The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-15

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Atherton in the election for Federal Senator.
But in 1855 he was reelected to fill the va
cancy made by Atherton's death in 1858 was
again reelected to the Senate; and in 1865
appointed by the late lamented Lincoln to be
Minister to Madrid. During the three years
from March, 1853, when he was out of public
office, he was nominally resident in this city
as lawyer, although his chief business was
that of lobbyist in Washington. That he
carried his professional employment into the
Senate, when he returned to that body, has
never been satisfactorily established.
Mr.. Hale is now an oldish man, past sixty
years of age, and the moral standard which
he has used as a guide and measure unto
himself in his political career can be appre-
ciated by the record of portion of his acts as
Minister at Madrid Since the leaning of a
tree follows the bending of the twig, the con-
dition of the former in maturity may furnish
evidence tending to show in what direction
has been the bending.
For Perry, the American Secretary of Le-
cation at Madrid, we have little respect. He
has managed to get up quarrel with nearly
every minister under whom he has served,
and has the goodwill of none. The reputa-
tlon he has in certain quarters as lobbyist in
the executive departments of the Spanish
Government, whether deserved or undeserved
(of which we know nothng), and his quarrel
some disposition, are sufficient to preclude
reasonable hope of his usefulness to the Gov
ernment of the United States But, despite
all this, it is impossible to shut our eyes to
the damaging facts he brings out against
Hale, in his recent letter to the Tribune. The
case, under his showing, is just as we sup
posed it was when we commented on it many
weeks since; and it is as disgraceful as it well
can be to Hale to the American Embassy at
Madrid, and to the people of the United
States, who are responsible for the acts of the
Republican party. Not so infamous, to be
sure, as the Sickles appointment by Grant;
but bad enough.
Mr.. Hale, in communications of defense
addressed to the New York newspapers of his
own political faith, has endeavored to slip out
of the awkward fix in which Perry had placed
him, upon the ingenious theory that the in
culpated importations had been made on docu-
ments prepared in Spanish by Perry for his
(Hale's) signature, the latter not being able,
or not caring, to read what they contained; in
other words that the Minister had been duped
by his secretary. Hale, in fact, plead igno-
rance of the law and language which every
body, fit to be foreign minister, is assumed
to know. But Perry, in his recent reply,
punches the pith out of that defense in double
quick time.
Hale sailed for Madrid in June, 1865, and
went directly to his post, and sixteen months
afterwards he was discovered smuggling mer-
chandise under color OF his diplomatic per
NIT. This is certainly period sufficiently
long to have enabled him to acquire know
ledge enough to protect himself against the
wiles of Perry, if he had wished to do so. 1t
turns out that Senor Asensi Chief of the
Spanish Commercial Bureau, called the atten-
ton of Perry, on March s, 1867, to the fact
that foreign merchandise, permitted free"
to Hale. went not to the dwelling house of
the latter, but to the warehouse of one We
lasco. The smuggling operations of Hale
were going on briskly it seems, in the pre-
vious December. Perry was informed thereof
by the Spanish Government on the eighth
day of next March, and three days thereafter
Hale wrote the following note to Velasco,
who was his pal in violating the revenue laws
of Spain =
'LEGATIoN OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
MADRID, March II, 1s67.-To, Sr. D. B. Ruiz de We
exact account expressing the value of the goods
which you have furnished me, and also the amount
of duties enjoyed by you In the Custom House on
my account do not wish for any more importa-
tiOns in my name nor on my account, and will pay
you in cash the balance there may be to nv debit in
account with you Be so good as not to make use Of
the franchise which is pending relative to two bales
of carpets proceeding from England, and pay the
duties as II it did not exist. am your attentive and
obedient servant, JOHN p. HALE.n
Velasco, not understanding how that ex-
posure by the Spanish Government had COM
PEELED Hale to summarily close up the part
nership accounts, wrote rather peremptory
reply, in these words:-
MADRID, March 12.-To Senior Don John P. Hale
Dear Sir :-On the 18th of December informed YOU
that our accounts would be balanced up to that day
by your furnishing me an order for the free admis
sion OF three cases. These arrived, and the affair
was terminated Afterwards, and at your request, l
paid the account of your upholsterer he reducing it
at my request to three thousand reals. 1 wrote you
saying that this sum would be balanced by an order
for the free admission of two bales of carpets which
you offered me, and trusting in your word ordered
the said two bales from London. Yesterday you
annul by your letter what you had offered me, and in
view OF it sent telegram to London to suspend the
Shipment If it was not already done. Be good as
to send me the three thousand reals which paid on
your account to the uphosterer, Anthony Reyes and
our accounts Will be balanced up to this day. / avail
myself of this occasion to repeat myself with the
highest consideration, your obedlent servant,
"BoNIFACIo RUIZ DE VELAsco"
Perry, in order to clinch the evidence of
the fact that Hale was perfectly we'll aware of
the character of the ''three cases" referred to
by Velasco, and the use to which the evaded
duties thereon were to be put, furnishes a
copy of the application made by Hale for a
'free permit" Gas we say in New York; for the
cases.
CTydrSlation from the original Spanish.l
"LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
MADRID, December 13, 1S66.-The Envoy EXtraordi-
nary and Minister Plenipotentiary OF the United
States of America presents his compliments TO the
Minister of State and begs his EXcellency to be so
good as to command the proper orders to issue Tor
the admission free of duty OF three cases proceeding
from Engand-one of muslin curtains and stuff for
curtains OF cotton bed-quilts one OF table linen
and stuff for napkins-whlch are coming addressed
to his name to be despatched at the Custom-house
of Madrid Mr. Hale takes this opportunity to renew
to his EXcellency, Acknowledgment Colonge, the
assurance OF his most distinguished cons consl9eTatlon'
To His Excellency the Minister Of State OF Her
| Catholic Majesty"
Unless these documents presented by Perry
are forgeries, Hale is by them convicted