Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1857-12-18

{ cGntended BY the British GoTernment that Cd
true construction Of this language has left then
ia tbs rlehtful possession Of ell that portion 0
Central America which was ia their oceupauc
at ~ date Of the treaty; in fact, that the trcn
| tyss virtual recognition on the part Of th
| unred States Of the right of Great Britain
either as owner or protector, 10 the whole ex
/ tensge coast OF Central America, swoepin
round from the Rio Hondo to the port aud bar
oor u saa Juan de Nicaragua, together wi,
the qglaeeat Bay Islands, except the colnpala
clFels small portion Of this between the Sars
too1a and Cape Honduras According u thei
! construction, the treaty does no more thar
slmgty prohibit them from extending their pos
SESSIONS u Central America beyond tie pres
eut 1i,nIts. tbs not too much 90 assert, tha
Il " the United States the treaty had been cen
sldeed susceptible Of such construction, i
neVeF would have been negotiated under til,
aataerlfy OF the President, nor would it hav,
receTed the appreciation Of the Senate. Tht
uasgsrsal conviction in the United States was
/ thai When our goyel a1ent consented to violate
ts Traditional anu time honored policy, aud /,
Stlppsate With 8 foreign government never tC
occupy O. acquire territory In the Centra
-Anssican eorJloa Of our own Continent, the
eoggieratlon for tlis sacrifice was that Great
lsraHn should, IN this respect a. least, be pla-
ce4 ~ the ssme position with ourselyes.-
ASAtsl sc have 40 right to doaht the siueeri.Y
e<tss 3ritis5 government in their construction
of The treaty, il is at the same tIao uiy dalibe-
rate conviction that this construction IS il OBJ
pcsHloa both 70 It's letter aud ita spirit.
iata 4
6ere Instituted between the two governments
ior sle aFpose, If possible, Of removing shcse
o'EAsa.t'ss; aud treaty having tbs lacdabla
ooJse; N view was signed at London on the
lftl October, 1886, aud was submitted by ,ue
Presiaent to the Sclate on tho following IOfk
OF l'ecen'ocr. Whether this treaty. either 10
lls 9sleinal or amended form, would have ac-
cenpi;shed Tie object intended without gisine
elfll 10 new aud embarrassing complications
oetAeea the two sovernments, may perhaps be
Seiss daestioucd. Certain il Is however, It vas
felueFed n'ueh less Objectionable BY the differ
sli ','l amendments nla'ie to it by the Senate
4Ae lfe@ty, rs amended, was Iaiifed by ME ol,
sAe l-ih March, 1887, aud vas transmitted ts
Loasaen foF ratification by tie British govern
s1sAA& ta~. tstrsItIuaeGis xEatvssyl slIti
hess 20 concur Ia all the amendments made by
the Senate With the single exceptions OF ste
clause relating TO Ruatan and the other Islands
iu the Bay of Honduras The article i'll the
original treaty, as submitted to the S5uatv, al
Ter Iecitiug that thesu islands snd taeir inhab-
ltants ''haTlhS been by Convention bearing
date the 2Ith day Of August, 1856, between
ner BTitanRlc Majesty and the republic Of
Honduras, constituted AID declared tree terri
tory under the sovereignty oi The said tep0blio
c. Honduras" stipulated ''that the two con-
tracing parties Go hereby mutually engage 10
reeogulze aud respect in ali future tine the
independence agt rights OF the said free ter
ritory as paft'of the republic Of Hondu-
raS.'
Upon an Examination of this convention be-
tween Great Britaia au1 Hoaduras Of the .-7,h
Augast, 1896, It WAS found that, whilst dee!a-
rug the Bay Islands TO be 80 free territory up-
der iha sovereignty Of tie republic Of HoBdu-
ras,@1 1t deprived that republic Of rights with
out which its Sovereignty over them could
scarcely be said to exist. Il divided them
from the remainder Of Honduras, AID gave to
their Inhabitants separate government of
their owd, vita legislative, executive, and iu
dicia' officers, elected hy themselves. /, ae-
prlved the governments Of Honduras Of the tax
ing power IN every form, aud exempted the
people OF the islands from the performance Of
military duty except for their own exclusive de-
fence, It also prohibited thar republic from
erecting tortifcations upon them for ;Aeir pro-
tect'on-thas leaving them open. to invasion
from anY quarter; and, finally, it provided
''thai slavery shall not 1t nny time hereafter
DO permitted to exist therein"
Hsd Honduras ratified this convention, she
would have ratified tho establishment of State
substantially independent witaiu her own lin
Its; ald State at all times subject to British
lhhaeac &c and eoDtrol. Moreover, had the Uni
TED States ratified tho treaty with Great Brit
ain ~ It's original form, we should have been
boand ''to recognise and respect in all fa,urs
nmop these Stipllations TO the prejudice Of Hou-
daras. Being in direct opposition to tAe spirit
and meaning of the Clayton aud Buiwer treaty
as understood in the United Srates, the Senate
rejected the entire clause, and substituted In its
stead simple recognition of the sovereign right
of Honduras to these islands 10 the following
language "Ihe two contracting parties do
hereby mutually engage TO recognise and respect
the islands OF kuatan, Bonaco, Utila, Bsrbaret-
ia, Helena, aud Morat, situate IN the Bay of
Honduras, and of the coast Of tho republic of
Honduras, as under the sovereignty ami as part
OF the SAID republic of Honduras"
Great Britain rejected this amandmept, as
siguiog as tue only reason, that the ratifoations
Of the convention of the 27th August, 1856, be-
tween her and Honduras, had not been l.ex.
changed, owing to the hesitation Of that govern
meut," Had this been done, it is stated tba,
''her Majest5's government would hare haa lit
tie difficulty in agreeing to The modification pro-
posed by the Senate, which then woula have
had ia effect the same sigaifcation as the org
inal wording" Whether this would have been
the effect; whether the mere circumstance of
the exchange of the ratifeations of the British
conSeatiou with Hordura, prior in point of time
to the ratification of our Treaty with Great Brit
ain would, sin effect" have had 'stie same sig
aifcation as the original wording" and thus
have nuIli6ed the ameudmsnt of the Senate may
well be doubted. Ii is, bsrbapas foQtunaet that