The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-04-20
Protesting for American Honor.

On last Friday Mr.. Voorhees, addressed d
the Senate upon the resolution recently
introduced by him, declaring the con-
duct of the State Department, in rela-
TO the arrest and imprisonment by the
British authorities Of Daniel McSweeney
and other American citizens, is in viola
ton of American law, inconsistent with
the value Of American citizenship, and
derogatory of the honor of the United
States. lie said the Secretary of State
failed to respond to the Senate resolution
OF March 9th, peremptorily instructing
him TO report upon McSweeney's case Mt
the earliest day possible until March
Goth, although every item of information
transmitted on the latter date was in the
hands of that officer when the resolution
| reached him and could have been sent
| in within twenty four hours thereafter.
| The American State Department, he as
| serted, of late years had alwavs procee-
! ded cery slowly when appealed to in be-
| half of an American citizen in Il foreign
| prison. He proceeded as follows: "a
| Government which is Indifferent to the
fate Of its own citizens, whether mt home
or abroad; which fails to respond boldly
! and swiftly to their appeals for justice
| and leaves them to waste away their
! lives i'll prisons, untried and unconvictcd,
is unworthy of allegiance and ought not
to have and will not long retain respcc-
table position among the independent
powers of the Garth" The speaker then
reviewed The case of McSweency, a nat
uralized American citizen, who was ar
rested by British authorities in Ireland
and imprisoned on the I'd of June, 1881,
and who has been in prison without tria,
ever since, Notwithstanding repeated ap-
peals of the prisoner and his wife to our
Government for protection and redress
The unmanly and pusillanimous silence
of the State Department throughout the
whole case was, Mr.. Voorhees, said, "such
that every American head would be
bowed and every American heart filled
with humiliation as the facts became
known. Hc (Foorheesl felt degraded
in his pride as a citizen when compelled
to state-as he now did, with the COM
munication of the State Department in
his hand-that for six long and weary
months TO the prisoner, after this Gov
ernment had received the letter of Mrs.
McSweeney, not a single step was
taken by the authorities here for an in.
qniry into the circumstances of the ar
rest, and they were then influenced to
take action by considerations other than
a just appreciation of ,he claims of
McSweeney to protection.
Mr.. Jones, of Florida, asked whether
McSweeney was in prison now?
Mr.. Voorhees, said he understood he
was, as no notice had been given of his
release. Commenting upon the prison
er's recital OF his suiferings in Jail, he
said the picture was one of wanton
brutality-such as barbarians alone in
tiicted upon prisoners, whether guilty or
innocent-and showed that the spirit of
torture, which for so many years black
ened English history, is yet active,
especially when the victim belongs to a
Government whose Administration cares
nothing for his safety, and still less for
its own honor. Upon the history of the
case, Mr.. Voorhees, charged there had
been gross and fragrant violation of the
act of July 9th, 1868 (section 2001 of
the Revised Statutes), for which some
body ought to answer at the bar of the
Senate, under articles of impeachment.
At the close of Mr.. Voorhees, remarks
the galleries, which contained many
members of the Land League Conven-
tion, recently held in session in IL . city,
noisily manifested their appreciation of
his effort
Upon suggestion of Senator Sherman,
the resolution Of Mr.. Voorhees, was re.
ferred 10 the Committee on Foreign Re-
lations, with view TO Inquiry into ell
the facts in the case.