New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-11


which Commander Chatard omitted to act, and has
been recalled in consequence, while Commodore
Pauldng, in acting under them, is charged with o
grave error, have been laid before the Senate and
very curious orders they are. Had it been the OBJ
iect of the Secretary of the Navy to leave those
officers totally in the dark as TO the precise duty
expected of them, the thing could net have been
better done. The Secretary seems to be thor
ough-going disciple of the school which teaches
that the chief use of language is TO conceal one 8
meaning. His Instructions, so called, We suppose,
on the principle of lucuS non t"cendo, sent to those
officers, ale perfect specimen of that great feat
of the CircumlocutiOn Office-hOw not to do it.
Instead of himself enforcing the neutrality laws,
and giving distinct orders for that purpose, the
great study of the Secretary of the Navy would
appear to have been to throw the whole respOnsl-
bility of acting in the premises upon the officers
themselves, reserving to himself and the A iminis-
tratiOn after the whole thing was over, the priv
ilege of grumbliDg at whatever might be done.
On the 18th of September last Mr.. Secretary
Cass issued circular from the State Department
addressed TO various civil officers" setting forth
the fact of information received at that Department
that awless persons were engaged within the
Z" limits of the United States in setting on foot
military expeditions against Central America,
in violation of the sixth section of the
Neutrality Act of 1918. This circular further
recited that under the 9Th section of that act, it
was Law full for the President or such other person
as he might emp0rer, to employ the land and naval
forces of the United States, and also the militia,
- for the purpose of preventing the carrying on Of
" any such expedition or enterprise from the terri
tories or jurisdiction of the United States" After
this preamble, the circular proceeded as follows:
IL am therefore directed by the President of the
United States to call your attention to tn, subject and
TO urge y0u to use all due diligence, and to avail your
self of all the legitimate means at your command TO
enforce these and of the said act of April
20, 1878 against those who may be found engaged in
setting on foot preparing military expeditions
against the territories Of Mexico, Costa Rca and
Nicaragua 30 manifestly prejudcal to the national
character and injurious to the national interest
Considered as circular emanating from the
State Department, and addressed to certain civil
officers, district-attorneys, collectors, &c, we
have no particular fault to fnd with this document
Ii was addressed either to lawyers or else to per-
sons who had ample legal advice at hand, by the
help of which to settle any doubts they might have
as to what educ diligence" was or what were
1.-THE legitimate means" they might employ. The
nclosing also of this circular by the Secretary of
the Navy TO the commandants Of the navy yards
as he did, was, perhaps, all that was necessary as
TO Them since it might serve sufficiently as notice
to be ready to cooperate when called upon. So
far, so good But will it be thought credible
that the simple Enclosure of this circular designed
originally for civil officers resident in the United
| States, and with abundant legal advice at hand
constituted the instructions, and all the instruc-
tions, which Mr. Toucey deemed it proper and
necessary to give to the naval officers stationed
or To be stationed, on the Central American coast
Ihe mere fact of sending this circular to those
ohcers implied that something was expected OF
them. But what The act of 1913 authorizes
the President to employ the land and naval force
TO prevent the carrying on of Administering enter
prises; but independently of express orders from
the President, or such person as he shall empower
II does not impose any duty whstever upon those
| forces.
| The exceeding vagueness of such Instructions
addressed to naval officer on foreign station
could not 'ail to be instantly felt by every officer to
| whom they were sent Indeed their deficiency in
this respect was at once pointed out 10 the Score
tay by Licuteuan; Aluy Ct the Steamer Fulton
destined for the Gulf Of Mexico but, when the cir