The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-04

III there be one rule better understood than
another in our Indifferent; diplomatic ser
vice, it is that the agents of the United
States ia foreign countries shall not cor
RESPOND ia regard to the public affairs Of
any foreign Government with any private
person or with any newspaper; and that no
copy of any public paper can be takeu by
any diplomatic agent for his own use or Tor
any private purpose Whatever nor can any
such paper lac published without the con-
sent Of the Department OF State. This Is
not merely "A departmental regulation. but
it is command oil law. explicitly set forth
in the familiar act Of 1886, relating to the
diplomatic aud consular systems OF the
United States. and condensed a follows il
section l,75l OF the Revised Statutes
$50 diplomatic " consular oaicer sba eiresp ond in
regard 10 tn rutac aAif, Of auy ioresu Government
wan any private person. newspaper or other periodical
or Otherwise ihHi with lie proper officers Vi tie United
sAt,
\ pamphlet containing personal instruc-
tions to the diplomatic agents of the United
States in foreign countries Is filed in every
legation Among these instructions ars
the following
The instructions given to diplomatic agen' Of The
United states hs h!, Government he official commuui.
c.tuns received los han, from oher the record,
Vi h. answer. thereto amt ot u transactions relating
has eiec NOT the private PROPERTY oi such but
belong the archives the legation. and be he IT
subject 10 the orders VI tins de purincnt
so cops OF any public paper 10 be- taken retained
by any doasu agent tor own se or Tor auy PRIV
purpose whatever. l. any such paper time 10
be- published without the eApress OF thls part
mcnt'
Mr. EUGENE SCHUYLER, Secretary Of Lee
| CATION ANA COnsul-Gcucral AZ ConstantnO-
pie. has openly and ila.srantly violated the
| law and the Instructions of the Department
OF State, by public and 10y private cor
rcspOndence hostile to the Government TO
which he i accredited and for which he de-
serves summary dismissal. The common
| law of pruprety eXacts reserve from diplo-
matte agent, and the violation of IL is almost
invariably followed by removal. Every
! Government has the right to refuse to re-
ceiVe or to hold relations with an offensive
/ representative, ana that too without assign
ing any reason for its repugnunce. Wehaye
exercised this right in conspicuous cases.
one Of which was that Of Mr.. CHAMPION,
formerly British Minister at Washington.
Ii the Sultan had ordered Mr.. SCHUYLER
out OF COnstantinople. after his published
correspondence, rs we should have done In
| the case OF any diplomatic agent who had
outraged hospitality and anronted national
feeling during the civil war, no complaint
would have been justified. The forbearance
shown in permitting him TO hold diplo-
matte position under the circumstances is
exceptional. The Turkish Government
doubtless supposed that an offence against
all dccency So not orious ns this is, would have
been promptly dealt with at Washington
Mr.. FISH protected SCHUYLER because Tur-
key was weak and sick II he had COM
mitted n similar outrage in England, that
protection would never have been extended
and he was compelled TO withdraw him from
ST. Petersburg because OF the publication Of