The New York herald., 1870-05-26
Ins PsnAeuAY DIPLOMATIC DIFFICULTY.
Minister washburn's Defence.


IRE PsRAGUaY DIPLOMATIC DIFFICULTY.
Minister Washburn's Defence.
10 TUE EDITOR OF THE HERALD;-
You have no space for private individuals to ven-
tilate their personal difficulties which the pubic
are supposed to have little concern But as In your
eIition Of Monday appears communication over
the signature Of "Historlcus,n the object Of which
is to excuse Admiral Godon by assailng me, ask
you to afford me O brief space for reply. This
letter OF Hstoricus contains az many misstatements
TO use harsher word, as 1t does paragraphs. The
first OF these s the statement that the committee Of
investigation was appointed "to investigate Mr..
Washburns conduct as Minister to Paraguay" Tie
committee was appointed on the memorial Of Messrs.
Bliss ana Masterman, who petttioned Congress to
examine into the conduct OF Admiral Davis, and the
inquisitors and jaiIers Captains Kirkland and RAM
sey The resolution referring 1t to q committee was
made at my request. to embrace the conduct OF Ad-
miral Godon and myself. knew that my acts would
bear investigation and the Admirals would not.
Therefore asked that the scandal0us and shameful
conduct of our naval commanders on that station
from the commencement Of the Paraguayan warshould
he made the subject OF Congressional inquiry. This
has :en done and 80 far as can learn there Is not
one OF the committee who does not condemn the
Admra and sustain me-
HI storcus says that my arrival at Rio only the
Besides the nagsh p the Juniaia was there, and 30
the Nyack. and others were expected daily. The
the g shawmat' the Knasss ana the shamokin came
soon after. Historicus says that remained Blk
weeks at Rio, and that II lad gone to Buenos
Ayres on The first mail steamer could have reached
my post before the blockade was established. That
is equally untrue. Twas there Dut three Weeks aad
there was no change IA the mater Of blockade for
three months ater that. YeJ there had been no
communication with Paraguay for weeks or months
be- ore / reached Buenos Ayres except IN two IN
ara aa. Ministers
each sent up gunboat q lew weeks before my o. RI
val. Had taken the English packet at Rio shou.d
not have arrived III Buenos Ayres I'LL too late to lake
passage on either or these, Supposlng they would
have been Wiling to take me, which IL would nave
been Illuminating TO ask and of doubtful proprety TO
accept.
Historcus says that after the blockade was estab-
Mshed .sMr. Washbun could have gone to Coirienies
any time and from there the Brazlans offered 10
convey HIM through their blockade, IN OF their
own vessels, and iand him In Paraguay.n The facts
are did go to Corrientes and remained there i've
months, and on applying TO the Brazilian Admiral
TamandarG for the acllies to go through the iiues
he told me positively he would not allow me To pass.
He tod me besides that he would give me special
steamer to return TO Bueuos Ayres and all The money
i might require. President Attire, ComDlander-in-
Chlef OF the land forces also refused to permit
to pass through his lines and both OF them said they
had percct rgnt to stop me- and so they had been
assured by Admiral Godon.
Hisorlcus tries TO make point in favor OF the Ad.
miral by saying that thought 1t would be well TO
Lopez could go away upon 1t. then thought livery
probable that Lopez, seeing the hopeessness OF MS
ii
could be assured OF his own safety. In that case
believed the allied commanders would have desired
the Shalnokin TO take him away. But mad all the
belligerents united IN the request Captain Crosby
could not have taken him on board Without viola
don OF his orders. Had the war clcsed then with
the departure Of Lopez half million OF people, who
have since been sacfinced, would be now alive.
Subsequent events nave shown IL vas Improbable
that Lopez would have avaied himself OF such
means of escape, but l mlintain that was in the
right In trying to provide FOR such q contingency,
and 1t does not help the case OF the Admiral at all by
fItaf Ua1 INV ofat
Welies Neither his approval nor that OF Mr. Seward
could change the character of the transaction,
General Webb as given before the Foreign Affairs
Committee. He does not, however, allude to that
part OF the Generals testimony in which he not only
states but proves that the Admiral was either insane
or had committed perjury before the committee.
This remarkable deence OF Admiral Godon con-
cludes with two questions; one Is, 'Did Mr.. Wash
burn engage IN a conspiracy IN Para2uayYn The
other is 'Did he treat Bliss and Masterman properly,
first claiming them to be Of his legation and then
deserving and leaving them to the tender mercies OF
10 the first question reply that after l left
Paraguay many persons were 80 fortunate as
to be taken prisoners by the allies and they one and
all declare mat to the best or their Know
ledge and belief there never was any con-
spracy whatever: that the allegation OF Lopez that
there was q conspiracy was but to give him pre-
text for arresting and robping all the foreigners in
the country and The more wealthy ParaRuayane, and
Jnen t0rturing ana executing them. Perhaps some
Of Lopez's freads in tile Navy department my have
some knowledge to the contrary which he impaired
to them con:identally III 30, thousands OF people
would he glad to have IL produced. In answer to the
question respecting my treatment OF Bliss and Mas
terman VIII only say they both considered then
and conslder now that the course adopted was the
only one by which their lives could possibly be-
saved, and Il they are satisfied and credit me with
having done all that was possible for mem under the
circumstances do not see what business HStOrtcu6
or ANYBODY else has 10 complain. That certain ma
val officers should regret tneir escape can well u
derstand, rs had they been Killed by Lopez they
would never have been able to testify In regard TO
their nhullen treatment by Admiral Davis and his
| fav0rlte captains, Ramsay and Kirkland.
viii close his article which l intended to be
much brieier than II is by giving the following ex
tact from speech recently delivered In Congress
by General John A. Logan, Of Illinois,
want call the attention the Committee OF the Whole
Mr. Orhl, from the Committee Foreign Affairs IL
Is report No. 3d. which every member this
you my word that II WIN read that report in relation
the atrocities committed In Paraguay ana the attempts
the refusal the part OF admIres odon and
Davis perform their duty the bloody
use1 @ ey ,ne omocrs % r U
You will find that the conduct OF
OF being censured and they dismissed service
approved by the Secretary OF the Navy gentlemen
TO send and get that report and read their ssfac
ton in order that they determine whether Navy
| partment obeys any law or not.
This report containing such startling revelations
in regard TO the conduct OF navy being now be-
fore Congress, the question s wil the immense
naval lobby quartered at Washington be able to
stine II and prevent IL from coming up for discus
| sionS CHARLES A. WASHBUlsN.
TIE ENORMOUS CONSUMPTION OF woOD-The
present consumption OF wood In the United states IL
IL IS estimated that 100000 acres OF tile
best timber Is cut every year to supply the demand
for railway sleepers alone. For railroad buildings,
repairs and cars the annual expenditure for wood is
3s,5oO00o. In single year the locomotives in the