Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-04-15

over, and Senator VOORHEES, addressed
the Senate upon the resolution res
Gently introduced by him, declaring
that the conduct of the State De-
partment In relation to the arrest
and Imprisonment by the British
authorities of Daniel McSweney 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.
He said the Secretary of State had
failed to respond to the Senate resos
luton of March 9th, peremptorily
instructing him to report upon the
McSweeney case, at the earliest date
possible, until March Doth, 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 De-
partment, he asserted, of late years,
had always proceeded very slowly
when appealed to in behalf of
an American citizen in foreign
prison. He proceeded as follows :
GA government which is indifer-
ent to the fate of it's own citizens,
whether at home or abroad, which
fails to respond boldly and swiftly to
their appeals for justice and leaves
them to waste away their lives in
prisons, untried and unconvicted, is
unworthy of allegiance and ought
not to have, and will not long retain
respectable position among indie
pendent powers of the earth.
The speaker then reviewed the
case of McSweeney, naturalized
American citizen, who was arrested
by the British authorities in Ireland
and imprisoned on the End of June,
1881, and who has been in prison
without trial ever since, notwith-
standing repeated appeals of the
prisoner and his wife to our govern
ment for protection and redress.
The unmanly and pusillanimous
silence of the State Department
throughout the whole case was,
Senator Voorhees, said, such that
every American head would be bowed
and every American heart filed with
humiliation as the facts became
known. He (Voorhees) felt degraded
in his pride as a citizen when com>
PEELED to state, as he now did, with
the communication of the State De,
partment in his hands, that for six
long and weary months McSweeny
has been prisoner. After this gov
ernment had received the letter of
Mrs. McSweeny, not single step
was taken by the authorities here tor
an inquiry into the circumstances of
the arrest, for six months, and they
were then influenced to take action
by considerations other than a
just appreciation of the claims of
McSweeny to protection.
Senator Jones, of Florida, asked
whether or not McSweeny was in
prison now,
Senator Voorhees, said he unders
stood that he was, as no notice had
been given of his release, comments
ing upon the prisoners recital of his
sufferings in Jail. He said the pic-
ture was one Of wanton brutality,
such as barbarians alone inflicted
upon prisoners, whether guilty or
innocent, and showed that the spirit
of torture, which for SO many years
blackened English history, is yet
active, especially when the victim be-
! longs to government whose admin
istration cares nothing for his safety,
and still less for it's own honor. Up
on the history of the case, Senator
Voorhees, charged there had been
gross and fragrant violation of the
act of July 9th, 1868 (section POOL,
of the revised statutes), for which
somebody ought to be answerable at
the bar of the Senate, under articles
of impeachment.
At the close of Senator Voorhees,
remarks, the galleries, which con-
tanned many members of the land
league convention, recently in session
in this city, noisily manifested their
appreciation Of his effort.
Upon the suggestion of Senator
Sherman, the resolution of Senator
Voorhees, was referred to the COM
mittee on foreign relations, with q
view to the inquiry into all the facts
of the case.
The Senate, at 4:50, went into ex
ecutive session, and when the doors
were reopened, adjourned until
Monday.
| HOUSE
WASHINGTON, April 14.-Mr. Willis
of Kentucky, presented the minority