The Portland daily press., 1871-03-28

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their official dtclaI ations. Let the country
judge il l was not right in every word that
then employed. And still further let the coun
! try Judge it the time has not come to cry halt
IN this business, which already has the iron'
| of war.
Our navy has thus far conquered without 9
shot; out its presence in the waters of Hayt
and Dominica was war. ..
This will be tound under two different heads,
or in two diff. reut sources; e st, what is fur
| nisaed by the State Department; aud second
" what Is furnished by the Navy Department.
These two Departments are witnesses, Win
| their agents. confessing and acting. From inc
former We have confess on; from The latter we
have acts: confessions and acts all in harmony
and supporting each Other. begin with Inc
CONFESSION OF STATE DEPARTMENT.
The Senator here reproduced extracts from
the correspondence of Raymond FL. Perry. our
consular agent at San Domingo, WITH the
State d paltnent concerning the movement
of our war vessels in those waters, as eonfes-
sion that the usurper Baez was maintained IN
power by the strong arm of the United States,
for without their presence he could not hold
power.
usurper was maOG lined in power by our CUTS.
Such was the off :ial communication OF the
very agent who had signed the treaties, aud
was himself an ardent annexationist. Des'r-
log annexation, be confesses the means EN-.
ployed to accomplish it. How the President
did not at once abandon unfi oshed treaties
maintained by violence, how the Secretary OF
State did not at once resign rather thai be a
party to this transactiOn, ,s beyond cOmpre be n
siou. We have the confession of the Secretary
of State, also the confession of the agent at
San Domingo and the c)nfession OF Baez h,ni-
self, that the usurper depended for support on
our navy.
THE CASE OF CITIZEN HATCH.
Mr. Sumner describes at length the impris-
oument by Baez of Mr.. Hatch, OF Connecticut,
for his opposition to annexation, summing up
the transaction in these words:
Here was an American citizen, declared by
our consular agent to be an Innocent man."
and already pardoned for the cimes falsely al
legged against him, incarcerated, ", according
TO the polite term of the minister of Baez, com
peeled to prolonged sojourn," 10 order to
assure the contamination of the plot tor the
acceptance of the treaty, or, in the words Of
Cazoeau, ito serve and project negotiations in
which our President (Grant) was So deeply in-
tere,ted" The cry, Il AN an American ctl-
zen, was nothing to Baez-nCthiDg to Caz-
neau-nothing to Babcock. The young pleui-
Doten,iary heard the cry and answered not.
Annexation was in peril. Annexation could
not staud the testimony of MIR. Hatch, who
would write in New York papers Therefore
was he doomed to prison. Here fOrbear de-
tails. though at each point they testify. Aud
yet the Great Republic, Instead OF spurning at
once the hesrtless nsurper, who trampled on
the liberty OF an American citizen, aud spurn-
ing the ill-Omened treaty which required this
sacrifice, continued to lend its strong arm in
the maintenance of the trampler, while with
unexampled assidaityit pressed the treaty
upon reluctant Senate.
CONFESSION OF STATE nEp ApTNrNr WITH pu
GARD TO HAYTL
But intervention in Dominica is only one
part OF the story, even according to the con-
iession of the State Department. Side by side
with Dominica on the same tempting island is
the Black Republic OF Hayli, with numerous
ach eyed natiOual Independence, and at later
day, by the recognition of our Government,
took its place under the law of atiuBs as equal
and peer of the Great Republic. To all its
paramount titles OF Independence and Eqnali-
", sacred and unimpeachable, must be ADDED
It's special character as an example of selteOv-
ernment, being the first in The history OF The
African race, and promise OF the future.
Who can doubt that as such this Black Re-
public has value beyond all the products OF
Its teeming tioDical soil?
And DeTe cOmes the wrong perpetrated by
the great republic. In the effort to secure the
much-cCve ed territory, our government, not
content with maintaining the usurper Ba+z in
power, occupying the harbors of Dominica with
the war-ships OF the United States, sent other
war-ships, being none other than .ur most
powerful monitor, the Dictator, with the frig-
ate Severn as consort, and with yet other
monitors In their train, to menace the black
republic by an act OF war. An American ad-
mlrai was found to do this thing, and an
A merican minister, himself of African blood,
Was found to aid the admiral.
