The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-08-18
OUR FOREIGN POLICY,
WITH REFERENCE TO PROTECTION
OF AMERICANS ABROAD,
As Suggested by the Secretary of State
American Citizens Governed by
the Laws of the Country in
Which They Live.

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. Is Secretary Bay
ard spent Sunday at his home in Whining
ton. He said to a reporter that he wa:
resting and did not care to talk politics,
but he took enough interest IN the account
of the murder of Robert W. Hardy in
Mexico, and the apparent immunity of his
assassin, to talk about the state depart
ment's position in the matter at some length.
He said if the Mexican government failed to
punish Hardy's assailant the state depart
nent could not interfere.
Understand me, continued the secretary,
carefully, al don't mean that the govern
ment Will not do everything possible for its
citizens hhroad, but that its ability is limited
by the Laws under which the citizen is resid-
ing Suppose, for instance, an American
were to murder q Mexican here and
were to be tried and unjustly ac-
quilted becauSe of a national preju-
dice in his favor9 What could the
Mexican government do if the law had been
followed until the case was given to the
juryi Simply nothing. If they saw that
the trial had been conducted according to
American law, and then found the verdict
to go against their opinions, they would be
in about the same position aS an American
conducting an American case in one Of his
own courts who finds that jury
have not decided according to
the evidence. He could do
nothing except to accept the verdict, though
1t should be SO evidently wrong as some of
those which provoked the riot at Cincinnati
Suppose All American had been tried for
killing Mexican before ono of those Gin
cinnati iures and had been acmi ttsd with
| the evidence all against him. Could the
Mexican government step in and do what
| the American government could not The
whole matter in sentence is this: Citizens
leaving Que country AMI going into
| another can only he protected in
the same measure as the country's
own citizens They must live under the
| same laws The United States government
will see that they got that protection, but it
cannot insist that they be tried or defended
| according to United States laws. In this
| Hardy case the minister will be instructed
to see that the trial is fair one according
to the Mexican laws, but will do nothing b.
| interfere with them II the trial Is unfair,
| or if the Mexican law is not carried oat he
will notify the department"
'One thing | have thought Of" the score
tary went on, "and this case brings it Il
mind. That is to ask congress for an appro
priation TO allow trials in foreign countrie,
where an American citizen is Interested Il
be watched by some capable person ldont
know that the department could do any
thing on n mere report Of a wrong verdict
but it would bring thorough state
ment of the trial bsfors it, and "a
least give basis for deciding what u do.
"Such a law, of course might be liable t,
abuse and give American citizens in foreign
countries tie idea that their governmen
would attend b. all their lawsuits Properly
applied, however and confined Ia certain
cases, [ think it would no ussd 10 advan
tage"