Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-06
Correspondence Growing Out of the ffail
Transmitte ed to the House

! litll W uhy l4uusIHllltU 10 Inc
| correspondence growing out of the killing
Of General Barrnndia BY Guatemalan off,
| GERS on board the Pacific II all steamer Acs-
! puicO in the port of San jose. Secretary
Blaine, in the letter laying the correspond
| ence before the President says il will be
observed the last report of Minister Miner
contains matter essential to full and accu-
rate understanding of the case and was
dated September 2Sd and not received at
| the department until October 9Th, several
| days after the adjournment of Congress.
! The correspondence consists of ten in
| closures. The fret is telegram from
! Minister Miner to Blaine dated August
18th. The last letter from Blaine TO Miz-
ner was dated November 18Th, announcing
that he can see no justification of Miners
| course; that this Government Gisavows
| his action, and directing him to turn over
| the affairs Of the legation TO Kimberly in
charge and return to the United States
In MIzner's first letter to Secretary Blaine,
| dated august 29Lh, with regard TO the kill
! ing Of Earundia, he quotes the communi-
cation to Captain Pitts, dated the 9th,
| stating that Guatemala, like any other ma.
| ton, has the right to arrest person on
neutral ship in its own waters in time OF
wsr for any cause deemed an offsnse under
the international lsw.
In later telegram TO Captain Pitts Miz.
ner says: IF your ship is within one
league of the territory of Guatemala, and
you have on board Barruudia, il becomes
your duty under the law of nations to de-
liver him 10 the authorities of Guatemala
upon their demands, allegations having
beea made TO this Legation that BerrUndia
Is hostile to and an enemy Of this Repub-
lie. Guarantees have been made to me BY
this Government that his life shall not be
in any danger of any other punishment in
| tl,cted upon him other than for the CAUSES
charged
The allusion to Barrundia's personal
safety, MiZner says, were at his request
promised the night before by the President
subsequently he received telegram from
| Commander Reiter of the navy acknowl-
! edging Guatamala's right over the steamer,
and requesting the Minister to obtain from
| the Government the return of BarrunGia to
Mexico in the Thetis. The Minister of
Foreign Relations positively declined to
! accsGe 10 this request.
| All the circumstances, and Barrundia's
! well. known hostility to the republic and
| his attempted invasion from Mexico. Miz-
| ner says, decided his course, and he accord
| ingly, in response to the request for writ
ten and not telegrapbic orders, sen. Captain
Pitts letter advising the Captain to sub
nit to the arrest of his passenger. The
! iOllOS AL-~ udy INtltST ISlS-
| graphed Barruudia's death while resisting
arrest.
Under date of September sd. in letter
to Blaine, Miner iustifes his course, and
says that on the 18Th he called on the Min
lister of Foreign Relations for an explaua-
ton Of the affair. In the interview the
Minister stated with emphasis that his
| Government had given positive orders to
take Barrnndia from the Acapulco. even to
sinking the ship, notwithstanding it might
have involved q conflict with cur two war
vessels. This, he said, would have been in
the exercise of the undOubei right of his
Govern Cert over its own waters, in which
ne was confident the laws of nations would
have sustained it. Miner saws he had
| never heard of these orders before
He then gives the decision of Secretary
Bsyard in the Gomez Mexican case. and
concludes: Il confidently add that nothing
will tend so much to the establishment of
permanent peace in these republics as the
plain declaration that our feet Of steamers
| cannot be used in local waters as an asylum
for revolutionists."
The correspondence closes with letter
from Blaine to Mizner, dated Novem ber
| 18Th, in which he reviews the case at
| length, and says: The more the question
is examined in the light of the important
facts, tardily disclosed, the deeper becomes
| the regret that you so far exceeded your
legitimate authority as to sign a paper
which, in the hands of officers of Guate-
mala, became their warrant for the capture
of Barrundia. In the case of Gomez, which
you offer as an excuse for your conduct, |
fail to find any support of your action. /
am aware that it may be said that after all
you merely advised the Captain of
his duty. But the Captain did not
| simply seek advice. In his telegram
from Champerico he says that On
his arrival at San Jose, he will place him.
self under orders of the American Min
lister. He again telegraphed to you later
from Chsmperico that he was awaiting
your instructions, and at San Jose he ex.
pected your written orders.
In his last telegram TO you, dispatched
from San Jose on arriving at that port on
| the evening of August 9th, he categorically
| inquiries: Shall l deliver General Bar
rundia to the authorities? If so, please send
me letter with your signature to that
effect
There is not here the slightest sugges.
ton that Captain Pitts proposed to act
| otherwise than on your order and your re-
| sponsibility. 1t was under these circum
| stances that you wrote the letter which be-
came in the hands of the Guatemalans a
pretext for the attempted seizure of Bar
rundia."
The Secretary says that through Miz.
ners action 1.-The naval force of the United
States in those waters thus became an ac-
quiescent spectator of events, although a
merchant vessel of the United States was
| then lying under the muzzle of guns
manned by men who, as you state, you
had every reason to believe were prepared
to resort to any act of violence, even, as
Senior Anguino has since declared to you,
to sinking the ship, notwithstanding il
might have involved a conflict with our
two war vessels then and there present.
81 am not disposed" continues Blaine.
Ito pay undue regard to these post facto
threats which now are reported to the De-
partment. prefer to think that by the
extrayagant language, uncontrolled by ac.
tual presence of the problem which he
was permitted to solve so much to his
satisfaction, Senior Auguirre has done
| injustice to his own sense of humanity To
have sunk the Acapulco with her freight of
innocent lives in the execution of purpose
for the accomplishment of which nsthine
but unlawful and invalid excuses have 50
far been advanced, would have been an &C;
of savage warfare, and ! am Instructed by
the President 10 say that he earnestly
| trusts the time will never come when the
course of events in Guatemala, or the de.
clared purpose of her rulers, will constrain
this Government TO insure the safety of its
merchant vessels entering the waters OF
Guatemala by stationing naval vessels
along the coast and opposite the ports OF
that country"
Secretary Blaine sinforms Miner that if,
instead of accepting the lawless and
turbulent condition OF affairs as the
ground OF his advice and consent to sur.
render Barrundia, he had made it the basis
| of suggestion to Commander Reiter to
offer him hospitality on board, within or
without the waters of Guatemala, and
with Or without the consent of the Gov