The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-01-04

The American Doctrine as Defined Dy
Him in 1s5e-A Forcible Presentation
OF the Case Substantially as Now Put
Forward by Secretary Blaine-The
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty.
1T is to be understood that the following is
Mr.. Douglas exact language, and dictated with
view of subsequent publication.]
CENTRAL AMERIcA-THE CLAYTON AND
BULwER TREATY.
The Oldest possession which Great Britain
claims in Central America is that which is
known as the "Balize Settlement" dividing
Nicaragua and Honduras on the one side, and
the MexicansState OF Hucatan on the other.
More than a century ago some British mer-
chants sent out ships and cut and loaded them
with logwood at the Balize, which at that
time belonged to Spain. In making treaty
of peace between Spain and England a clause
was inserted continuing the permission to cut
logwood, without conveying any right OF soil
or dominion to England. Under the permis-
sion to cut logwood England founded settler
ment at the Balize, with no fixed or definite
boundaries; and she has enlarged and extended
it from time to time, and organized it into
colony, without paying attention to the terri
torial rights or boundaries of the adjoining
States.
ABOUT J0o same JlI0o Glglduu pF6teuu0u W
have madei treaty with small tribe OF In
dians called the Mosquitoes, upon the coast OF
Central America, and to have guaranteed to
the5lndians the protection OF the British Govern
ment. Some years ago-peEhaps twenty
the British Government sent an agent to the
Mosquito coast, and found an Indian boy-part
Indian and part mulatto-who was said to
have been the son of a Mosquito Indian chief,
and took him over to Jamaica and had him
crowned as the King of the Mosquitoes, took
AonH IN t1 hSd fFu q
him in nominal possession of his alleged inher-
itance, but, in fact, under the direction and
control of British Consul on that coast. This
Mosquito country was within the charter
ed limits of the State of Nicaragua, and conse-
quently the Indian tribes, the Mosquitoes in
cluded, were subjects Of the State of Nicara-
qua, and incapable of establishing Govern
ment independent Of that State.
This was the condition OF affairs in Central
America when the war between the United
States and Mexico was brought to close. 1t
was understood, and the fact not denied, that
Great Britain used her entire powers OF diplo-
macy TO encourage Mexico and defeat any
treaty of peace by which the United States
would acquire any Mexican territory. On the
day it became known at Vera Cruz that treaty
of peace had been signed by which California
and New Mexico were transferred to the Unit
ed States, the British feet set sail from Vera
Cruz and proceeded directly to the mouth OF
the San Juan River in Central America, and
took possession of the Town of San Juan, at
the month of the river, changed its name to
Greytown, and established British authority
there in the name of the Mosquito King, to be
exercised by the British Consul, and, in fact,
converted it into a British dependency. The
United States protested against this act as be-
ing an aggression upon the territorial rights OF
Nicaragua, and as being prompted by hostile
motives towards the United States, 1t having
for its object to close up the only channel
through which the United States could estab-
lish and maintain communication between the
Atlantic States and our newly-acquired posses
sions on the Pacific.
The controversy growing out OF this seizure
of that transit route led to the Clayton and Bull
Wer treaty. 1t is proper, however, TO remark
that during the last years OF Mr.. Polk's Ad-
ministration he had appointed Judge Hise, OF
Kentucky. Minister to the Central American
States, and that Judge Hise had negotiated
treaty on che part of the United States with
the State of Nicaragua, by which the United
States were invested with sthe exclusive right
of constructing ship canal between the At
lantic and Pacific oceans, through the San
Juan River and Lake Nicaragua, together
with the right of establishing towns and free
ports at each end of the canal, and OF fortiiying
the same and placing the whole line OF the
canal and its banks. from ocean to ocean, un-
der the ercles1Ue protection OF the United
States This Hise treaty was signed in Central
America while Mr. Polk was President, but
did not reach the United States until after the
inauguration of Gen. Taylor, aud after the ap-
pointment of Mr.. Clayton as Secretary OF
State
Mr.. Clayton refused to accept the treaty, and
sent an agent to Central America to have 1t
Cancelled, and new treaty made by which the
said canal should be placed under the Joint pro-
lection of Great Britain and the United States.
