the report from his Department would be made He in
formed me- in reply that it should be forthcoming at the
earliest day practicable AT the end Of the second month
again called and informed that the
was being copied At the end of the third month adj
dressed letter to Mr. WEBSTER, respectfully calling his
attention to the resolution, and urging an early COM
plance with its request To this letter received no re-
ply In the month of June again called at the State
Department and there learned that the correspondence
was copied but not examined. In the early part of
August made my last visit to the State Department in
connexon with this subject and learning that Mr. WEB-
srER was either sick absent inquired for Mr. HUNTER
the Chief Clerk and Acting Secretary of State who in
formed that the correspondence had some two weeks
before been sent from that Office to the President of the
United States and upon my manifestng impotence
the delay which had he expressed the opinion
to that the correspondence probably held back by
the President until the final disposition by Congress Of
the bill then pending before it. providing Compensation
the Spanish Consul and other subjects Of Spain resid
ing New Orleans for losses occasioned by violence in
the year 1851 arising from intelligence of the execution
of the Americans captured the Island of Cuba This
bill did not become law until the last day Of the session.
Hearing nothing further of the report from the State De-
parment called to the President the first day Of
september-the day after the adjournment of Congress
to learn distinctly from himself why the
withheld and there learned for the first time that his
message had been transmitted to the House of Rep
resent atives
On what day the President made his communioag
ton to Congress have no means by reference to the
journal here of ascertainng That it could not have
been early the day upon which his message ia made
to bear date in your paper is absolutely certain for the
bears date earlier than that Of the report made
from the State Department to him. when from the per-
sona examination which the President assured me he had
given to the correspondence it could not have been for
warded by him for days. notfor some weeks after
it sent from the State Departmental him. Al.
speak, then, of facts within my knowledge when
assert that Indifference manifested ut least by
the mover Of that resolution to the communication made
reply to it, that message after message was opened by
the Speaker at my instance to this
sent to the House; that much impotence was felt Mt
the unprecedented delay which marked its transmission
Congress- and that when ultimately communicated IL
towards the close of protraced session. and under
that might have caused to escape the
attention of the most ygilant member Of that body
have nothing at this time say in reference to the
interesting and important contents Of that document
Very truly, yours,
CHAS. JAS. FAULKNER
BoYDvLLE, (vA.) Nov. 26, 1852.
NOTE, BY THE EDITORS