The Portland daily press., 1871-03-28
SPEECH
OF
HON CHARLES SUMNER,
THE PRESIDENT ACCUSED
Violations Of international Law
AND
ADAPTATIONS OF WAR POWERS.

ADAPTATIONS OF WAR POWERS.
Mr.. Sumner opened the discussion of hi
San Domingo resolutions, yesterday, with th
following declaration:
On evidence now before the Senate, it !
PLAN that the navy of thu United States. ac,
Ing under orders from Washington, has beef
ltgerent Intervention, being war, without tn
authority OF Congress. An act OF war WI hon
he au' hOrity of Congress is no COM mon event
This is the simplest statements Ut the case. Tb
whole bu-ihe.s is aggravated when 1t IS con
sidered that the declared object OF this violence
is the acquisition of foreign territory, beins
half ar island in the Caribbean sea and still
further, that this violence has been employed
first, to prop and maintain a weak ruler, him
self a usurper, UNFOLDING him in power that h,
might sell his country and secondly, vt ha
been employ ed to menace the black Republic
of Hayti
QUESTION STATED.
The question which present is very simple
1t is MOI, whether the acquisition OF The islan(
or San Domingo, in whole OF part, with pop
uiation foreign in origin, language, and insti
tutious is desirable bat whe her we are JUST
fled iu the means employed to accomplish thi:
acquisition. THIS question is essentially pre-
liwinary 10 character aud entirely indepeu
dent Of the main question. 90 the main ques
ton there may lie a diff renee of opinion
some thinking the acquisition desirable and
others not desirable. But whatever the differ.
ance OF opinion on the main question, the evi
dence now before us shows too clearly that
means have been employed which cannot ha
justified. Aud this is the question to which
now ask the attention of the Senate.
REASON FOR INTEREST IN THE QUESTION.
Here, sir, venture to relate how aud at what
time became specially aroused on this qnes-
ton. The treaty tor the annexation of the Do
mlnican people was pending before the Sen
ate and was occupied in considering it, ask
ing two questions first, Is it good for us ?
and, secondly, Is it good tor them This was
tie question on my mind when ! was h0nored
by visit from the Assistant Secretary OF
State, bringing with him a handful of des-
patches from San Domingo. Among these
were dispatches from our consular agent there,
who signed the treaty of annexation, f.Om
which it distinctly appeared that Batz. while
engaged in selling his country, was aiDtAIned
Ia power by the navy OF the United States.
That such was the official report OF our consul
lar agent, who signed the treaty, there can be
M question, and this official despatch was sus-
tanned by at least O1e ether consular despatch.
confess now nv emotion as read this pain
Jul reve IaLion. Until then had supposed the
Dorceeding blameless, though preelpitate.
had not Imagined any such terrible and inde-
feasible irregularity.
These dispatches became more important as
testimony, when it appeared that the writers
were personally ia favor of annexation. Thus,
then, it stood that, on the official report OF our
own agents, we were engaged in forcing upon
weak people the sacrifice of their cOUutry.
To me it was apparent at once that the acquisi-
tion of this foreign territory would not be re-
spectacle or even tolerable, nDless by the con-
sent OF the people there, without force on our
part.
Violence begets violence, and that in San
DomiogO naturally extended. 1t is with ma
tons 9s with indlviduals-once stepped in, they
go forward. The harsh menace by which the
independence of the Black Republic of Hayti
was rudely assailed came next. 1t was another
sage in belligerent intervention As these
things were unfoldeJ, I felt that could not
hesitate. Here was shocking wrong. 1t
must he arrested and to this end I have la
bored in good faith.
HISTORICAL PRECEDENT.
Mr.. Sumner then showed what was done by
Spain, when San Domingo, under SAINT ana,
was annexed to Hayti, declaring that it was
done by unanimous people, and not a sinsl lie
Spanish bottom on the coast, nor Spanish SOL
der on the territory.
CONTRAST.
He then proceeds to draw contrast between
Spain and the United States, by recapitulatine
tse names and ornaments of the ships in the
San Domingo waters since the negotiations
with D0minica-Iwelve ships, including two or
thfea monitors, carrying over 100 guns, OF the
heaviest metal, maintained at the cost of mil
lions of dollars. being part of the price OF the
pending negotiation. Besides what we paw to
Baez here are millions down. Rarely hare we
bad such heet in any watprs-uot III tn. Med
itteranean, not 10 the Pacific not in The East
Ind ics <l<H~ @ II
that our navy finds its chosen field. Here il
its flag, and here also IS its frown. And why
this array? If our purpose is peace, why these
ensigns OF war? If we seek anne xatien BY The
declared will of the people, spontaneou-, free
aud unanimous, as was the boast of Spain.
why these floating batteries to Overawe them?
