The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-08
SELLING OUT TO SPAIN.
A Grave Charge Against Arthur and his
Cabinet.

New York, April 2S.-The New York
Tribune of Tuesday morning will contain
The following letter:
10 the Editor 6f The Tribune: !, Sir
Having resigned my position as Consul
General to Havana, I beg leave to state
my reasons for this act. Under oul
Democratic system even the Government
is amcnable to those whom it represents
and the subordinate whose charges oil
delinquencies in his superiors are disre.
garded may appeal to his countrymen to
secure their rights in his OVID. We are
even now approaching the moment when
the present Administration is to ask for
verdict upon its course. The time is
therefore fitting to throw some light upon
the. conduct of one of the departments
which compose that Administration.
On February 26 and again on March q
last addressed the President, protesting
against the action of the State depart
ment in persistently screening corruption,
and at the same time negotiating an inju.
rious and improper treaty with Spain.
On April 9Th; having received no reply
beyond bare acknowledgement, tele-
graphed to the President requesting to
be ordered to Washington to subordinate
my charges. To this also received no
reply. On April 8, I again telegraphed
in these words: II have the honor to
tender my resignation to take effect imme-
diately, unless can be ordered to Wash.
ington for purposes already explained %
1 then received dispatch by cable from
the secretary of State announcing that
the President did not think it advisable
for me to return to Washington as my
services were required at Havana. l
Immediately replied: II request you to
say to the President that l am unwilling
to serve under department whose policy
1 disapprove and which l consider has
treated me with injustice and indignity.
1 tender my resignation to take effect
Immediately" To this l got nc reply,
and again telegraphed to the President !:
II shall appeal to the people tomorrow
unless hear from you." Within twenty
four hours the answer came: "Resigna.
tion accepted as requested"
I now charge the State department
with grave dereliction from public duty,
with gross and continued neglect of
injuries and insults put upon American
citizens, American seamen and American
trade in the Island of Cuba, with vicil.
lating and ignominious policy, requiring
often to be stimulated into the defence
or protection of Americans, and even of
sometimes assuming an honorable and
becoming position, abandoning it as a
rule before the resistance of Spain, and
yielding more than once just before
Spain had acceded to its just demands.
I charge it with negotiating CONNER.
cial agreement with Spain so manifestly
improper and ill.considered that in six
weeks after it was signed it had to be
abandoned and a new one concluded, in
which two of the original seven articles
were omitted altogether, while two of the
others must be submitted to the decision
of the Spanish Cortes not yet elected. l
charge that the stipulations of this agree.
ment are Injurious to the interests and
honor of the country and reproach to
its diplomacy, for it provides that the
United States shall abandon to Spain
duties amounting annually to $6,500,000,
while Spain gives up to US only 81 100000
in return. It provides that American
customhouse officials shall report to
Spanish consuls in order to enable the
Cuban authorities to enforce vigorously
their exactions on our own trade, and
this as 1t stands is the whole of the agree
ment to. day. 1 charge that this agree.
ment was in reality treaty and not sub
mitted to the Senate in accordance with
the Constitution, but under pretence that
it was a Commercial agreement" I'm
portant stipulations with foreign gov
ernment were entered into without the
sanction of that branch Of the Legislature
whose consent is indispensable.
Two important provisions in the treaty
of January I'd were thus altogether lille.
gal and unconstitutional-one stipula-
ting as T have shown that "the custom
houses of the United States shall furnish
to Spanish consuls, whenever they may
request them, certificates of cargoes of
sugar and tobacco brought from the
Antilles, and the other, far more grave,
establishing perfect equality of treatment
between Spanish Providences and the
United States, and removing all extra
duties or discrimination not general as to
other countries having the treatment of
most favored nations.
The Executive had no more right to
make this engagement without the sane
ton of the Senate than had. l charge
that this agreement was scrupu.ously
concealed in all its points from the chief
representative of the United States on
the Island which its stipulations almost
exclusively affect, although private par
ties and interested individuals were
taken ipto the confidence of the depart
ment and repeatedly consulted as to its
provisions that though the text was
freely circulated in lithograph, no hint
of its progress was given to the officer
more closely concerned in its provisions
than any other servant of the Govern
ment, and who ought to have been able
and who was able to furnish information,
without considering which it should never
have been concluded.
Icharge the department simultaneously
with those other delinquincies, with
screening and supporting corrupt con.
sular clerk, whom I repeatedly reported
for violation of orders, gross insubordi.
nation and abstraction Of public and
private moneys. These accusations,
eight times presented, remained utterly
unnoticed officially for four months until
the day when 1 left Havana. A private
letter, it is true, extorted an evasive
reply from the secretary of State in
March, defending the delay and announc,
ing a further postponement, and after l
had resigned decision was hurriedly
forwarded to me, dated April 7th, but
mailed April 18th, endorsing this clerk
upon bis own statement that he was lnno-
cent, without receiving the proofs J. had
offered or allowing me to be heard III
person, decision which / venture to say
will be pronounced by either Congress
or the Courts to contravention OF law,
justice and propriety. charge that
these coincident circumstances make 1t
Il ,-ont n nrnyp