The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-04-13

ALOE proposes 70 8tt8lu Uy bn1S BVl0mu
Arraieninent oe the Presideot y OosK-
msndable. 4 read the honorable
Senator'S words as s....,,,. .as., ts'sss'
qulsv Il g "a soo Gsas siass sii.nes rSr 1S
Tho sake of4hs Navy, which ~ No3na tie
agentslbF tlh0sakseftlls AAminlstEAti0n
under which The Navy acted toy The Aekc
of repabllcah it1tttutaOns, which SnGer
swhen the great Republic fna1eN ttself Z
pattetA ~ IsiOlsncss Haad for he sake Of
shs Republisaa. .party, yhish esnnos aiIofd
~ e Decome rssPo9ss,Dss ~ ss os sucn GSSsac ~
and the lawsaDd also In the light Sf pre-
.Ce1snt. - Tar = precedent holds it4 torch,
When 1pfAk fol, republican ihstitutloAs,
II ID bec1use fsw00ld not kave our yGood
name. taenishsd.sr y And WlssnsE spsak for
the Republican party, it 10 heOanse rom
the, sbeginning I have been the faithful
servant Of thst party and aspire to see3t
|'stro0g aad triumphaat" e8 .qssgy
Tho President is accused Of grave
orimes for the sake Of the Navy, for
the sake Of the Administration for
the sake Of republican institutions,
for tho sake Of the Republican party.
Now lot as AndeAvof to obtain 4 clear
comprehension of the faots which the
two Senators suppose, sufficient to
support this charge Of great crimes.
What has the Presidents done to
justify this attack? We are told in
the extracts from dispatches and
newspaper artlcics which l Iflud sin
this fifteen column speech baasg
Mr.. SUMNER. No newspaper
article, Il the Senator pIeases; they
are al Ia our official reports and
documents. / think there is no
newspaper article except the letter
Of Captain Temple, which has been
authenticated to me by i gentleman
who was with tho commisslont on
board the Tennessee. That II the
only thing taken from . newspapsr.
Mr.. HARLAN. / am glad to be
corrected, for ! would mot do the
honorable Senator tho slightest in
justice fit were in my power, and It
would not be Ia my power to 1damsge
him il had the inslinstion, which I
have not. 3.
Mr.. SUMNER. Il is all .docu-
mentary, and if therefore the Sen
ator is to attack il he is to attack
the documents OF our Government.
Mr. HARLAN. Very we'll Mr..
President it is not my purpose TO
call in question either The authenti-
city or ,truthfalnessof the Senator's
documents. We learn that some-
time in the summer of 1869 the Pres.
ident received Information from this
island that probably q contract
might be made with the existing
Governmcnt 70. the lease of Samana
bay, and possibly for the cession of
the whole territory controlled by
the Dominican republic TO the United
States aud . Government ship was
sent down with : confidential agent
Of the President Of tho United StAtes
to inquire into the. facts, with in
structions to report the condition of
the country and the probabilities Of
q successful negotiatlon for one or
the other or both OF the purposes
named. That is the first belligerent
act which 1 fiud detailed ia this
speech. a Government ship was
sent down, bearing a confidential
agent of the Government, to inquire
into facts. GnaoEass -'jsssi
The service was performed, . re-
port Was made, and in puto Ancc Of
that report two treaties were drawn
up and signed by agents Of our Gov
ernment and the officers of the Dom
inican republic, the fret proposing
to lease for s term of years the bay
of Samana and sufficient adjacent
lands for ooaling station and . naval
depot; the second proposing 70 ceee
the whole territory to the United
States. W hen these treaties were
received By the President Of the
United States they were submitted
to the Senate tor its constitutional
action. Succeeding this, the. Presi-
dent Of the United States, we are
Informed by these dispatcher in
structed officers Of the Navy, through
the Navy Department, TO maintain
the peace in Dominica, and to repel,
if need y, tho invasion ofthe country
by external forcos duriag the pen.
dency of these treaties. pai q
4 This is the, whole case. You may
travel through these1ong columns Of
extracts and comments whhh re-
Quired several hours for their dcliv'
cry, and you. will find tho whole case
stated in that briet sentence, thai
the President instructed the off1oert
Of the Navy to maintain the peace,r
Dominica within the limits Of thai
republic, and, it need be, 10 rope
foreign invasion during tho Penden
| ey Of the tceaties. There proved tt
be no necessity for the use Of force
and mono, was used, either within
tho limits Of tho republic or Agains
any foreign Power. There was
therefore, no act Of war, no singh
act ofyiolence; and If my ivoic'
could reach the American people \
would ask them to mark well tina
.act, that in this long arraighment
there is not. ono single act speci6e'
Of betligsrent character. Not on
gun was tired, not ono American sol
dier, in hostile attitude trod tho sol
Of the Dominican republic. sisoe
Here is tho foundation for chi
grave arraignment ofgthe Presiden
Of the United States. It is elaine
by these two ointment Senators
learned in international law, that th
President of the United States, d1l
, ing the pondency of these treaties
.. had no right to uso force =. protet
, the existing Government with whic
we were ut tho time in incipicu
treaty relations. Othcr,' SENATOR
J equally learned, assert that il is !
harmony with the international la
/, to protect the territory which "
! arc about to acquire through legit
mate means during the pendcncy I
! negotiations. 1t is theretoro a eat
T of tho relative weight Of Autho
s ity: the President aud tho Cabinc
including tho Secretary Of State IN
. the Attorney General. and ablo M
8 learned Senators on this floor, q
0 tho ono sidc, and the Senator fro
0 Massachusetts and tho Senator fro