Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-11-01

formed Lord Sackville that for causes
heretofore made known to her majesty's
government, his continuance In his pres
emit official position in the United States
is no longer acceptable to this govern
ment, and would consequently lie detri-
mental to the relations between the two
countries. The grounds of this action
on the part of the United States are
stated in a report of the secretary of
state to the president, dated the Goth
inst, which is rs follows:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Oct. 20, 1883.
To TaE PRESIDENT: The undersigned
has the honor to submit for your consid-
Grafton the following. statement, with u
view to receive your direction thereon:
On the 4th of September last, a letter
purporting to be written by one Charles
II, 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 regard I'D certain unsettled
diplomatic questions between the United
States n Great Britain, stating Mt the
same time that such an expression was
sought by him for the purpose of de-
termining his vote Mt the approaching
presidential election. He stated that he
was a gataralized citizen of the United
States, of English birth, but that he still
considered England the motherland, and
that this fact LED him to seek advice from
the British representative in this
country. He. further stated that the
information he sought vas not for him
self alone, but to enable him to give GER
tain assurances TO many other persons In
the same situation as himself, for the
purpose of influencing and determining
their political action as citizens of the
United States OF English birth, but who
still regarded their original obligations
OF allegiance as paramount. The letter
also contained gross reflections upon the
conduct of this government in. respect to
questions now in controversy and UNI
settled between the United States and
Great Britain, and both dire city and in
directly imputed ins!ncerity in such CON
duct
10 this letter the British minister at
once replied from Beverly, Mass, under
date OF the 18th OF September last. In
this reply he stated: "Any political
party which openly favored the mother
&pf IN T. itOtlltnb NOQlu
lose popularity, and thatythe party in
power ia fully aware of that fact;and in re-
ply to the questions with regard to Can
ada, which have been unfortunately re-
opened since the rejection ofthe fisheries
treatiesby the Republican majority in the
senate, and by the presidents message
to which you allude, all allowances
must therefore be made for the political
situation as regards the presidential
election The minister thus gave his
assent and sanction to the aspersions and
imputations above referred to.
Thus, under his correspondents as-
surance OF secrecy, In which the MINIS
ter concnrred by making his answer
private he undertook to advise a citi-
zen 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 United States, and
throagh him was the letter suggested,
TO influence the votes of many others.
Upon this correspondence being made
public the minister received the repre-
sentattyes of the public press, and In FREE
quent interviews with them, Intended
for publication, added to the impugn-
ments which he had already made of the
good faith Of this governments in its pub.
lie &C ion II international dealings.
Although ample time and opportunity
have been afforded him for the disayowal,
modification or correction of his state
inents, to some of which his attention
was called personally by the undersigned,
yet, no such disavowal or modification
has been made by him through the chan
nels in which his statement first found
publicity.
b queltion is thus presented,
whether it is compatible with the dignf-
ty, security and independent sovereign
W OF the United States to permit the
representative OF a foreign government
! in this country not only to receive and
answer without disapproyal, and con-
hrm by his repetition aspersions upon its
political action. but so to interfere in its
domestic affairs by advising persons,
formerly his countrymen, as TO their POI
litical course as citizens Of the United
STATES.
As between this country and Gre at
Britain there can be no controversy as to
the complete severance of the ties of
original allegiance by naturalization.
The disputes on this point were finally
put at rest by the treaty of naturaliza-
zion concluded between the two coun-
tries on the 18th of May, 1870. There
fore it will not be commended, nor was
such contention ever admitted by us,
that citizens of the United States of
British origin are subject to any claim
of the country Of their original allegi-
anee.
The Undersigned has the honor to
call attention to the provisions OF, section
$3.50 OF the Revised Statutes. of the
United States, by which severe penal
ties are visited upon the citizen of the
United States, who, without the authori-
ty or permission of this governments,
commences or carries OF any verbal or
written correspondence or intercourse
with any foreign government, or any Off
Ger or agent thereof, either with an In
tent TO influence the action of such gov.
ernmeut or Its agent In relation 10 n
disputes or controversies with the Unit.
ed States, or with intent to defeat the
measures OF the government Of the Unit
ed States. 7,
Those penalties are made equally app
plicable to every citizen of the 'Uaiued
States, not duly authorized, who ecoun-
sells, advises, or assists In any such cor.
respondence, = with similar unlawful In.
tent.
The undersigned respectfully advises
that tho attention OF the attorney gen
eral OF the United States be direct Cd to
these enactments. in order that an inves.
tigation may Dc made with q view to as
certain whether they have not been yio-
lated in the present case by the CORE.
spondent Of the British minister.
BY your direction, the attention of the
British government has, in a spirit of
comfy, been called to the conduct OF its
minister as above described, butiwithout
result. + therefore becomes necessary
RI. go. I.