Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-06-11
MR.. BLAINE AND THE BUzzI CASE

Considerable inquiry has been made
as to the facts in the Buzz case and
what were Blanc's relations to it. The
history of the case up to hctime Mr..
Blaine ceased To be Secretary of State is
brief
In 1871 spain and the United States ere
atcd Il Commission of Arbitration To settle
the claims of citizens Of the United States
against Spain for injuries received to per
son or property in Cuban reyolts The
Commission, established by exccutiyeagrec-
ment, has had several umpireS, Count
Lewenhaupt presiding in 1881 Pedro D.
Buzz presented q claim To the Commission
under color Of citizenship in the United
States. Spain objected. claiming the certif-
cate of naturalization to be fraudulent, and
that Buzz did not have the five years resi-
dencc in The United States necessary, but,
in fact lived in the United States only six
months prior to the issue of the certificate
To this il was set up that his father twenty
years before had declared his intention to
become citizen. but that irrespective of
this the certificate was prima facic good on
lis face and must be accepted Is such by the
Commission, which could not "a back of
it or inquire into it, validity jurisdiction
for that purpose being in the tribunal, of
the United States only. The umpir, Count
LcWcuhaupt, held that the Coming ,-iou
could inquire into the certificate aud de
cjdcd that it was not valid and that Buzz
should NOT be heard
one of The articles of the asrccmcu; for
the establishment Of the Commission pro
yidcd that Spain might traverse the allcga-
tion of American citizenship made by any
claimant, and thercupou competent and
sufficient proof thereof will be required 80
In the negotiation, leading up to the agree
ment for the Commission, Spain set forth
that persons living in Cuba had obtained
fraudulent certificates of American natu-
ralizatjon, and that Cubans had used this
means for the studied purpose of cloaking
criminal designs against Spain. Secretary
Fish replied that the United States contcm-
plated that every claimant would be re
quired to make good before the Commits
sion his right to recover, and that if Spain
insisted naturalizcd citizens would he re-
quircd to show when and where they were
namralized and that it would be open to
Spain u traverse the fact, and show that
from any of the causes rccitcd in prcyi-
Gus letter the applicant had forfeited his
acquired rights
Mr. Blaine, on the decision of the UNI
pirc being given. gave notice that the
United States could not accept the judg-
ment. thus everything a previous decision
of Secretary Evart> in similar case. That
the umpire was not competent TO render
the Judgment, since the Commission could
not 20 behind the certificate of naturaliza-
ton. which was conclusive evidence OF
citizenship. 50 far as the Commission wa,
concerned That two umpires Of the
Commission preceding Lcwcnhaupt had
rendered precisely contrary opinions to his
M. Bartholdi ruling that the claimant in
that case (Dclgadol had been naturalizcd
before a Court Of the United States which
alone was competent authority to decide il
the prerequisites to citizenship had beer
complied with That Baron Blanc, an
other umpire, ruled in the case before him
Chat of Dominguezl. that the construction
placed by a Court of the United States o.
competent jurisdiction upon what consti-
tutes legal residence necessary to admis-
sion to citizenship, must be followed st
long as it is unimpeachcd by an American
tribunal of superior jurisdiction, As the
tribunals of the United States are the sole
Interpreters of the laws of that country
and it is not the right of the umpire to re-
view their decisions. Mr.. Blaine declared
that the United States Government
could not consent to part of the
cases Q07 in number) before the Com
mission being disposed of according one
line of rulings by the umpires, while
the remaining cases (i0 in number) should
remain mdisposed of under different
ruling bv a different umDire and vet both