Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-12-10

it deprived that Republic of rights without which
its sovereignty over them could scarcely be said
TO exist 1t divided them from the remainder
of Honduras, and gave to their inhabitants q seq.
arate government of their own Legislative, execu-
tive, and Judicial officers. elected BY themselves
1t deprived the Government of Honduras of the
taxing power in every form and exempted the
people OF the islands from the performances of
military duty, except for their own exclusive de-
tence. IL also Prohibited that Republic from or
Getting Qualifications upon them for their protec-
notwithstanding them open to lnva sion from
any quarter, and, finally, il provided THAT Sla.I
very shall not az any time hereafter, be permit
ted to exist therein
Had Honduras ratified this convention she
would have ratified the establishment Of a State
substantially independent within her own limits,
and State at all times subject to British inhu
ence aud control. Moreover, had The United
States ratified the treaty with Grea. Britain in
! The original form, we should have been bound
Ito recognize and respect in ali future time
these stipulations to the principle OF Honduras,
Being in direct opposition to the spirit and mean
ing of the Clayton and Bulwer treatyfas under
stood in the United States, the Senate rejected
The entire clause and substituted in his stead q
simple recognition of the sovereign right OF Hon
duras to those islands in the following language
:. The two contracting parties do hereby mutual
of Rnatan, Bonaco, Utia, Barbarrtta, Helena,
and Morat situied in the Bay of Honduras, and
off the coast OF the Republic Of Honduras as IN.
der the sovereignty and As part of the said Re-
public of Honduras"
Great Britain rejected this amendment assign
Ting as the only reason. that the ratification OF
the Convention of the "a tia of August, 1856, be-
tween her and Honduras, had not en.exchan-
ged, owingto the hesitation of that Government.
Had this been done, il is stated that. Her Males
Itys Government would have had little difficulty
III agreeing to the modification proposed by the
Senate, which then would have in effect the
same Specification as the original wording
! Whether this would have been the effect; whetf
the mere circumstances of the exchage of the rat
iication of the British Convention with Hondur-
as prior in point oftime to the ratification of our
treaty with Great Britain would in effect, have
had the same Specification as the original word
: ing and thus have nullified the amendment o.
, the Senate may we'll be doubted. Tits, perhaps
ofrtunate that tia question has never arisen,
The British Government, Immediately afte
: rejecting the treaty as amended, proposed to Ell
I ter INTO the new treaty with the United States
g lsimi!ar in airespects to the treaty which they
had just refused 10 ratify, if the United Stats,
t would consent to add to the Senate's clear ant
I unqualified recognition of the sovereignty o
Honduras over the Bay Islands the following
e con iitional supulation:- Wherever and 81
3 soon as the republic of Honduras shall have con
Guided ana ratified treaty with Great Britain
t britain, By which Great Britain, shall hava ce
: lded and the repablic of Honduras shall have &C
repted, the said islands, subject to the provisions
aud conditions contained in such treaty
: This proposition was, of course, rejected. AT
ter the Senate had refused to recognize the Brit
=. Eish convention with Honduras of the 9th Aug
4 Igust, 1855, with full knowledge of its contents
il was impossible for me, necessarily ignoran
of the provisions and conditions. which nigh
be contained in future convention between tn,
I same parties, to sanction them in advance,
The fact is that when tive nations like Grea
Britain and the United States mutually DESTROYS
as they are, and trust ever may be, of main
tanning the most friendly relations with eacl
= other, have unfortunately concluded treat,
: which they understand in senses directly oppo
i site the wsest course is to abrogate such trea
l ty by mutual consent, to commence anew. Hat
: this been done promptly, all difficulties in Cen
: trail America would most probably ere this hav'
been adjusted to the satisfaction OF both parties
The time spent in discussing the meaning of thu
, Clayton and Bulwer treaty, would have beer
devoted to the praiseworthy purpose, and tn
task would have been the more easily accom-
plished because the interest of the two countrie
: in Contra! America is identical, being confines
to securing safe transits over all the routes across
the isthmus
: Whilst entertaining these sentiments, shall
nevertheless not refuse to contribute to any rea
s0nable adjustment OF the Central America ques
tions which is not practically Inconsistent will
l the American interpretion Of the treaty, Over
= tures for this purpose nave been recently made
: by the British Government i'll friendly spirit
, which cordially reciprocate; but whether this
renewed effort will result in success | am not We
prepared 10 express an opinion. brief period
will determine.
With France our ancient relations of friendship
still continue to exist. The French government
have in several recent instances, which need no
: be enumerated, evinced a spirit of good viii anC
: Kindness towai Is our country which | heartily
: reciprocate. II is, notwithstanding much to be
regretted that two nations, whose productions
are oi such character as to invite the most ex
: tensive exchanges and freest commercial inter
t course, should continue to enfsrce ancient and
absolute restrictions of trade against each other
Our commercial treaty with France is in this re
spect an exception from our treaties with al
t other commercial nations. 1t jealously leve:
! discriminating duties both on tonnage and on ar
= ticles, the grow tn, produce, manufacture o.
the one country, when arriving in vessels be-
a longing to the other .,s .
More han forty years ago, on the Sd of Marcel
1917, Congress passed an act offering to all ma
f tons TO admit their vessels laden with their ma
tionel productions into the ports of the UniteG
States upon the same terms with our own yes
sells, provided they would reciprocate to us sim
liar advantages This act confined the recipro
city to the productions of the respective foreign
nations who might en- ter into the proposed ar
E rangement with the United States. The act o
= May %, 1925, removed the restriction, and sim
liar reciprocity to all such vessel without refer
ence to the origin of their cargoes. Upon these
principles, our commercial treaties and arrange
, ments have been founded, except with France
and let us hope this exception may not long ex
; ist.
: Our relations with Russia remain ,as they hav,
low han,, las
. present Emperor, as well as his predecessors
: have never failed when the occasion offered, II
manifest their good will to our country; ant
their friendship has always been highly appre
: cated by the government and people of the Uni
ted States, t.s ..a. q ..rs
With all other European Governments, exec p
that of Spain, our relations as peaceful as we
could desire, ! reg:et to say that no progress
whatever has been made, since the Adjournment
of Congress, towards the settlement of any
of the numerous claims of our citizen,
against the Spanish Government, Beside.
the outrage Committed on our flag by the
Spanish war-frgate Ferrolanna on the high sea.
off the coast of Cuba, in March, 1855, by firing
: into the American mail steamer El Dorado, and
OBTAINING and searching her remains unacklowl
} edged and unredressed. The general tone ant
temper of the Spanish Government toward that
, "fihe United States are much to be regretted.
: Our present envoy extraordinary and minister
ptohlpoteul5FY 10 Madrid mas asked 20 be re
5 called; and Il is my purpose TO send out a new
Minister'to Spain, with special instructions on
all questions pending between the two Govern.
meuts. aud with a determination to have them
speedily and amicably adjusted, if this be posi-
bic. In the meantime. whenever our Minister
+ urges the Just claims of our citizens on the no
tice of the Spanish Government. he is met with
the objection that Congress meyer made the ap
: preparation recommended by President Polk in
! his annual message of December, lS47, '.to ba
: paid 20 the Spanish Government for the purpose
of distributing among the claimants i'll the A m.
4 tstad case. A similar recommendation was