The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-04-27
An Exhaustive Review of the Interua
tlOnal Law Involved.
THE COLOMBIAN IDEA uNsouNp
View of the United states from Prece
dents and National Tradition Our
Interest Small, Eut Great
Principle is Involved.
WASHINGTON AND PANAMA NEWS.
oar Colomhlnn Relationa.

Our Colombian Relations,
WAsHINGToN, April 26,-- rhe follow |
ing correspondence has recently passed |
between Secretary Bayard and Senior
Becerra, the Colombian minister at |
Washington, with reference to a decree
of the Colombian government closing
several Of its ports to foreign commerce, |
and virtually declaring the vessels Of
the insurgents, now engaged in hostile |
operations against Cartagena, TO be be-
yond the pale OF international law. |
Under date OF April 9, Senor Becerra
writes to Secretary Bdyard as follows:
81 yesterday had Tho satisfaction 10
receive telegram from the President
Of Colombia, dated at the capital city
of the union, on that same
day, whereby that magistr te informs
ME that Tho republic Is now pacific,
with the exception of the ports OF Pan
anna on the isihmus OF that name and
those of Sablnello and Santa Marta and
Bsrrenquilla, ia the states OF Bolivia
| and Magdaena. Active military opera
! tions were still in preparation against
| the rebels, who hold these ports in our
| territory, and with view 30 making
| them moro efficient, various measures
of "A highly important character had
| been adopted, two OF which /
have the honor, In obedience to in
struction, TO bring 60 the knowledge
Of this government. BY the decree the
Colombian governm ent, in the exercise
Of its authority, ana expressly enf0rc-
ing the sentiment of the provisions OF
it's commercial and revenue laws, de-
clares the ports OF SabinellO and Santa
Marta, IN the caribbean sea, and the
fluvim port OF Bsrranquil!a, which is
very near the SabinelO, closed TO for
eign commerce. All attempts to import
or export goods through the aforesaid
ports, after this decree is known, will
therefore be considered AZ Illicit. Any
trade thus carried ON will
be considered contrabsnd, and
the vessels, crews, etc., engaged
thorin will be liable, besides forfeiting
the goods, to the penalties Ia such cases
provided by the Colombian laws. BY q
second decree the government ofColom
dia desires that the vessels which are
now stationed at tn entrance to the be-
of Cartagena, in the port of that name
in the Caribbean SEA, and which are
embarrassing and even making wal
: upon Internal commerce under the flag,
OF various foreign nations, and by
J )ueaua Of tho vessels OF the lines OF reg
ular communication which have Ions
been established, do not belong L
the United States Of Colombo, auC
they nave no right TO raisC
AS they nevertheless do raise, the flag o
that nation. AS a consequence, boil
thor existence and their action, whicl
are wholly Irregular put them beyond
the pale OF international law, and thei
proceedings, which are hostile TO thu
peaceful operations of commerce at tn
entrance to Il commercial port belong
ing 20 a nation which is az peace viii
the whole world, may in all cases b
punished 10y the vessels that are charge,
= in these waters to watch over the inter
ests Of commerce In general and owe
tho special interests Of the nations {,
which they respectively belong. In i'm
forming you, Mr.. Secretary Of State, q
6 hereby have the homo
10 do, OF the restoration
Of peace throughout almost the entir
/, territory OF Colombia, and of the meas
ures adopted, with a view To its restore
zion IN the ports which arc still held b.
the rebels, ! entertain the hope that thi
Information will be gratifying TO yol
and that tho DEGREES I'm question wi
have, in your estimation, the weigh
necessary to cause them TO be cOnsiI
cred rs important to American con
\ merce"
!, Under date of April %, Secrotar
Bayard replied TO Sonor Becerra, rec,
- pitulating the points Of the latter's con
municatiOn, and setting forth the pos
tion OF the United States with reierenC
thereto, as follows;
"Vhis government, following the n
ceived tenets of International law, dot
not admit that decree of n sOveroig
government closing certain nation
" ports In the possession of foreign eut
| mics, or Of Insurgents, has any intoi
| national effect, unless sustained by
blockade force sufficient 10 PRACTICAL
close such ports.n
Secretary Bayard then quotes froi
Lawrence's notes on Wheaton, the ru
ON such cases as drawn nom the pos
tons taken by the administrations
Presidents Jefferson and Madison, du
ing their struggles with France an
England, and continues as follows:
"The situation which the president
: decree assumes TO create Is analogous
that caused by the action of the govern
ment of New Grenada in 1861, II
Greuadan charge d'alfaires, Senior Ra
ael Pombo, on the 3lst Of March Of th
year, notified MIR. Seward that certa
ports, among them Rio Hacho, San
Marta, Cartagenn, Sabinello, seaport
all ON the Caribbean coast, hi
boon declared to bo closed to commerc
whether of export or import. There
this difference, however, that the Gren
49, dan government then announced Tn
war vessels of the confederation, we
10 cruise about tho ports closed To COZ
=. merce for the purpose of seizing vosst
u which should bo found violating &
closure which had been decree
a. II appears from Mr.. Stewards nc
of acknowledgment TO Senior POml
I, dated April y, lS0l, that the announC
vi mems tnen made were interpreted, NJ
correctly so, as a declaration that oC
IT tain named ports were In state
blockade, which should be rendered
feotive by national vessels, and of whi
ne due public notice had been given wh
the government of the United States
al 1861 thus confirmed the doctriue IL h
0u consistently maintained from the o
liest days OF the republic, that non p
sessed ports might DO effectively clos
by u maritime blockade, the Brit
government then cOuuoverted the ril
OF New Grenada 20 resort to such re
edy."
The secretary then quotes the sta
ments OF Sir John Russell, with ref
ence 80 The New Grenada blocka
made iu answer to an inquiry In
house of commons on the Nth Ot Ju
1861, and continues as follows;
~ 'Earlv in 1861, tho civil war In
- United States broke out. This COVE
\ = ment maintained the position that
49, municipal closure OF domestic port
the hants of confederate forces WI
legitimate incident toward the mail
nonoe of an effective block
by sea, This was opposed