The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1888-11-09
SECRET nAYAHD's REPORT.
Official Communication to the President
ON tho Saclyfl;o Matter.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31.=The Cabinet
meeting lasted about two hours, and was
attended by Secretaries Bayard and Endi-
colt and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Garland. 1t was
devoted mainly to a consideration of the
casc of the British minister, and the result
is shown i'll the statement furnished to the
press by the Secretary of State. After
Secretary Bayard had prepared this state
ment he walked over to the White House
and submitted it to tho President for his
approval. The President perused it care
fully and suggested u few verbal changes
in the Introduction, and when these Ind
been made the members of the press were
; furnished copies of it. The following is tile
full ext of Secretary Bayard's statement:
s'To the President: The undersigned has
the honor to submit for your consideration
the following statement, with q view to re-
ccive your direction thereon.
Con the 4th of September last n letter
purporting to have been written by one
Charles f. Murchison, dated at Pomona,
Cal, was sent from that place to the British
minister at this capital, in which the writer
solicited an expression of his views in re-
| gard to certain unsettled diplomatic ques-
tions between the United States and Great
Britain, stating ut the same time that such
an expression was sought for by him for the
purpose of determining his vote at the APP
preaching Presidential election. He stated
that lie was a naturalized citizen of the
United States of English birth, but that he
still considered England the mother country,
and this fact led him to seek advice from
the British representative i'll this country.
He further stated that the information lie
sought was not for himself alone, but to en-
able him to give certain assurance to many
n4hn. ,,or.sonS II, fho am, ctf,,oficn nc 1i,,,
self, for the purpose of influencing and de-
tcrmining their political action as citizens
of the United States of English birth, but
who still regarded their original obligations
as paramount. The letter also contains
gross reflections upon the conduct of this
government i'll respect to questions now i'll
controversy and unsettled between the
United States and Great Britain, md both
directly and indirectly imputed insincerity
in such conduct.
Mr.. Vests Onrense.
"To this letter the British minister at
once replied from Beverly, Mass, under
date of the 18th of September last. In this
reply he stated that any political party
which openly favors tho mother country at
the present moment would lose popularity
and that the party in power is fully aware
of that fact, and that in respect to the
questions with Canada which AVE been
unfortunately leopencd since the rejection
Of the tfisheriesl treaty by the Republican
majority i'll the Senate, and by the Presi-
dents message to which you allude. All
allowances must therefore be made for the
political situation as regards tho Presi-
Dental election
"The minister thus gave his assent and
sanction to the aspersions and imputations
above referred to.
"Thus under his correspondents assur-
ance of secrecy, in which the minister con-
cured by marking his answer private he
undertook to advise q citizen Of the United
States how to exercise the franchise Of
suffrage in an election close at hand for the
Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the
ter suggested, to influence the votes of
many others.
"Upon this correspondence being made
public the minister received the representa-
tives of the public press, and i'll frequent
interviews with them intended for publica-
ton added to the impugninents which he
had already made of the good. faith of this
government in its public action and inter-
national dealings. Although ample time
and opportunity have been afforded him for
tho withdrawal, modification, or correction
of his statements, TO some of which his at
tention was called personally by the UNDER
signed, yet no such disavowal or modi6ca-
tion has been made by him through the
channels in which his statements first found
publicity.
Cannot BE Permitted.
"The question is thus presented whether
it is compatible with the dignity, security,
and independent sovereignty of the United
States to permit the representative Of a for
eign government in this country not only to
receive and answer without disapproyal,
and confirm by his repetition, aspersions
upon its political action, but also to inter-
fere in its domestic affairs by advising per-
sons formerly his countrymen as to their
political course as citizens Of the United
States.
Gas between this country and Great
Britain there can Le no controversy as to
the complete severance of the ties of origin
al allegiance by naturalization. Disputes
on this point were finally put at rest by the
treaty of naturalization concluded by the
two countries on tho 18th Of March, 1870.
Therefore it will not DO contepded, nor was
such contention ever admitted by US, that
citizens Of the United States Of British ori-
gin are subject to any claim Of the country
Of their original allegiance.
"The undersigned also has the honor to
call attention to the provisions Of section
1895 Of the revised statutes Of the United
States by which severe penalties ara visited
upont the citizen Of the United States who,
without the authority or permission Of thii
government, Commences or carries on any
verbal o. written c~osTespopdeuce a. inter.