The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-01-28
Belize and the Bay Islands as English colonies,
ia reported to have said that

Inc PRESIDENTS message, communicating Int
correspondence ON the Clayton treaty, was before
the Committee on Foreign Relations. In that mes
sage the President stated that he had no information
as TO whether any colonization had taken place OF
not. But information had been received in othe
forms, which was sufficiently authentic, perhaps Z
justify Legislative action. II il should be true, a!
stated that Great Britain has established colony a
the place designated hcther cioiation of the treat.
| or not one thing uus cerfd,n-fhdt colony must
Mr.. Mason also added that this matter wa
before his committee, and that be should pro
badly report upon it at an early day. Mean
time, he observed that the debate on the reso
buttons Of Mr.. Cass, which referred to only one
OF the principles involved in the new assump
tions OF Great Britain, would 60 on. And here
we may mention that there has been, in oul
opinion, considerable misconception of Mr.. Ma
sons opinions on the Monroe principle and
the matters connected with it. We do not un
derstand him as at all opposed to the resolu
tons introduced by Mr.. Cass, re-afirming that
principle, but only anxious that it should be
re-affirmed in connection with the direct issue
which has been made upon it by Great Britain
He is quite right in believing that practical
vindcation Of that principle, in demanding and
enforcing the discontinuance ofthe colonies just
established by Great Britain, would do more to
secure its inviolabity for the future than thou
sand mere resolves. however solemnly and
earnestly made. In Mr.. Mason's own language,
whether these colonies are organized by Great
Britain in violation of the Clayton and Bulwer
treaty, or not. they must be discontinued
This is Mr. Mason's position, and it has the adj
vantage Of being positive, tangible, and practi-
CAL and one in which he will be supported by
the practical good sense and patriotic sentiment
of the whole country. We shall look for his re-
port upon the matter with the deepest interest.
In connection with the same subject, General
Cass has made another movement in practi-
cal direction. He some days ago gave notice OF
the following resolution which came up for dis
cussion and was adopted yesterday. tits much
the same with that recently proposed by Mr..
Dixon, with the greater advantage Of brevity:-
Resolved, That the Committee on Foreign Rela
lions be instructed to inquire and report whether any
measures and if any, what, should be taken by the
Senate in relation to the declaration annexed to the
ratification the part Of Great Britain OF the treaty
concluded between that country and the United
States, April 49, $780, and to the letter of the Sec
IetdTy Oh 10 tuc DrlllSl Ml0lSLer, on Tie eX
change OF the notifications.
There can be- it seems to us, but one opinion
upon the point involved in this resolution. The
Clayton and Bulwer treaty was signed by both
plenipotentiaries on the 10th of April, 1850, and
to the Senate and ratified, May %,
1850. Subsequently, on the 4th Of July, 1850, q
correspondence took place between Mr.. Clayton
and Mr.. Bulwer, in which it was agreed that
the treaty should not apply to Belize. That is
to say that the treaty. in respect to this portion
of Central America, should be nnllified.
Now, as observed some days ago, by Mr..
Soule in the Senate. no such ca post .facto ar
rangement can be recognized. The constitu-
tion Of the United States provides that all trea-
ties shall be approved by the President by and
with the advice and consent Of the Senate. The
concurrence of both is essential to give validity
to any treaty; and not even the President.
much less Secretary of State. who is utterly
unknown to the constitution in connection with
treaty making, can suspend or in any way
modify the provisions Of treaty, by his indi-
vidual act. 1t is wholly immaterial therefore,
Wuot IIdtC UNDERSTANDABLE Wuo udu DCtWccu
Mr.. Clayton and Sir Henry Bulwer; the treaty
must be interpreted upon its face. and literally
enforced or wholly abrogated.
This is undoubtedly the opinion of Gen. Glass;
and we can conceive of no other purpose in the
of this resolution except to set
tie by formal report and legislative ac-
ion the utter incompetency Of any officer Of
he government to set aside or modify, or in any
way affect, treaty stipulations. We hope if the
resolution is referred, It will be answered by
one simply declaring that no conditions can
apply to treaties once ratified. except such as
are embraced in subsequent conventions, which
must equally receive the constitutional sane
ton. If the opposite principle were for mo-
ment admitted, we might find all Of our treaties
or practically nullilied by secret I'M
derstandings and private and confidential"
notes of the subordinate officers of the govern
ment. A treaty means nothing except what is
conveyed on its face, and the secret understand
ing Of Messrs. Clayton and Bulwer is no way
binding upon the United States 1t is not
worth the paper on which it is written.
TIE MoRMoNs-THE PoLYGAMY QUESTION
SETTLED.-According to the testimony, which
we publish to-day, Of the Rev. Orson Pratt one
of the seventy elders Of the Latter Day Saints,
and duly commissioned by Governor Young
the Lieut.. General and High Priest Of the
Church and by his twelve apostles, at the Great
Salt Lake, as their missionary to Washington,
to convert the heather Of that wicked place to
the true faih-according to this exaltedinspired
and official testimony of Orson Pratt, polygamy
does exist. is lawful, and is the most peculiar
social institution Of that most peculiar people,
the Molmons.
This precious confession Of the Salt Lake mis-
sionary is from pamphlet called = The Seer
published by him, at Washington, for the en-
lightenment Of the uninitated in the mysteries
Of Mormonism A man may have plurality
Of wives and be saint but after he has one