Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-16
CABINET GossrPs
THE HAYTIEN REPUBLIC.
Official Correspondence in Regard to
the Seizure.

The President to-day sent to Congress cor
respondence in regard to the seizure of the
Hayden Republic at Port-au-Prince. In q
communication to Minister Preston, under date
of November %, 1888, Secretary Bayard gives a
full statement Of the case Of the Haytien Re-
public, as received by the United States. The
Secretary says:
SECRETARY BAYARD TO MINISTER PRESTON.
upon examination OF the record and pro-
ceedings in the case, the department is led to
the conclusion that the seizure and detention
of the vessel and the imprisonment of her Of
hcers have, from the beginning, been irregular
and wrongful; that she should without delay be
restored to her American owners and her officers
released from all detention; and that ade-
quate compensation should be made to them
and to the owners of the vessel for the loss and
injuries they have suffered by reason of the
proceedings in question. 1t is unnecessary to
discuss the charge of attempting to run a
blockade, upon which allegation it is under
stood that the seizure of the vessel was origin
ally made. Whether any valid blockade did or
did not exist, it is clear that the Haytien Re-
public had and could have had no notice of it !"
SNAP JUDGMENT.
The secretary calls attention to the fact that
the blockade decree of the provisional govern
ment Of Legitime was not resolved upon until
October Is, was not communicated to the min
listers OF foreign governments until the follow
ing day, and was not officially published until
the 18th. The means of communication, the
secretary says, between the Haytien ports ex-
clude the supposition that news of the pro-
posed blockade could have reached Miragoane
by October II, Aux Coyes by October IS, or
Jacmel by the 18th, the dates on which the
Haytien Republic left the Oprts named.
THE AMERICAN VESSEL NOT BLOCKADE RUNNER.
The facts that the Haytien Republic could
easily have eluded the Haytien war vessel, the
Dessalines, at st. Marc, had her master any
knowledge Of wrong doing on his part, is
touched upon, and the treaty between the
United States and Hayti is quoted to show, in
the language of the Secretary that lit is mani
Haytien Republic rest upon "a charge of at
tempting to run blockade, they were in clear
violation of the express terms of the treaty
and wholly improper and inadmissible."
THE LEGALITY OF THE TRIBUNAL
which examined the charges against the Hay
ten Republic is next denied. A prize court
the secretary says, is not a court of criminal
jurisdiction and, therefore, it was wholly out
side its competence to try an alleged violation
of Haytien municipal law. 1T can not be
admitted" he continues, '.that the
DEGREES Of an extraordinary commission, which
assumes to act in disregard of treaties and the
law Of nations, must stand unquestioned as a
subject for judicial review; or that the persons
who have been derived of their property or of
their personal freedom by such DEGREES are
bound to seek judicial relief"
THE PLACE OF SEIZURE,
the Secretary says, is believed from the best
information obtainable by the department to
have been six miles from land, but other irreg-
ularities have rendered it superfuous to revert
to this fact. The Secretary adds that it is IN
necessary to comment on this further than tn
say that if the capture made outside of
Haytian waters the inadmissibility of the trial
must be obvious.
THE CONFUSION IN HAYTI
After referring to the confusion which has
prevailed over the government of Hayti. Sec
Rotary Bayard says: I'm the midst of such
bloody contentious and the various fractional
attempts to obtain power, it is unjust and I'M
reasonable that merchant vessels of the
United States should be made the vic
tins of such lawless proceed nys."