St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-17

happen 10 De captured Dy some savage CHIEF
of the Cannibal islands and sentenced to be
eaten: ooh, sir, your case is not exception
al. There are others to be devoured as we'll
as you. do not think it proper to inter-
vene.'
The above extracts are taken from the of
fetal correspondence as published by the de-
partment of state. 1t does not appear that
any further efforts were made during Blaine's
administration of the affairs of state in be-
half of Sweeney, and in fact Mr.. Lowell, in
letter to the secretary of state in March,
1882 declared that he had not answered the
last letter of Mr.. Sweeney. 1t must be re-
membered in this connection that Mr.
Blaine, who is now so eagerly seeking votes
upon the ground of some proposed aggres-
sive foreign policy, was from some time in
March, 1881, until on or about the 18th of
December of that year, specially charged
with the direction of foreign affairs, and that
Mr.. Lowell was acting under his specific in
structions. In letter of Mr.. Lowell's to
Mr.. Blaine, dated July Is. in reference to
another citizen of the United States, who had
been arrested as suspect" Mr.. Lowell
said: ''But if it shall be shown that he has
experienced no more harshness than the
majority of his fellow-prisoners have suffer
ed, do not feel by any means sure that
your instructions would authorize me to
make anSspecial efforts in his behalf" 1t
will thus Be seen that Mr.. Lowell, in declar-
ing to Mr.. Sweeney that he would not inter
vene in his behalf, because he was arrested
and treated like many others, was acting un-
der the direct instructions of Mr.. Blaine,
secretary of state.
This principle, if carried to alegitimate end
would permit an American citizen, either
native born or naturalized, to be seized I'M
der an order of anyone in authority and i'm
prisOned for lifee and sold into slavery, and
yet the United States would not intervene or
grant the citizen any relief if it could be
shown that others had been treated in the
same manner This was Mr. Blaine's doc
trine in 1881, when secretary of state.
Mr.. Blaine also said, in a letter under date
of Nov. 25, 1881, that Mr.. Lowell had pur-
sued his instructions with great energy and
sagacity and in sympathy with the feeling Of
his govern
1t will from these extracts be seen that the
acts of Mr.. Lowell so pusillanimous, coward
ly, and inefficient and which were denounc-
ed in public meetings all over the country as
in the halls of congress, were in pursuance
of official instructions given him by Blaine
But we have not yet given all of Blaine's
remarkable position in this case. On Aug
3, 1881, Sweeneys wife wrote to Blaine, sec
rotary of state, and her letter was received
on the 10th day of the same month. The
letter was respectful, and set forth in plain
terms the condition of her husband and his
family, and invoking the aid OF Mr.. Blaine
to have her husband released.
Blaine never answered this letter, aud, in
fact, took no notice of it.
Senator Voorhees,, on the floor of the senate,
April IA, 1882, speaking of this letter, said.
among other things: '!And still there was
no response to this American wife and moth-
er. She invoked the justice of law for her
husband, innocent of crime, and she asked
in respectful terms whether she would be
protected or left to share his fate, because
she could not help sharing his opinions. She
spoke for him, for herself, and for her virtu-
ally orphan children Sir, a govern ment,
or the department of a government, which
in any age of the worlds history would turn
a deaf ear to burning words like these could
not complain of being regarded with aversion
and contempt in all quarters of the globe.
policy of silence and Indifference under
such circumstances is so unmanlY and pusil-
luminous that every American head will be
bowed with shame, and every American
heart filed with humiliation, as the facts of
this case become generally known. ! feel
degraded in my pride as citizen of the
American republic, when compelled to state,
as | now do, with the communication Of the
state department in my hand, that until six
long weary months to the prisoner, after this
government had received his wife's letter,
not a single step was taken by the authorities
here directing inquiry into the circumstances
of his arrest The woman's appeal lay IN
needed in the official pigeon-holes of the de-
partment whose duty it was to protect her
and all her family"
On the 18th Of December, 1881, Mr..
Baine's successor, Mr.. Frelinghuysen, was
confirmed. Mr., Blaine had permitted
Sweeney and number of other American
citizens to remain in prison six months and
ten days. During this time Blaine was not
only secretary of state, but by reason of the
illness Of Garfield was really president. On
that day, Dee. II, Sweeney wrote a letter to
his daughter, Miss Mamie Sweeney, then re-
siding in San Francisco. We give the letter
in full:
''Dunkirk Jail, Dec. IL, 1SS1.-My Dear
Mamie: You must excuse me for not an
swering your two last letters sooner. Since
the winter set in | was unable, owing TO the
severe cold in this dungeon, to sit still long
enough to write even few lines / have to
keep moving about continually in my mar
row space to keep from freezing. You must
know how dreadful it is to be locked up for
eighteen hours day in this cold damp eli
mate without any fire, and worse still, we
are compelled to stand or walk about daily
for five hours in the open air, in a damp,
muddy yard, ankle deep in water, and then
return TO our cold cells trembling with cold.
1t requires a strong constitution to stand it
long.
Il fear many of our brave fellows will
succamb before the winter is over. AS l
was only sentenced for sixteen months,
thought at first l might live it out; but you
know ! was in delicate health when | was
arrested, being barely able to move about,
after a severe attack of sickness. All eff
orts on the part of your mother and all our
friends failed to discover the cause of my
arrest. / appealed to Mr.. Lowell, United
States minister at London, for protection,
but he answered that it is absurd for ma
turalized citizen of the United States to
claim protection. He says that even an
American citizen could only have recourse
to an appeal to the courtesy of the British
government 10 be released. He added in q
later communication. that the British gov
eminent refused to give him any informa-
ton about the charge against me, and that
they snubbed him.
Your mother wrote to Mr.. Blaine about
my case, but that gentleman did not deign
even reply. I heard nothing whatever
from him.
About couple of weeks ago l saw in
the English papers report of his speech in
Philadelphia, wherein he states that he is
more loyal to Queen Victoria than any Brit
ish subject So il would apnear that we an