Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1858-01-30
SATURDAY, JANUARY 80, 1858.
The Administration and Commodore
PauIding.

,.
The outragf perpetrated by Com. Pauding in the
arrest of Walker, continues to call forth the indg-
nant censure of the honest and right thinking mem
Ders OF both houses of Congress- Gen Zolicofer's
remarks on that subject contain a very correct
pose OF the whole matter; and, except bis very
aoroit ana urJustfabe attack upon the administra-
ton In the conclusion OF his speech meets with ge-
neral appreciation from Southern
Was the attack upon the administration
"unjustifable H' We contend that it was
not-that the administration and not Com
modore Paulding are responsible for the
unlawful invasion of Nicaragua, by United
States marines, and the capture of Gen,
Walker. 1t is true that the original in
structions of the Secretary of State do not
appear to contemplate any such action as
that of the COmmodore-those instructions
were vague and unsatisfactory But they
were subsequently construed by the Secre-
tary of the Navy, at the instance of Lit.
Almy of the Fulton. After receiving the
original intructions Lit. Almy, not satisfied
as toEtheir meaning, wrote to Mr. Tousey
asking something more definite He said:
Suppose, for instance, ,chile lying in a mort of
Central America American steamer should en-
ter, having on board a large number of men whom
/ supect of being "hllibusters"-people intending
10 land for the purpose OF obtaining possession of
the country, and of forming a Government the re-
must seize Mts UeSSeL and bring her into port of
the United States, or merely the force placed
at my command to prevent their landing?
Il is generally conceded that American citizens
have right 10 travel and go where they please
Suppose that this suspicious body Of men inform
that they going to travel; that their inten-
ton Is to cross the isthmus, intend to settle
peacefully in the country for the purpose of devel-
oping its agricultural resources; indeed that they
have been invited TO come and settle there.
To this Mr.. TOusey replied as follows
SIR: In reply to your letter of the 7th inst. it is
true that American citizens have right to navel
and go whore they please, when engaged in lawful
pursuit but not violate the laws of their own or
of any other country. They have a right to ex-
patriate and to become citizens of any country
which is willing to receive them, but not to make
that right mere cloak and cover for warlke ex-
petition against it or its Government. Your in
structions do not authorize you 20 act arbitrarily or
upon mere suspicion. You will not seize an Ameri-
can vessel, bring her into port use the force
under your command TO prevent her landing her
pass myers, upon mere suspicion. Yon will be
careful not to interfere with lawful commerce. But
where you find that American vessel is manifest
ly engaged in carrying on an expedition enter
prise from the territories or juridiction of the |
United States, against the territories of Mexico |
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, contrary the 9th sec
ton OF the act of Congress OF April 90 1918, al
ready referred to, you WiH tie force under |
your command to Drecent az, and piH nat permit |
tie or arms engaged an al, or destined for |
al, to be landed an any port of Nerico Central
america.
En- route for Cbiriqui, you will touch at Mobile
and New Orleans, and communicate with the Unit
ed States District Attorney each of those ports
l am, respectfully, your ob'd servant
ISAAC TOUCEY.
LIEUT.. JOHN J. ALMY, Commanding
U. S. steamer Fulton, Washington D. G.
This reply, 1--WE adopt the language and argu
ment OF the Louisville Journal follows) though
sufficiently non-committa brings the instructions |
of Secretary Cass down to something like definite
shape in relation to single interesting point In
deed it puts that single point, and il is decisive
one, in a light perfectly unmstakable. IL clearly |
recognizes the lawfulness of attempt on the part
of our commanders 20 arrest the expedition of the
fllibusters within the jurisdiction of foreign State
1t does this beyond dispute. you will use the
force under your command to prevent it," says
Secretary TOucey, "and will not permit the men or
arms engaged in it, destined for it, to be landed
;n ana part of Mexico or Central america" Now,
as the jurisdiction of State extends at least one
marine league from the coast, the point or line at
which the landing would necessarily be effected if
it occurred all this is evidently equivalent to say
ing, "You will use the force under your command
to ARE st the expedition within the Jurisdiction
of Mexico or Nicaragua" OF course the act of
preventing the landing would properly take place
where and when the attempt to land was made,
and the attempt to land, the attempt which our ma
val officers were here instructed to prevent, is ex
pressy referred to the port" which couldn't very
consistently be located outside Of a marine league
from the coast. The plain import of Secretary
Toucey's language is that the expedition might be
arrested within foreign jurisdiction, if necessary
No other construction is allowable. The structure
of the English language dehes any other.
"lL however, the language OF Secretary Toucey
is thought to bs indetermnate in itself, that OF
Lieut. Amy renders 1t unequivoca. Let the
reader look back for a moment at the parts of the
which we have Italicized The
Lieutenant asks explicitly, il, Whils lying ia port
Of Central AmeTica and OF course within the iuris-
dction OF Central America, Anne rican steamer I
should enter, having on board large number OF .
men whom he suspects OF being filhbusters he
must Siezs the OeSSef. Aud the Secretary, having
reference to the same theatre Of action, tells him
DOT to seize il Suspicion but only mani-
test proof OF its being engaged in unlawful en- q
erprse, in which case he must use .he whole force
under hls command to arrest it, 1t there is any
hing uucertuiu about this We should like TO know &
v hat it is Ii il doesn't authorize the seizure of
the hhbusters within the jurisdiction Of Mexico or
Central Americ4, no conceivable possible COM
'inauon of words can. And certainly nobody Is
silly enough to assume that the chores of a country I
less within its jurisdiction than its ports
re-that, for instance, the town of San Juan is +,
more peculiarly Central American thar the port of ,
he same name, or that an act OF hostility commit.
ed by foreign power In the haroor OF Norfolk | q
Goui be a less otfense against national sove-
eighty than the invasion OF Norfolk itself. Such :,
n assumption would be arrant absurdity.
Commodore Paulding, therefore, Is innocent !:
hat to say, he is guilty merely Of obeying his
Instructions. lie did what the President through q
is Secretaries directed him to do. And he did IL, | 4,
moreover, under the spur planted in his side by :.
he T, call of brother officer rot doing the same
hing. He did what the President instructed | 4
m to DO, anu in point OF principle, he did moth !
~ more. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Yet ,
he President, for tue sake Of escaping the res
OF his own ignorance aud imb, ciliIy,
las not hestated TO charge the ''gallant Commo
ore" with committing "a grave error" aud has a
'ostiveiy read him lecture, in the face OF the
ountry, on the necessity OF obeying the Law aud
onformiug to instructions. When did official ,
neanness ever sink lower than thisl IL Is bad
nough il is dise raceiui, TO be utterly ncompe- .
ent TO handle international questions as Mr. Bu-
hanan has shown himself TO De, but TO crown in-
Competency with cowardly treaehery, and seek
D load faithful agent with the weight q
4 ones blunders, ID more than disgraceia iI q
Infamous. Undoubtedly. IL lie the President,
nj not Commodore Paulding, who has committed
a grave error" and any President but Jamss