The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-08
SELLING OUT 10 SPAIN.
"A Grave Charge Against Arthur and his
Cabinet.

Tribune of Tuesday morning will contain
the following letter:
To the Editor Of he Tribune: Sir
Having resigned my position as Consu
General to Havana, beg leave to stat
my reasons for this act. Under ou
Democratic system even the Government
is amenable to those whom it represents
and the subordinate whose charges O
delinquencies in his superiors are disre
garded may appeal to his countrymcu {,
secure their rights in his own. We ar,
even now approaching the moment whel
the present Administration is to ask fa
a verdict upon its Course. The time j.
therefore fitting to throw some light upor
the conduct of one of the department.
which compose that Administration
On February &c and again on March .:
last | addressed the President, protestin,
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 4th, having received no reply
beyond a bare acknowledgment, tele
graphed TO the President requesting tc
be ordered to Washington to subordinate
my charges. To this also received nc
reply. On April 9, I again telegraphed
;h these words: 81 have the honor to
tender my resignation to take effect imme.
diately, unless can he ordered 70 Wash
i.gton tor purposes already explained. q
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 rs my
services were required at Havana.
Immediately replied: II request you to
say to the President shat | am unwilling
to serve under department whose policy
l disapprove and which | consider has
treated me with injustice and indignity.
tender my resignation to take effect
Immediately" 10 this 1 got no reply,
and ngain telegraphed to the President
II shall appeal to the people tomorrow
unless l hear from you" Within twenty.
four hours the answer came "Resigna.
tion accepted as requested"
l 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 = nerican
trade in the Island of Cuba, with yicil.
latlng and ignominious policy, requiring
often TO be stimulated into the defence
or protection of Americans, and even of
sometimes assuming III honorable and
becoming position, abandoning it as a
rule before the resistance of Spain, and
yielding more than once Just before
Spain had accedcd to its just demands.
charge it with negotiating CONNER.
cial agreement with Spain so manifestly
improper and illconsidered that in six
weeks after it was signed it had to be
abandoned and new ono 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 $6,50O,O0O,
while Spain gives upt0 ;is only 81 ,7GG 900
IN return. t progiues that American
customhouse officials shall report TO
Spanish coisuls in order enable the
Cuban authorities to emf ce vigorously
their exactions on our own trade, and
this as 1t stands il the whole of the agree.
ment today. I charge that this agree.
ment was in reality a treaty and not sub.
mitted to the Senate in accordance with
the Constitution, but under pretence that
it was Commercial agreement" In
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 ille.
gal and unconstitutional-one stipula.
ting as have shown that "thc 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
and the other, far nlu1e grave.
perfect equality of treatment
between Spanish Providences and the
y nited States, and removing all extra
duties or discrimination not general as to
other countries having the treatment of
most favored natieus.
The Executive had no moro right to
make this engagement without the sane.
ton of tie Senate than had. charge
that this agreement was scrupulously
concealed in all its points from the chief
of the United States OH
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 tozi was
freely circulated in Iithograph, 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,
considering which it should uever
have been concluded.
charge the department simultaneously
with those other delinquincies, with
screening and supporting q corrupt con.
sular clerk, whom l 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 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 further postponement, and after I
had resigned decision was hurriedly
10 me. dated April 7tb, but
mailed April 18th, endorsing this clerk
upon his own statement that he vas limo.
cent, without receiving the proofs had
offered or allowing me TO be heard in
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
upon the depai tment to prove
that no connection exists between them,
and to ahow why it neglected American
interests and American sufferers. Why
it negotiated basty and Injurious treaty