Ii we wonld do good 10 the African race VIII,
begin with violence to the Black Republic?
Before the commissioners left orr shores there
we're already tbIee war-ships With powerful.
armamepts 10 these waters, to augment these
forces, already 0isproportiOued TO any prope,
object. The commissioners are announced as
m nisters of peace; at all events their declared
duty is to ascertain the real sentiments O, the
people. Why send them in war ship? Whv
cram the dove 10 the cannOu's mouth? There
are good steamers at New York, safe aud sea-
worthy, whose presence would Tot swell the
array Ut war, nor subject the Great Republic
to the grave imputation OF seeking TO accom-
pish ITS purpose by violence.
SEIZURE OF WAR POWERS BY OUR GOVERN
MENT.
All this is preliminary, although pointing
the way to iast CONCLUSION. 1t is only When
we enter into details and consider what las
been done by our government that we recog
nize the magnitude of the question. Unes.
the evidence supplied by the aeents of our gov
is at faut-unless the reports ot the
Stale Department and Navy Department arr
d. credIied, it is obvious beyond donbt mos,
painfully plain ard indlsputable, that our gov
ernment has seized the war powers Carefully
guarded by the Constitution and without the
consent of Congress has employed them to
trample upon the independence and eqnal
rights OF two nations, coequal with ours, un
less to carry out this project of territorial &C
QUESTION you begin by setting at defiance a
first principle of International Law. THIS ls
90 hasty or idle allegation, nor is it made with
out immrasureabe regret. And the regret is
increased by the very strength of the evidence,
which Is strictly official aid beyond all aues-
ton.
BAEZ, THE UsURPER.
In this melancholy BUSH ess the central fig
IRE is BneDventnra Baez, unless we except
President Grant, to whom some would accord
the place of honor. The two have acted to-
gether as copartners.
Here MIR. Sumner gives long historical &C.
count of Baez, whom he charges with being an
'usurper. He also takes occasion to laud Ca
bral, whom he regards as the true ruler OF San
Domingo. Coming down TO the time when
Baez succeeded in getting himself proclaimed
as Dictator, Mr.. Sumner continues;
Cabral withdrew to the interior, keeping m
a menace of war, while the country was iudig
Dant with the INSCRIPTIONS usurper, who for
the second time had obtained power by yjO-
lence. Power thus obtained was naturally uu-
rtoin nd fan oli
to invoke foreign assistance. "Help, me Cas-
sius, or / sink! cried the Grand Citizen. A
young officer, mex experienced in lite, ignorant oil
the world, uutaJ ght in the Spanish language
unversed in International law, knowing ALSO
lutely nothing of the intercourse between ma.
tions, and unconscious of the Constitution o.
his country, was selected by the President to
answer the cry of the Grand Citizen. Sparine
details, which would make the picture more
sOmbre, come at once to the conclusion. A
treaty was signed, by which the usurper pre-
tended TO sell his country to the Uoited States
in consideration of 81, Zoo, 900; also auothe1
treaty leasing the bay ut SANTANA for an aDnu
al rent OF $15O,0O0 The latter sum was paid
down by the Young blenipOtt ntiary, or 500,
600 in each and $4,000 in muskets and bat
terry. No longer able to pocket the doubloon
OF Spain, the usurper sought to pocket ou
eagles, and not content with a battery ant
muskets to be used against his indignant fel
low-countrym obtained the navy of tn,
United States to maintain him in his treason
1t was plot worthy of the hardened cons pira
tor aud bis w-ll-tried confederates.
OPEN INFRAcTIoN OF DOMINICAN CoNsTITU
TON.
The case was aggravated by an open infrac
ton of the Constitution of Dominica will
which it proceeded. By that constitution
adopted the 9th OF September, 1866, a cops o
which is now before me, it is solemnly declare,
that "neither the whole nor any part of tn
territory of the Repuoiic can ever be aliena,
| ed" While the President tax es thu foliowin
oath Of Office: II swear by God and the Hol
l To. TO kan and o.uSa 70 no H. ~