White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1857-12-31

The universal conviction in the United State
was that when our government consented to vi
olate its traditional, and time honored policy
and to stipulate with foreign government new
er to occupy or acquire territory in the Centre
American portion of0ur own continent, the con
sideration for this sacrifice was that Great Brit
ain should in this respect at least, be placed il
the same position with ourselves. Whilst W.
have no right to doubt the sincerity of the Brit
ish Government in their construction of tht
treaty, it is at the same time my deliberate con
viction that this construction is in opposition
both to its letter and its spirit. ..-
Under the late administration negotiation.
were instituted between the two government:
for the purpose, if possible, of removing these
difficulties; and treaty having this laudable
object in view was signed at London on the
18th October, 1856, and was submitted by the
President to the Senate on the following 10th Of
December. Whether this treaty, either in it
original or mended form, would have accom-.
plished the object intended without giving birth
to new and embarrassing complications between
the two governments, may perhapsbe well ques-
toned. Certain it is, however, it was rendered
much less Objectionable by the different amend
ments made to it by the Senate. The treaty, a.
amended, was ratified by me on the 18th March,
1857, and was transmitted to London for ratifi.
catien by the British government. That govern
ment expressedits willingness to concur in all the
amendments made by the Senate. with the sin
gle exception Of the clause relating to Ruatan
and the other islands in the Bay of Honduras
The article in the original treaty, as submitted
to the Senate, after reeiting that these islands
and their inhabitants, ''having been by conven-
tion bearing date the 9th day of August, 1856,
between her Britanic Majesty and the republic
of Honduras, constituted and declared free
territory under the sovereignty ofthe said re-
public of Honduras stipulated "that two con-
tracing parties do hereby mutually engage to
recognize and respect in all future time the in
dependence and rights of the said free territory,
as apart of the republic Of Honduras"
Upon an examination Of this convention be-
tween great Britain and Honduras of the 9th
August, 1856, it was found that, whilst declar.
ing the Bay Islands tobe Stree territory under
the sovereignty of the republic of Honduras -
it deprived hat republic ofrights 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 a
separate government of their own, with legisla-
tive, executive and judicial officers, elected by
themselves. It deprived the government Of
Honduras of the taxing power in every form,
and exempted the people of tho island from the
performance of military duty except for their
own exclusive defence. 1t also prohibited that
republic from erecting Notifications upon them
for their own protection-thus leaving them op-
en- to invasion from any quarter; and, finally, it
provided "that slavery shall not at any time
hereafter be permitted to exist therein"
Had Honduras ratified the convention, she
would have ratified the establishment Of a State
substantially Independent within her own limits,
and State at all times subject to British'inAu-
ence and control. Moreover, had the United
States ratified the treaty with Great Britain in
its original form, we should have been bound to
recognize and respect in all future times these
stipulations to the prejudice of Honduras. Be.
ing in direct opposition to the spirit and mean
ing of the Clayton and Bulwer treaty as under.
stood in the United States, the Senate rejected
the entire clause, and substituted in its stead a
simple recognition of the sovereign right oil
Honduras to these islands in the following Ian.
guage: "The two contracting parties do here
by mutually agree to recognize and respect the
ISLANDS of Ruatan, Conaco, Utila, Barbaretta
Helena, and Morat, situate in the bay of Hon.
duras, and off the coast of the republic of Hon
duras, as under the sovereignty and as part Of
the said republic of Honduras"
Great Britain rejected this amendment, as
signing as the only reason, that the ratification
of the convention of the 9th August, 1856, be
tween her and Honduras, had not been ex
changed, owing to the hesitation Of that govern
ment." Had this been done, it is stated that
"her Majesty's government would have had Lit
tie difficulty in agreeing to the modification pro
posed BY the Senate, which then would have had
in effect the same signifcation as the origina
wording" Whether this would have been thc
effect; whether the mere circumstance of the
exchange of the notifications of the British con
vention with Honduras prior in point of time e
the ratification Of our treaty with Great Britain
would, " in effect" have had "the same signi
fcation as the original wording" and thus have
nullifed the amendment Of the Senate, may vel
be doubted. ]. is, perhaps, fortunate that th'
question has never arisen. =.
The British government, Immediately ate
rejecting the treaty as amended, proposed to en-
ter into new treaty with the United States
similar in all respects 70 the treaty which theI
had Just refused to ratify, if the United lStatei
would consent to add to the senate's clear ant
unqualified recognition of the sovereignty o
Honduras over the Bay Islands, the following
conditional stipulation: whenever and q
soon as the republic Of Honduras shall hav'
concluded and ratified treaty with Great Brit
ain, BY which Great Britain shall have ceded
and the republic of Honduras shall have accep
ted, the said islands, subject to the provision
and conditions contained in such treaty"
This proposition. Of course, was rejected Al
ter the Senate had refused to recognize the Brit
ish convention with Honduras Of the 9th An
gust, 1856, with fun knowledge its contents
it Easimpossible for me, necessarily ignorant o
'.the provisions and conditions" which might b
contained in future convention between tn
same parties, to sanction them in sdrsnes-