Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1858-01-12
Gen. Walker to the President.
WASHINGTON, Jan.4, 1883.

SIR: On the 18th of June last had the honor
TO address you a letter relating the manner in which
Iemigrated from California to Nicaragua the events
VIII ch followed my presence in Central America :,
and the III lust and leg / acts by which fore
ed for a time to abandon my adopted country. In
that letter | stated facts which defy my enemies
to controvert and l then hoped your Exelency
would take steps for the punishment OF the griev
Gus offences against right, justice and public law
committed by United States officers in the seizure
of a Njcaraguan vessel in Nicarag guam port. Com
mander DAVIS has, however, gone unrebuked, so
far as / am informed, for his gross violation of in"
ternational law and of the Constitution OF the Unit
ed States. And it grieves me to say that am
again obliged to approach you with a complaint
against another and yet higher officer of the Unit.
ed States Navy.
In approaching you as a suppliant for justice, 1
know that il is necessary for to remove errOne
GUS impressions which have been made on your
mind concerning my conduct in connexion with Nj
caraguan affairs Corrupt and malignant persons
have surrounded your Exellency and poured into
your false stories concerning events in Central
America. And now to you, the President of the
United States, directly charg~, and staud ready
to prove what say, that your officers OF the Navy,
not only by irresponsible statements through the
press, but also in official communications, have
misstated facts and falsifed events. Feeling and
believing as l do that you would not willingly
wrong any individual, no matter how humble, am
satisfied that the su nmary judgment you pass
my conduct in your Annual Message to Congress
is the result OF incorrect information; and trust
and confidently expect that when the truth is plac
ed before you your judgment will acquit me Of the
grave charges brought against me.
Permit me then, if you please, before proceed
TO call your attention the conduct of Commodore
Paulding, to deny most unequiVocally that have
ever b en- engaged at any tins in anv manner
With any unlawful expedition against Nicaragua.
In your messuge to Con ress YOU seem to imply
that my first departure from San Francisco
illegal; for you say, when it was first rendered
probable that an attempt would be made TO get up
another unlawful expedition against Nicaragua"
With all Difference l beg leave to repeat what l
said in a previous letter, and to again inform you
that left San Francisco in May, 1854, with the
sanction and approval Of the Federal officers OF the
port and that the captain OF the revenue cutter
sent his sailors to bend the sails which carried US
from California 10 Central America. Allow
also to suggest that the Government of the United
States recognised and legalz I'd the inmediate re-
suits Of the emigration from California in the re-
ception Of Padre Vigil as Minister from the Repu-
bic of Nicaragua
Not only was the first expedition as it has been
called. to Nicaragua entirely lawful in its origin
but all its consequences marked by strict ad-
herence to law and justice. Some have told you
know, that am man ''without faith and with
out mercy but from the beginning to the end of
my career in Nicaragua l challenge the world TO
produce single vio ton of public faith, single
deviation from the great principles Of public right
and public justice. On the contrary, the Americans
In Nicaragua have always maintained the faith and
honor OF their race, in the midst of falsehood and
reachery on the part of their enemies in the face
OF countless hosts arrayed against them no less
than in the presence of famine and of pestilence
Our conduct in the midst Of trials and Of dangers is
sufficient answer to the epithets which have been
| hurled against u.s. and when the passions and the
| r'Judices OF the esent have died away we calm
ly await the judgment of posterity on our conduct
ar Of he'll nil e.. a
| US to become e1iles from Nicaragua; and let me
| remind you OF the fact that from the moment we
touched our natal soil protested against the IL
legality and injustice Of the act, and declared our
Intention TO return to the land whence we had been
wrongtuy brought. Every where before the
unctionsres Of the Government, 10 the presence
| OF assembled multitudes OF the sovereign people.
| we declared that effort should be unused in or
der To regain the rights wrested from US by frapd
and Illegally. Do you suppose that If we had been
conscious oil any violation or intended violation of
| law we would thus have proclaimed our obi~cts
and intentionsy ls IL the habit of offenders arsnst
public right, or of conspirators against public ms
| tice, TO herald their acts the corners of the
streets and publish their wrong-dongs in the mar
placer Would We have violated the public CON.
science OF this nation by calling on the peopls ~
disregard their ow1 enacted statutes? No Mr.
President, let all your district attorneys exhans,
their energy aud their Ingenuity; let them attemnt
to wrest the law to purposes for whichi never was
| Charupa
| which have been made against US. Once IN. Dis
| triet Attorney of the United States attempteo IN
| convict NE OF breach of the neutrality law. put
| jury OF the country rendered a verdict OF .not
guilty" almost without leaving the box. Again a
like effort would be cfosned with a like result
After long Effort and much patient endurance
| We az length sailed from Mobile for San juan de
| Nicaragua on the l4th day Of November last. The
| vessel on which we sailed regularly cleared by
| the collector of the port, and special Inspector
was sent aboard TO examine the cargo and the pas
! sengers. Our rights, too, Niearaguans were ae-
ged. for the collector refuses 20 clear tue
Fashion, with Capt. Fayssoux commanding, on the
| ground that be hot q citizen OF the United
states. With regular register and clearance We
supposed when once on the high seas that We we're
beyoud the possible interference OF am nised atss
authority; for, even Il We admitted bsserenss
against a Power with which the United States was
al peace the owners of the neutral vessel bad clear
light to carry warlike persons a. vel az contra
band OF sar subj OILY 20 the rsk OF capture by
| the enrnys cruisers We did nos for momtn'
1 Imagine that naval officers would undertake 10
| place restraints on American commerce is the abb
senee Of Federal law and Congressional authority.
| Toe dtfersnce, TOO, ws knos your Exeelleney has
for the Constitution Of the Unltrd Ststes precladed
sas supposrioa that sny orders had been issasd 20