The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-11-26
Paraguay and the United States.

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We have admired and taken fire.
quent occasion to commend the gal
lantry and persistence displayed by
theParaguayans in their resistance to
the invasion of Brazil but the re
cent development is Of which letters
from Rio and Buenos Ayres intel-
ligence show that the Dictator of
Paraguay, Lopez, has been guilty of
an outrage upon citizens Of the
| United States which forfeits him all
sympathy, and which demands the
most immediate and prompt repara-
ton and redress. The facts of the
case are stated in letter from
Charles A. Washburn, Of California,
United States Minister to Paraguay,
to the British Minister to the Ar
gentine Republic, which is dated at
Buenos Ayres, on the Oath of Sep
tember, and has just reached this
country. The letter does not reflect
great credit upon the character OF
Mr.. Washburn for manliness and
courage, and it is evidently inspired
by deep hate for Lopez, the Par
aguayan President; but as it is the
only means ofinformation at present
before us, we must accept its state
ments.
The letter commences with the
following paragraph, from which
some idea of the condition of the
foreigners in Paraguay may be de
rived:
"When !. left Paraguay on the
18th instant, | regret to inform your
ENcellency that nearly all the for
eigners in that country, including
several of your countrymen, were in
prison; and as 1 am the only person
beyond the reach of President Lo-
pez's power who has any personal
knowledge of their situation, it
seems to be my duty to give such
information as l possess to the rep
resentatives of the different foreign
governments, that, knowing the
condition of their unfortunate coun-
trymen, they may take such action
as may seem most proper in order
to extricate them from their terrible
situation. Unless speedy action is
taken there may be none left to tell
the tale Of their annihilation ~
The cause of President Lopez's
distrust of foreigners, evidences OF
which appear frequently enough in
this letter, lies probably in the fact
that foreigners, being chiefly en-
gagged in trade, are extremely anx-
ious for the termination of the war
so doggedly prolonged by the die
tator, and Lopez has consequently
used the almost absolute power
which he possesses to crush out this
feeling.
Detailing the history Of his trou-
bles, Mr. Washburn goes back to
the 21st of February, when, several
Brazilian iron clads having passed
Humaita and it being feared that
they would lombard Asuncion, the
capital ofParaguay, the government
removed the capital, and ordered
the evacuation Of the city Mr..
Washburn refused to leave the city,
claiming that his Legation was nell-
trail ground, and offering its protec
ton to all foreigners, a large mum
Der availing themselves Of it, and
remaining under the protection OF
the embassy till July. During this
time, Mr.. Washburn was anxiously
expecting the passage Of the block
ade by the United States steamer
Wasp, ond its arrival at Asuncion,
in order, as he says, to send away
his wife and children, but, as the
event proves, in order to make his
own escape. We are sorry to say
that throughout the whole of NIr.
Washbnrn' letter his own admis
sions make it only too painfully ev-
ident that he lowered his official
dignity and disgraced the country
by a constant cringing before the
Dictator, and a cowardly anxiety,
leading him to abandon his post OF
duty, to escape from Paraguay.
During the month Of July Lopez
demanded that the foreigners who
had taken refuge at the American
Legation should be given up. In
stead Of resenting this infringement
upon the rights and dignities of the
nation which he represented, Mr..
Washburn appears to have tamely
submitted. The result has been
the overawing of the American con
sui, and his Punishment from Par
aguay, on charge Of being engaged
in conspiracy against President Lo-
pez. The charge is doubtless false,
and the one which makes it, p. c.
Bliss, is a prisoner in the hands of
Lopez, who extracted from him the
charge by force and threats But
for all that, Mr.. Washburn seems to
have shown the white feather in his
communications with Lopez, and to
have lowered the dignity Of the
nation.
Two United States subjects,
Messrs. Porter and Masterman, are
now detained unlawfully by the Par
aguayan government. 1t is the du-
ty of the United States to release
them at once. We trust that the
government may at once and
promptly take action to secure this
result, at whatever hazard.-C.
| Leader.