The despatch OF the Secretary of State insti-
tutiDg this act of war is not communicated to
the Senate; but we are sufficiently enlightened
by that OF Mr. Bassetr, our mioister resident
az Port au Prince, who, under the date of Feb
IL, 1870, Informs the State Department in
Washington that he had transmitted to the
HavtIcn government notification that the
U aited Stall, 8 asked and expeC ted it to observe
d strict neutrality in reference 10 the in.erna-
tional affairs OF San Domingo" aud, then IN
his supeIstr7Iceabie siacrty, he LET'S the lie
partmenJ know that he commu Dicated to Com
Dandtr Owen Of the Seminole reports that
The Hayden government were planning clan.
desunelY schemes for interfering iu San Do
miOgO affairs" Senate Elk. Doc. No II, p
108 Forty-irst Congress, tnird session But
moment OF cOnIrItiOn seems to have over
taken the minis(el for be ADDS that be did not
regard these reports 'as sufficiently reliable to
fuake them the ba is OF a recommendation OF
severe aud extreme measures" [Ibid.1 Pray,
oy what title, Mr. Minister, coulu You recon-
mend ally such measures, being nOtOing less
tnan war against the black republic? BY what
,itie could you LAUNCH these great thunders?
The menacng note OF the mister was &C,
knowledged by the black republic without one
word nf SUBMISSION, as also without ole word
If proper resentment.
The officious mInister of the Great Republic
was not satisfied, anu accordingly fired ahoIh-
er shoi; in other words, he addressed another
diplomatic note to the Black Republic under
late of February 8, 1870, where, ref. ring to
the answer OF tue latter, be says: 1t would
nevertheless been more satisfactory and agree
able TO my government and t. myself if you,
10 speaking tor your government, bad felt au-
horned 10 give assurance Of the neutrality
asked and expected by the United States ="
lIOld, D. Ill. THIS letter was writlea with
me guns vi tue Dictator and Severn behind
1t appears from The Minister'S report to The
State Department, that these 'wo war ships ar
rived at the capital of The Black Republic on
the morning OF February 9th, when the miuis-
Ter, as be says, arranged for a formal Call on
the Haytien government ON tue same day."
The minister then records, and TO blush ap.
pears on his paper, that "tbe admiral avai,ed
poiutedly to the President and his advisers the
tenor of his Instructions" Ibid. This as
sauit upon the IudepeL dence and Equal v of
the Black Republic will appear more fully in
the report transmitted 10 the Senate by The
Navy Department For the present prt sent
the Case on the confession of the State Depart
ment.
RECORD OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT.
If the report of the STATE Department is a
confession, that of the Navy Departme nt is an
authentic record OF acts fragrant and indefen-
sible, unless weaIe ready to set aside the law
of nations and the Constitution of the United
States, two great safeguards. Both OF these
are degraded III order to advance the scheme
Il called it plot should not err, for this term
is suggested by the machination. The record
is complete.
The scheme first shows itself in a letter from
the Sec, etary Of State to he Secretary of the
Navy. uuder date OF May u, 1869, informing
the latter that the President deems it desirable
that a man-Of-war commanded by a discreet
and intelligent officer, should be ordered to
visit tue several ports in the Dominican Re-
public, and report upon the condition of affairs
in that quarter. The Secretary add: 1T is
also important that we should have full and
accurate information in regard to the views of
the Dominicans OF all parties in regard to an
nexatiOn to the United States, or the sale or
lease OF the Bay of SANTANA, or of territory ad-
iacent thereto" Senate ex. doc. No. "a, o. 4,
Forty first Congress- Sd sessioD. No invita-
ton from the island appears; not word even
from any of its people. The beginning is in
the letter of the Secretary, and here we see
how "man-Of- war; formed part OF the first
stage. A mere inquiry is inaugurated by q
"man-ot-war." Nor was it to stop at single
place; it was to visit the several ports in the
Dominican Republic.
The Secretary OF the Navy obeyed. Orders
were given, aud under date of June 20, 1869,
R. ar Admiral Hoff reports that the Nipslc.
with an armament of Que 11.inch and two g.
inch guns, lis to visit all the ports of the Do
mhican Republic" Here again is revela-
ton, foresbadowlng the future; all the ports
10 be visited by this powerful war ship. Why?
10 what just end? Ii for negotiation, then