Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-12-15
Aatiunal Affairs.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

1G9SLOI4\ L ~ HAA1S0GASIs
The message of President Cleveland, read
before both houses of Congress, on the first
day of the present session presents in sat-
isfactory manner the friendly and amicable
relations existing between the United States
and all foreign powers, closing this branch
of the subject with the following reference
to Mexico:
"In compliance with resolution of the
Senate, communicated to that body on
August 9, last, and also to the House of Rep
resentatives, the correspondence in the case
of A. X. Cutting, an American citizen then
imprisoned in Mexico, charged with the
commission of penal offence in Texas, OF
which a Mexican citizen was the object.
After demand had been made for his release
the charge against him was amended so as
to include violation of Mexican law with
in Mexican territory. This rejoinder of al
legged offences, one within and the other ex-
terror, induced me to order special inves-
tigation of the case, pending which Mr..
however, disclosed claim of jurisdiction
by Mexico novel in our history, whereby
any offence, committed anywhere by for
eigner, penal in the place of its commission
and of which o Mexican is the object, may,
if the offender be found in Mexico, be there
tried and punished in conformity with Mex
ican laws. This jurisdiction WAS sustained
by the Courts of Mexico in the Cutting case,
and approved by the executive branch OF
that Government, upon the authority of a
Mexican statute. The Appellate Court in
releasing Mr.. Cutting decided that the aban-
donment of the complaint by the Mexican
citizen aggrieved by the alleged crime, "a
libelous publication,) removed the basis of
further prosecution, and also declared JUS
tice to have been satisfied by the enforce
ment of small part of the original sentence;
The admission of such pretension would
be attended with serious results, invasive OF
the jurisdiction of this government, and
highly dangerous to our citizens in foreign
lands. Therefore, I. have denied it, and
protested against its attempted exercise as
unwarranted the principles of law and
international usage. A sovereign has ju-
rsdiction of offences which take effect with
in his territory, although concocted or COM
menced outside of it, but the right is de-
MED of any foreign sovereign to punish a
citizen of the United States for an offence
committed on our soil for violation OF our
laws, even though the offence be against a
subject or citizen of such sovereign. The
Mexican statute in question makes the claim
broadly, and the principle, if conceded,
would create dual responsibility in the
citizen and lead to ineXtricable confusion,
destructive of that certainty in the law
which is an essential of liberty. When cit
izens of the United States voluntarily 90
into a foreign country they must abide by
the laws there in force, and will not be pro-
tected by their own government from the
afo off N fhnSa
committed in such foreign country. But
the Watchful care and interest of this gov
ernment over its citizens are not relinquish-
ed because they have gone abroad, and If
charged with crime committed in a foreign
land, fair and open trial, conducted with
decent regard for Justice and humanity, will
be demanded for them. With less than this
their government will not be content when
the life or liberty of citizen is at stake.
Whatever the degree to which ultra-territo-
rial criminal jurisdiction may have been
formerly allowed by consent and reciprocal
agreement among certain of the European
States, no such doctrine or practice was ever
known to the laws Of this country, or of that
from which our institutions have mainly
been derived. In the case of Mexico there
are reasons especially strong for perfect har-
mony in the mutual exercise ofjurisdictlon;
nature has made US irrevOcably neighbors,
and wisdom and kind feeling should make
US friends. The overflow of capital and en-
terprise from the United States is potent
resources of Mexico, and building up the
prosperity of both countries. To assist this
good work all grounds of apprehensions for
the security of person and property should
be removed, and trust that in the interest
of good neighborhood that statute referred
to will be modified so as to eliminate the
present possibilities of danger to the peace
of the two countries"
He recommends the revision of the ex-
isting legislation concerning citizenship
and naturalization, and says: "We have
treaties with many States providing for the
of citizenship by naturalzed
aliens, but no statute is found to give effect
to such engagements, nor any which pro-
vides needed.central bureau for the regis
tration of naturalized citizens. Experience
suggests that our statutes regulating extra
dition might be advantageously amended
by provision for the transit across our ter
ritory, now a convenient thoroughfare of
travel from one foreign country to another,
of fugitives surrendered by a foreign gov
ernment to third State. Such provisions
are not unusual in the legislation of other
countries, and tend to prevent the miscar-
riage of justice. 1t is also desirable in or
der so remove the present uncertainties that
authority should he conferred on the Sec
retary of State to issue certificate, in case
of arrest, for the purpose of extradition to
the officer before whom the proceeding is
pending, showing that requisition for the
surrender of the person charged has been
duly made. Such 4 certificate, if required
to be received before the prisoners eXam-
ination, would prevent long and eXpen-
sive judicial inquiry into a charge which
the foreign government might not desire to
press. l also recommend that express pro-
visions be made for the immediate dis
charge from custody Of persons committed
for extradition where the President is of
opinion that the surrender should not be
made"
Of the public finances, he says: "The re-
port of the secretary of the treasury ex-
hibits in detail the condition of the public
finances and of the several branches NJ the
government related to his department. |
especially direct the attention of Congress
to the recommendation contained in this
and the last proceeding report of the Sec
retary touching the simplifcation and
amendment of laws relative to the collec.
tions of revenues, and in the interest of
economy and justice to the government l
hope they may be adopted by appropriate
legislation. The ordinary receipts of the
government for the fiscal year ended June
80, 1856 were 1886, ,439, ,727.06 and of this
amount S192 1905, ,023.41 was received from
customs and $116,s05, ,936.4S from internal
revenue and the total receipts as here stated
were S13,749,02S.6S greater than for the
previous year. The increase from customs
was s1l ,434, ,Os4.1O. And from internal rev.
revenue ST 4,4O7 ,2l0.94 making gain in these
items for the last year of S15,84l ,296.04 but
a falling off in other resources, reduced the
total increase to the smaller amount men