Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-17
THE SALUTE 10 THE FLAG.
A Case When fl,e French Flag was
Similarly HOnOred.
From the Cincinnati Time

| EIOll uuC cincinnati 1 lliiCS.
WASHINGTON, Dee. 13.-Many persons
who are disposed to aggravate and embitter
| tie existing difficulties between the United
| States and Spain, seem TO be deeply chag-
rined to find that President CASTELAR, is able
to enforce obedience to his orders in Hay-
ana, and that the Virginius and her priS-
Oners are to be surrendered to the United
| States Immediately, without obstacle or OPP
! position on the part Of Cuba; and these
| persons are, i'll the same spirit, seeking to
| eXaggerate, in advance, the supposed indig-
| nifty which the Spaniards in Cuba will feel
on the occasion Of the SalutatiOn Of the flag
| of the United States, stipulated between
Mr.. Fish and Admiral Polo de Barnebe.
1t seems to be forgotten by the people in
| general that not many years ago the Uni
| ted States Government was called upon to
make a similar reparatiOn to France, and
| did 50 without any consciousness Of hUmil-
| iatiOn, the object then, as now, having been
to repair wrongs done by subordinate local
authorities acting on their own impulse,
and without authority Of the Government
In the year 1854 the Mexican Consul in
| San Francisco was indicted Tor eniisting
| troops in the United States for foreign SER
vice, in violation Of law. He desired, in
| his defense, the testimony Of Mr.. Dillon,
French Consul; but Mr.. Dillon, being him
self implicated, desired to avoid testifyin%,
and well knowing that the Constitution Of
the United States does not perm DEL Osi-
tionS to be used in criminal trials, refused to
appear personally in court, but offered to
give his deposition at his own residence,
asserting his privilege in this respect under
treaty between France and the Unite
States. But the court would not listen to
this, and ordered the arrest of Mr.. Dillon
for contempt, in refusing to obey its sub
ppna to appear. The French Government
took up this alleged insult, with great
warmth, and insisted upon repaatiOn to
the wounded honor of France. 1t is to be
remembered that but a few years before
France had actually declared war against
Algiers, on account of personal insult to a
French Consul by the Dey of Algiers. Ne
gotiations ensued between the French Gov
eminent and the American, represented by
Mr.. Marcy. That Mr.. Marcy was not the
man to brook any act in GerogatiOn to the
honor OF the United States was sufficiently
shown by the peremptOry measures he took
to obtain indemnity from Spain on the Oc-
casiOn of the custom house seizure Of the
Black Warrior at Havana, and the expUl-
sion of the British Minister, Mr. Champion
from the United States. But Mr.. Marcy,
in the matter Of Consul Dillon, agreed with
the French Minister Of Foreign Affairs, MIR.
Drouyn De Hugs, that in order to atone
for the alleged insult to France when a
French ship or squadron shall appear in the
harbor of San Francisco the United States
authorities there, military or naval, will
salute the national flag borne by such ship
or squadron with a national salute, at an
hour specified and agreed upon with the
French naval commanding officer present,
and the French ship or squadron
whose flag is thus saluted, will
return the salute gun for gun. This
agreed exchange Of salutes was accordingly
effected in due time, us agreed, which en-
abled the President of the United States
to announce in his next message 10 Con-
gress the happy conclusion OF a controversy
thus existing between the United States
and Franco,
Admiral Palo has assured Secretary Fish
that the Virginus and her prisoners will
be surrendered at Santiago next Tuesday,
without opposition. Much satisfaction Is
expressed that the CASTELAR, Government has
been able to resist the demands made upon
it by the Spaniards in Madrid and in Cuba
not to surrender the vessel, and has eXhib-
tied a degree of iirmness entirely uneX-
pected.