The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-04-07

Spanish language, unversed IN III
ternational law, knowing absolutel,
nothing of the intercourse betweel
nations and unconcious of the Con
stitution of his country, was selected
by the President to answer the CRY
of the Grand Citizen. In the clos
est association with Baez, and with
profitable concessions, not easy to
measure, was the American Cozneau,
known as disloyal to our country, /
and SO thoroughly suspected that
the military. plenipotentiary, before
leaving Washington, was expressly
warned against him. But like seeks
like, and be at once rushed into tn e
embrace of the selfish speculator,
who boasted of his intimacy, beyond
all Americans, with Samana and the
annexation negotiations to their
close, and who did not hesitate to
instruct Baez that it was not only
his right, but his duty to keep an
American citizen in prison, to serve
and protect the negotiations in which
our President was iterested, which
he denominates ''the great business
in hand" BY the side of Cozneau
was Fabeus, also a speculator and q
life long intriguer, afterwards envoy
exit aordinary and minister plenipo-
tentiary of Baez, in the great husi-
ness. A treaty was signed, by which
the usurper pretended to sell his
country to the United States for
/ 81, ,5O0,000; also, another treaty,
leasing the bay of Sumana for tho
annual rent of $15O,O0O. The latter
sum was paid down by the young
plenipotentiary, or 100000 in cash
and $4,000 in muskets and in a
battery. The usurper thus obtained
the navy of the United States to
maintain him in his treason.
By the Dominican Constitution of
1866 it is sOlemnly declared that
neither the whole nor any part of The
terriory of the republic can ever be
alienated, while the President takes
the following oath of office: II swear
by God and the holy evangelists to
keep and cause to be kept the con
stitution and laws of the Dominican
people, to respect their rights and
maintain the national independ.
ence." Previous constitutions had
said simply, mo Part of the republic
can lie alienated," but now, as if an
ticipating recent events, it was de-
clared that neither the whole or
part" thus explicitly excluding the
power exercised. All this was set
aside while the plot went on. Even
if Baez defied the constitution OF
his country, our government in
dealing with him could not do so,
In negotiating with another power,
the great republic which is an exam.
pie to nations, cannot lie insensible
to the restrictions imposed by the
constitution of the contracting par
| ty. This duty becomes stronger
from the very weakness of the othel
side. Defed by the Dominican
usurper, all these restrictions mus
be sacredlv regarded by US. Thii
is an established rule of internationa
law. Thus the constitutions of bott
. the contracting republics, and th'
law of nations, we're all set a. nough
in this great business.
Davis Hatch, of Norwslk, Connec
ticut, was guilty of writing letters tc
a New York journal exposing the
character of Baes. The latter ar.
rested him as soon as his second
usurpation succeeded, and impris.
oned him, and he was detained in
prison by the authority of the usur-
per, at the special instance of Coz
neau and with the connivance Of
Babcock, in order to prevent his in
huence against the treaty of annex
alton. The evidence is explicit and
unanswerabIe. Gantier, the minis
ter of Baez, who had signed the
treaty in an official note to-our con
sular agent, dated at San Domingo,
February 19, 1870, and communities
ted to the State Department, says;
al desire that you will be goo
enough to assure his excellency the
Secretary of State at Washington
that the prolonged sojoGrn of Hatch
here has been only to prevent his
hostile action in New York" Nor
is this all. Cozneau had equal har
dihood to write to Babcock, then al
Washington, under date of February
l9, 1870, a similar version of the
conspiracy, where, after denouncing
ourcommercisl agent at San Domigo
who was urging the liberation oI
Hatch, he proceeded to say that the
latter would certainly make use Of
his liberty to join the enemies ofan-
nexation. A few weeks Of restraint
would not be so inconvenient to him,
as his slandeaous statements might
become to the success of General
Grants policy in the Antilles, and
that in reply to our commercial agent
insisting in the presence ofBaez, that
Cozneau was opposing the liberation
of an innocent. He urged that Pres
ident Baez, in his power to serve and
protect the negotiations, in which
our President, Grant, was so deeply
| interested
In other days it was said that the
best governments are where an in
| jury to a single citiven is resented
as an injury to the whole country.
Here was an American citizen, de-
clared by our consular agent to be an
innocent man, in the words Of Coz
neau ''to serve and protect the nego-
tiations in which President Grant
was deeply interested" The cry 81
am an American citizen" was
nothing to Baez, nothing to Cozneau,
nothing to Babcock. The young
plenipotentiary heard the cry and
answered not. Annexation was in
peril. Annexation could not stand
the testimony of Mr.. Hatch, who
would write in the New York papers.
Therefore he was doomed to pri
son. Ships of our navy were used
10 menace the town of Puerto Plata,
and protect Baez and his agent at
! all points on the coast. The treaty
was rejected in June last, and no
pretext remained for intervention,
bat our navy continued TO interfere.
On JulG 21st, Commodore Greer re-
ported, that in his opinion the with
drawal of it would lead at once to
a revolution. In September there