The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-11-17
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HV PARAGUAY.OD

% New YORK, November 16.-The Her
aid says: The Minister of the United
States to Paraguay has been getung
himself into serious trouble WIN mar
shall Lopez. The latter accused Mihistei
Washburne of having entered lnso .uo
conspiracy to assasslnate the to n;S
aud it was charged that ne nad 5e9erseu
one hundred and forty thousan 1C uoilals
"a the reward of his action. Inc cniei
aoonSor il Senior Jose Berges, the Minis
ter for foreign affairs, who turned States
svidencep a gaipst the eonspirauors:: he
oSnrIes Mr.. Porter G. Bliss, member OF
tbe legation, with having signed a CON-
nact with the eonspiratoIs. Is: Ll..a 90.
Although Mr.. Bliss denies all these
charges in letters to friends, the Para.
Siayan government has published
letter purporting to have been signed
by Mr.. Bliss, admitting all the charges
AGAINST his own Minister. This letter
is generally believed to have been got
ten from the writer by means of tor
ture while in prison. The whole foreign
population of the Rio de la Plata are
indignant at the outrages committed
by Lopez in this affair, but regret that
a minister of the Great Republic should
have ever NOTICED such charges D
The, Gommodore of the American
squadron, Rear Admiral Davis, has
taken prompt measures TO vindicate the
insult to our flag. .i}- g y -.''.
The Post contains the following edi-
torial . ,.-., ls eag-s, Jf, so -a...a.I, A.
Elsewhere we print letter from a
well Uniformed correspondent il the city
of Rio de Janeiro, which relates in Ian
guage the tone of which shows the deep
| feeling which exists among Americans
| in Brazil, an extraordinary story about
| the United States Minister in Paraguay,
Mr.. Washburne. 1t is asserted that Mr..
IWashburne left the country and aban-
doned to the barbarous dictator. Lopez,
two American citizens, Porter c. Bliss
and Geo. +. Masterman. Both moreover
were employed in the legation and thus
officers of the United States. So incred-
ible a story of'cowardice on the part of
a United States Minister must be re-
ceived as at least doubtful and ,suscepti-
bic of some explanation honorable to
Mr.. Washburne, did not long letter of
Washburno's, which will also be found
elsewhere, fully confirm it.
He relates in this letter, which is adj
dressed to the English Minister at Rio
Janeiro, that Bliss and MasterEan
| were forced from his side" as he and
they were passing from the legation to
the water side, where they were to en-
bark in United States vessel. Not
only did he suffer this atrOcious viola.
ton of tho. rights of Americans, but, it
seems from his report that he went
quietly aboard tho vessel waiting for
him and sailed off, leaving them to
their fate, without stopping even to re-
monstrate.
Our correspondent in Rio Janeiro
adds, still further, that while the Eng
fish and French fleets are fastening to
Paraguay to rescue their people, Wash
burne has not even called for our fleet,
which lies idly in Rio, while Lopez is
torturing and numbering at his own
sweet will.
Mr.. WaShburne'S own letter condemns
him. No such shameful outrage has
ever been suffered by American citizens
as that which he has tolerated. No
such weak minded person has ever mis-
represented our Government abroad or
|
the sanctity of a United States legation
to be violated. We will say nothing of
the reports which came from Rio of
Mr.. Washburne's entanglements with
Lopez, or of his corruption by that bar
barian, it is quite enough that he has
tamcly submitted to have two American
citizens, besides large number of per
sons of other nations, taken from his
LEGATION, where they had sought refuge
from the fury of Lopez.
We hope our Government will act
promptly in this matter. The country
has n right 10 demand that the Presi
dent shall send out, without the loss Of
O. day, 10y the specdioSt conveyance, q
man with the spirit To assert ard main
tain our rights and the honor of our
flag, to take the place OF WaShburne,
and tho new minister must be backed
| by a fleet which will enable him TO
wiring from Lopez the most ample rcpa-
ration and apology for his outrage on
our dag, and the immediate restoration
of all the persons whom he forced from
the legation.
There can be no argument on ,his
question. II or flag does not protect
AlIlCl lCstuS Ia LOlGISA COdhtilGS III IS Il
sham; it has no right 10 a place among
flags of Nations, and unless our Gov
eminent acts promptly and vigorously
in this matter, We Shall become con
temptiblo among foreigners. Let an
officer OF courage-a man like FarraSut
or PorIer-Oo sent ont at once in the
fastest man-of-war VIC have; let him
take the fleet which lies on Rio Janero
with him, and be instructed to deal
with Lopez as Decatur did with the
Dey of Algiers.
HIt appears from Mr.. Washburne's own
letter that Lopez lisa ruthless barbarian
who violates every law and respects the
rights OF no one, whether native or for
eignerS. There is reason to believe he
has submitted Bliss and Masterman to
the torture and there is no reason to
deal with him otherwise than as one
would with Il pirate. 1t is humiliating
that it should be necessary for the press
of this country to call upon the Govern
ment to resent such an unheard-of out
rage upon our flag as Lopez has COM
mitted, or to save from imprisonment,
torture and death American citizens.
Mr.. Washburne's misconduct is o
singing disgrace to every American
one under which our people will hardly
remain quiet, for if they did they would
have lost all spirit and sense of homer
We trust the President and Mr.. Seward
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