East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1864-06-29
The American Right of Asylum.

The case OF Don Jose Augustin Ar
guelles has been carried, by appeal,
from the Office Of the American Secre-
tary of State to the Public Tribunal
of the civilized world The American
and the European Press, except patti
san zealots, have united with one
voice to condemn this atrocious viola
ton of Fundamental doctrine of our
Free Republic, as reproach to the
public law of the age, and stain
upon the fair fame of free institutions.
There can be no dispute about the
facts or the pretences of the act BY
call from Congress tho authors of
this act were compelled to spread their
infamy upon the permanent records of
legislation. The crime cannot sleep
in the musty archives of the Secretary
of State. Its story has been cast to
the four winds. An Independent
Press has blown the dark deed into
tho ears of the nations. The whole
air of America is tainted with the
very name of Seward. The entire
correspondence has been published in
Senate Document No. 48, under date
of the first instant. There appears to
be pretended no apology, and there is
no justification of the act by the very
words Of the foreign Secretary.
lie acknowledges, in substance, that
no law could be found for the act, and
he unblushingly acknowledges that he
proceeded on arbitrary power, without
law; and he appeals to the prejudices
Of the day upon side issue, for the
justification of the conduct. There is
no pretense that there was any judicial
hearing of any kind there is no in
dication that there was any evidence
produced to the Secretary in regard
TO tho alleged crime. Let the Amer
lean people read the impudent, braz-
enfazed language of Mr.. Seward, and
blush for the State Department and
its incumbent:
There being no trcaty Of ex.rad'ton between
the United States and Spain nor any act of Con-
gress directing how fugitives from justice In Span
ish domnons shall, be delyered up. the extra
dtion in the case referred to in tho resolution of
hyve been made in virtue Of the law of nations
aud the Constitution OF the United States
Although there Is q conflict Of authorities con-
corning the expodicncy Of exercising comfy to-
wards foreign government by surrenderng at
its request, one Of its own subjects charged with
tho commission Of crime within its territory, and
although Il may bo conceded that there is no ma
tional obligation 10 make such surrender upon
a demand therefore unless IL is acknowledged by
treaty or by statute law, yet a nation is never
bound 10 furnish Asylum 10 dangerous criminals
who are offenders TO the human race (; and il is
believed that If in any case the comfy could with
propricty be practiced, the one which is under
stood to have called forth the resolution furnished
just occasion for Its existence"
There never was an old Bailey
Pleader, in the hardest criminal case.
who pettyfogged more comtemptibly
than the Secretary of State in this de-
fence of the imbecilo catering of the
custodian OF American honor, to the
request of an understanding agent of
a Government, for ages stepped to the
very lips in complicity-national and
individual-with the slave trade. The
entire edge of the point of Mr.. Sew
ard, in his arrogated devotion TO the
interests of mankind and his vaunted
hostility to offenders against the hu-
man race, is taken of by the contrast
of his specific practice in this case with
his theory, by which he surrenders the
cutire principle Of an inviolable asylum
in a free country and puts the rights
and liberties of every citizen at the
beck and call Of one man. Mr.. Saw
ard is either palpably ignorant of
public law OF else he willingly perverts
It, IN what he says Of the conflict of
authorities. He we'll knows, if he
knows anything of what he was writ
ing about that if the reader should
60 back far enough and read extern
sively enough the body Of comment
aries and writers--good, bad and IN.