The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1886-12-07

United States is in a measure obligat-,
ed to assist II in the maintenance OF
its integrity. | recommend that IN
the reorganization of our navy small
vessel by us no longer needed be pre-
sented to Liberia for protection of its
coastwise revenue.
MEXICAN RELATIONS.
The encouraging development OF
beneficial and intimate relations be-
tween this government and Mexico. so
marked during the past year, is the
occasion of congratulation and friend
w solicitude. ] renew recommended
tons of last year that speedy legisl!a-
ton which will carry into effect the
reciprocity commercial convention or
January 20, 1883. Our commercial
treaty of 1881 terminated in 1881, upon
notice by Mexico in pursuance OF her
announced policy to recast all treaties
Mexico has since concluded with other
countries new treaties Of commerce
and navigation, defending alien rights,
of trade. property and residence, treat
ment of shipping, consular privileges,
and the like. Our yet uneXecuted re-
ciprocity convention Of 1888 covers
none of these points, the settlement Of
which is so necessary to good relation
ship. propose to take the initiative
with Mexico in relation to new and
enlarged treaty of commerce and nav
agation.
In compliance with resolution of
the senate | communicated to that
body on Aug. 2 last, and also to the
house of representative, the correspon-
dence in THE CASE OF A. X. CUTTING,
an American citizen, then imprisoned
in Mexico, charged with the commits
sion of penal oflense, of which Mex
lean citizen was the object. After
demand had been made for his release
the charge against him was amended
so rs to include a violation of the Mex
lean law within Mexican territory,
this Joiner of alleged oHenses-cne
within, the other exterior to Mexico
induced me to order special investi-
CATION of the case, pending which Cut
ting was released. The incident has,
however, disclosed a claim of jurisdic-
ton by Mexico, novel in our history,
whereby an oflense committed any
where by foreigner, penal in the
place of its commission, and of which
Mexico is its object, may, if the often
der be found in Mexico, be tried and
punished in conformity with Mexican
laws. This jurisdiction was sustained
by the courts of Mexico in the Cut
ting case, and approved by the execu-
tive branch of that government Upon
the authority Of Mexican statute,
their appellate court in releasing Mr..
Cutting, decided that the abandon
ment Of the complaint by the mere cit
izen aggrieved by the alleged crime "a
libclous pubhcation) removed the ba-
sis Of further prosecution. and also de-
clared Justice to have been satisfied by
the enforcement of small part of the
original sentence. The admission Of
such pretension would be attended
with serious results, and invasive of
the Jurisdiction of this government,
and highly dangerous to our citi-
zens in foreign lands; therefore !
have denied it, and protested against
its ATTEMPTED exercise as unwarranted
by the principles of law and interna-
tional usages. A sovereign has Juris-
diction of offenses which take effect
within his territory although concerted
or commenced outside Of it, but the
right is denied of any sovereignty to
punish citizen of the United States
for an ofiense consumated on our soil,
in violation of our laws, even though
the oflense be against citizen or SUBJ
iect of such sovereign. The Mexican
statute makes the claim broader, and
the principles, if conceded would
create dual responsibility in the citi-
zen and lead to ineXtricable confusion,
destructive of that certainty in law
which is an essential Of liberty. When
citizens of the United States volunta-
rally 90 into foreign country they
must abide by the laws there in force,
and will not be protected by their
own government from the consequent
ces Of an ofiense against those laws,
committee in such foreign country;
but the watchful care and interest
of this government over its
citizens are not rellnqulsneu
because they have gone abroad. If
charged with crime committed in a
foreign land, fair and open trial, con-
Quoted With decent regard for jus
tice and humanity, will be demanded
for them. With less than that this
government will not be content, when
the life or liberty of its citizens is at
stake.
The overflow of capital and enter
prise from the United States is n
potent factor in assisting the develop
ment of the resources of Mexico, and
in building up the prosperity of both