Mr.. Clayton then negotiated with Sir Henry
Bulwer the Clayton treaty, by which his scheme
of joint protection to the transit route vas
recognized and provision inserted by which
Great Britain and the United States pledged
their faith, each to the other, that neither OF
them would ever colonize, annex, fortify, or
exercise exclusive dominion over any portion
of Central America. After the terms OF this
treaty were agreed to by Clayton and Bulwer,
Mr.. Clayton refused to sign it until he could
procure from two-thirds of the Senators prl-
vate pledge that they would fatty it, which
being done, he signed the treaty, and sent IL TO
the Senate for ratification
Mr.. Douglas was the only man in the SEN
ate who made any active opposition to the rati-
fcati on of the treaty. He opposed It upon the
ground that he wanted no partnerships with
Great Britain in respect to the transit route;
that such partnership would be productive OF
constant Misunderstanding and disputes, IN
stead Of being bond OF peace; and ne e. urged
that the Senate reject the treaty, and call upon
the Executive to send to the Senate the Hise
treaty, that it might be ratified, with such
amendments as the Senate might see ut TO
make in order that we should have the exclu-
siye control over the transit route, and might
open it to the world on such terms as were
compatible with American interests. Mr..
| Douglas especially opposed the treaty upon the
| ground that he would never enter into any
| compact with Great Britain or any other Eur
| cpean Power in respect to the American
| continent, by which the faith of the Nation
| should be pledged for all time to come never
| to annex or coonize such portions OF the con-
tinent as our interest and safety would lnevita-
| bly, compel us to annex at some future Day
| He did not desire to annex the country then,
| but insisted that the time would come when we
| would be compelled to exercise jurisdiction
over that transit route. All objection, however,
| to the treaty proved useless, as nearly the
whole Senate had been committed to 1t prl-
/ yately in advance, and when the vote was taken
| there were but eight votes recorded In the
| negative.
| The treaty had no sooner been ratified than
| Great Britain did claim that her protectors TO
/ was still in existence, recognized and acknowl-
| edged by the United States, and she has from
| that day to this persisted in this claim to pro
| tectorate.
All this occurred in secret session in 1850, and
within the next three years tried often to get
| the Senate to remove the injunction OF secrecy
| SO that might publish my views. In 1855,
| three years afterwards, the English extended
| their influence and took possession OF Ruatan.
| Cass, in the Senate, began to get frightened.
| All that / had predicted had come to pass.
| Cass made speech denouncing Clayton and
| the treaty, This was occurring about the time
| when Clayton was retiring from the office OF
| Secretary of State Soule entered into the dis
| cussion, and in the course of their speeches
| both he and Cass forgetting that the injunc-
| ton OF secrecy had not been removed, quoted
| what had occurred during the secret session OF
| 1850 or thereabouts. Nobody interrupted them
| and thought now is the time TO get my speech
| and my views before the public. So went to
| Senator and said to him, "Look here, Soule
and Cass are quoting whati occurred in secret
| session; suppose you move the Senate to go into
| secret session, and have the injunction re-
moved SO that they can do So" The Senator
| startod up mischievously; Soule apologized,
| said he was not aware that the injunction had
| not been removed; the Senate went into secret
| session, and the injunction was removed.
| Clayton retired from the Office of Secretary
| of State, went back to Delaware, and said Cass
| had been abusing and slandering him, aud
| that it was necessary for him to reply in order
| to vindicate himself, promising to annihiate
| Cass. He was reelected to the Senate, and
| could have annihilated Cass, for the latter had
| taken the wrong ground, and Clayton was very
| dowerful in debate.
Cass vanished-said his wife was sick, and
| that he had to go home to Detroit. Clay
| came on ready with a speech, which would have
| lust fitted Cass, and asked where he was. He
| was told Cass' wife was sick, and that he had
| gone home, and then turning to me, said; mo
| matter, what he had to say could equally be ad-
| dressed to me as Cass' follower. When Clay,
n IL ~ NN Ga