The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-08-21
The Small End of the Horn.

1t is a pitible thing for great ma
ton like this tC enter an lnternation-
al complication with words of men,
ace, and when confronted with def.
ance come down and begin to com
promise. Mr.. Bayard, by sending
Mr.. Sedgwick to Mexico to ascertain
and report facts, has placedhimself
and the country in a hupiliating
position.
Almost the first thing tha the gen
eral public knew of the Cutting affair
was that our State Department had
demanded his immediateand uncon-
ditional release from a Mexican
prison. Then came the Mexican re-
fusal. Then came correspondence
between our Consul Brigham, at El
Paso del Norte, and the Mexican
Minister of Foreign Affairs at Next
co. Then came conferences between
the Mexican Minister and Secretary
Bayard. All this while Mr.. Bayard
was assuring the public that Cutting
would be released. 1t was conceS-
sion in the case all around that Cut
ting was held for a libel committed
on American soil. Consul Brigham
reported the facts officially to Mr..
Bayard. What Mr.. Sedgwick may
report is unofficial. The conferences
between Romero and Bayard were
official, while the facts which Sedg.
wick may collect Will not be. If
there were any need for ascertaining
facts outside ofthese Sedgwick should
have beed sent to find them before
Bayard issued his peremptory de.
nand for Cuttings release. 1t is de-
plorably weak to send him now after
that peremptory demand has been
refused.
1t really looks as though Mr.. Bay
ard felt that he ought to do some
thing impressing, and thinking that
the Canadian fishery question was
somewhat dangerous, he would pitch
in and bully Mexico. He began by
big buster, and has been tapering off
ever since. Mexico, instead of crouch
ing down, showed fight, and then
this great republic comes down. The
eagle that began to soar and scream
now roosts exceedingly low, for the
American citizen whose Liberation
was haughtily demanded was kept in
prison. The principal upon which
he was held in Mexico to answer an
offence committed on our soil has not
been abandoned. He has been tried
and convicted and sentenced to inn
prisonment at hard labor-and now
Mr.. Bayard sends Sedgwick down to
ascertain and report the fact. The
MeXicans think that we strutted into
a quarrel and then sneaked out of
fight.
The weakness that Mr.. Bayard has
shown in this matter endangers the
peace between Mexico and the United
States far more than would a resolute
insistance upon Cuttings release; for
the Mexicans now think that we are
afraid of them, and their insolence
will increase, while we on our si,le,
conscious of humiliation in this affair,
will be more touchy than ever and
eager for fight.
1t is tissue of blunders, The de-
partment should not have taken up
Cuttings case so hastily. 1t should
have made sure of the facts first.
Then when it made the demand for
the release. it should haye sert few
regiments to Ell Paso and ship or so
to Vera Cruz. 1t should not have
clustered with the local authorities
of Chihuahua. and at the same time
accepted the oral assurances of Min
lister Romero that Cutting would be
released. Secretary Bayard has made
a complete botch of it, Even Dem
ocratic House of Representatives ig-
nored the resolutions of approval
which he wrote and tried to have
passed. Balto. american.