The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-23
THE oLAYroN-BULwER TREATY.
Something About the Men Who Negotiated
that Famous Agreement.

InaI FAMOUS <ASreSnAeut'
"Gath's' New York Letter.
There is still living in the State of Delaware
retired judge George P. Fisher, who was the
Assistant Secretary Of State at Washington
under Clayton. About lS49 Henry Bulwer, 2
respectable Englishman and brother, l believe
of the poet Bulwer, the minister to Wash
| ington City. Like good many Engshmen, he
was animated by a peaceful feeling toward all
English speaking races. His sentiments were
reciprocated by John NJ. Clayton, at that time q
pronounced Wing senator and rather of the
Seward school General Taylor was made Pres
ldent, / think, through the Seward interest in
New York espousing his cause and retiring
Henry Clay. Taylor had recently been one of the
victorious generals in our with Mexico and
fought the first battles in that war, and had de-
feated Santa Anna at Buena Vista with
considerable loss He was Wing,
and consequently the Wings, who pos
sessed both generals in the Mexican
war, Scott and Taylor, were ready to run either
of these against the Democratic civilian, They
took Taylor in preference to Scott, and ran Scott
four years later, when he was defeated Clay
ton was great admirer of Taylor, and had
named his country seat on the Delaware river
Buena Vista. For his promptness in coming for
ward against Clay he had been made Secretary
of State. He was a large, tat man, about SIX
feet high, with huge stomach, and he had
good deal of lawyers force, but was too timid
a man for prominent executive life This timid-
ity no doubt led him to assent to treaty by
which England and the United States bound
themselves never to construct either % railroad
or a canal at any point the isthmus. They
agreed not to take advantage of each other.
Judge Fisher says that this treaty, was signed
or concluded in brick house on F
street, nearly opposite the Ebbitt
Hotel, and that while they were
working at it a fire broke out in the neighbor
hood, and Henry Bulwer seized his hat and ran
to the fire. The fre-engne came so slowly to
the scene that Bulwer, who wanted to have the
fire put out exclaimed, with an oath: 81 do hate
slavery. 1t is always slow" When the treaty
-
discussed. General Taylor died, and his sue
cessor, Willard Fillmore, who had set up for him
self wanted to have another Cabinet and differ
ent surroundings
Fillmore though good-looking man. was a
stold person, with but little principle. Whereas
for years he had been a rabid anti-slavery man,
he went over bodily to the pro-slavery Wing side
as the price of denomination. He was operated
by Wings of the Toombs and Stephens kind.
He did not take much interest in the Clayton
Buwer treaty, and in a little while
Stephen A. Douglas and others thought
it would be good policy to- attack
the Wing administration on the score
of this treaty That treaty was in nine articles,
and it especially covers Nicaragua as well as
Panama using the terms ship canal which
shall be constructed between the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans by the way of the river San Juan
de Nicaragua, and either or both of the lakes of
Nicaragua or Manaqua TO any port or place on
the Pacific ocean,
The drst article says: "The two governments
will obtain maintain for itself any exclusive
control over the said shipcanal or colonze. or
assume exercise any domain over Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, the Mosquito Coast, or any part of
Central America. Neither nation will take ad-
vantage of any intimacy, or use any alliance,
connection, or influence that either may possess,
for the purpose of acquiring or holding, directly
or indirectly. any rights or advantages in
gard to commerce or navigation through the
said canal which shall not be offered on the
same terms to the citizens or subjects of the
other"
This treaty bears date April 10. 1850. Eleven
years afterward, on that date, Fort Sumter was
fired upon Mr. Clayton, four years before this
treaty, had been the author of the Clayton com
promise, passed after continuous session of
twenty-five hours of the Senate, providing for
territorial governments in Oregon California
and New Mexico, without the local power there
to prohibit or establish slavery. Thus the
slavery question driven into the United
States courts. After his treaty was attacked
Mr. Clayton, who had meantime been forced out
of the Senate by having accepted the State De-
partment and having lost that TayIor's
death, caused himself to be returned to the Sen
ate solely for the purpose of defending his
treaty He considered the treaty the most i'm
portant act of his life.
1t is related that it was impossible to bring to-
gether the two houses of the State Legislature
The Democrats opposed joint session, know
ing that it would result in Mr. Claytons election.
a certain kidnaper who is said to be alive to
this day, was in the Legislature, ana he had
been saved when tried for his offenses by the
eloquence of Clayton. When boy this person
had gone oil a lark, as it was then considered
to steal somebody and sell him. Clayto applied
to this man to break the dead lock- and thus the
Legislature was brought together and by the
gratitude of kidnaper the author of the inter
national treaty was returned to the Senate
John D. Crittenden, who succeeded Clayton in
the State Department, had some trouble with
England account of the Bulwer treaty. There
island called Roatan, which the Amer
cans considered a part of Central America, and
under the treaty the British whould have to
abandon it. England held that she was not to
| abandon any previous possessions. Henry Viii