The Arizona sentinel., 1886-08-28
TIE LAM OF MEXICO.


 Zaldovar, ex-President of San Salvador, Q lawyer and soldier, has given his opinion of the incident Cutting and the present complication with Mexico. He Is accustomed to the judicial procedure of our Spanish-American countries, and unhesitatingly afiirms the right of Mex ican Courts to infict punishment upon citizens of the United States for ofen- ses against citizens of Mexico commit ted on our own soil. This right is de- rived from the Civil law and is repug- nant to the theory of the Common law. Under our law an ofense against Mexican on our soil is punishable in our own Courts, the same as if commit ted against one of our own citizens, and, under the comity of nations, Mexico has the right to make diplomatic ap- peal to our Federal authorities to ad- monish the local Courts to the prompt administration ofiustice Beyond this we cannot safely go in the case of a country, which lies on our border, that under a concession of Zaldovar's point can easily harass us.
 We are not aware of any case in which our Courts have claimed the right set up by Mexico, for to claim it would be to make war upon our own system of jurisprudence, and we can never concede to bordering country a jurisdiction over our citizens which we cannot reciprccally exercise. It goes without saying that we cannot make or change the Federal or local laws of Mexico. One way out of the difficulty is to treat the question as the proper subject of a treaty with that Republic, in which Mexico relinquishes over our citizens, thus permitting her to retain it over the citizens of her Cen tral American neighbors, who, like her, have no feelings to be violated by such a rule of law.
 If Mexico declines the offer to nego- tiate such Q treaty, and insists upon her theory of the law as laid down by Zaldovar, we see TO recourse but war. Of the result of such Q conflict there is no doubt. That country, st the end of another such humiliation as we infic- ted in l646, would be compelled to ac- cept such conditions we chose to i'm pose upon her; and it is certain that they will fit her DO less straitly than if peacefully accepted War with her for the mere sake of war would be in- tolerable. But war to enforce the too often violated rights of our citizens would be welcomed by the United Sta tes es 8 last raeort
 For the present, let no man mistake the functions of the different co-ordi- nate branches of our Government. At present the question is entirely with our Secretary of State. He deals with it automatically, and it is his duty to
  his country and mankind to exhaust all means of adjustment consistent with our National honor. After that it is the duty of Congress to consider de. claration of war. The President can not declare war, True, if Mexico be guilty of the madness and folly of an invasion of our territory, as was done in l846 under General Arnprudia and Arista, such of our regular forces ga are at hand would be called to repelit.
 It would greatly clear the course for us if Mexico would be guilty of an overt act, and 1t ispossible tbsther braggarts have sufficiently forgotten her last pun ishment to attempt throwing 8 column across the line.
 In the event of war she may seek foreign allies, but that will probably bel to invoke her own destruction, since more than one European Government lusts for the chance to throw upon her soil an army of alliance that can be converted into a conquesting force. This Government, through Mir. Seward, had to deliver her from the last fore ign occupation and to strengthen her puny arm for final tragedy at Quere- taro and iti hardly likely that we would save her again from an act that would be premeditated suicide upon any other terms than the permanent annexation of all her territory y.-Alta.
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 The Florence Enterprise says: 1.-The agents for French colony consisting of seventy persons, from Louisiana, are endeavorinU to DurchaSe all the ranch !