The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-04-29
EBLAINE ANSWERS RVDINL.
The Secretary Of States Reply
L to the Italian Government.
The Rights of Foreign Residents
Fully Set Forth.

arising out of the lynching at New Orleans
has been made public by the State Depart
ment at>W ashington. 1t consists OF Premier
Rudini's reply to Secretary Biaines hrst let
ter, and of Secretary Blaine'S reply to ltaly's
second demand.
The Secretarys reply which was the sub
iect of the confe renee between the fresl-
dent the Secre tary OF State and Assistant
Secretary Moore was furnished the Marquis
Imperali, in charge of the Italian Legation,
who Immediately sent it by cable to kome.
The salient points of Secretary Blaine!s
letter, in which he quotes the MARQUIS
Imper ialfs last note OF April "a, are as hoi-
lows: ,oo,
WASHINGTON, D. c.. April IA, 1891.
The Marquis Imperiali, Charge dAfatfs.
SIR-I have the honor to acknowledge tbs
receipt Of your note dated Thursday, Apl
Q, 1891. 1t contains second telegram from
the Marquis Rudini, part OF which here
quote: THE Government OF the King OF
Italy has asked nothing beyond the
prompt institution Of Judicial proceedings
through the regular channels. 1t would
have been absurd to claim the punishment
of the guilty parties without the warrant Of
a regular Judgment. The Italian Govern
1nent now repeats the same demand. Not
until the Federal Government shall have ex-
plicitly. declared that the aforesaid proceed
sngs shall be promptly begun can the diplo-
matte incident be considered as closed
This Government certainly had no desire
whatever to change the meaning Of the Mar
uuis Ru6inps telegram of March "a. It was
delivered at the State Department by Baron
Eava in person, written in his own hand, and
expressed in the English language The fol-
lowing is the full text of the telegram,
t'RSME, March "a, 1S9l.-Italian MINISTER,
Washington, d. Co., Our requests to the
m 40 CIV
italian subjects acquitted by the American
Magistrates have been murdered in prison
while under the immediate protection of the
authorities. Our right, therefore, to de-
mdnd and obtain the punishment of the
murderers and an indemnity for the sic-
tinS is unquestionable. l wish to add
that the public opinion in Italy is justly
impatient, and if concrete provisions were
not at once taken, 1. should find myself
openly our dissatisfaction by recalling the
Minister of His Majesty from a country
where he is unable to obtain justice.
"'tRUDINI."
!. The words underscored are precisely those
which quoted in my former note, and am
directed by the President to express the sat
isfaction of this Government with the very
material qualification Of the demand made
by the Marquis Rudini on behalf Of the Ital.
You quote in your nots another part of
the Marquis Rudinrs telegram of April 2,
In these words:
Meanwhile His Majesty's Government
takes note of the declaration whereby the
Federal Government recognizes that an In
demnity is due to the families OF the victims
In virtue of the treaty in force between the
two countries"
, If the Marquis Rudini will carefully ex-
anime my note of April l, he will discover
that did not recognize that an indemnity
Is due to the families Of the victims in virtue
of the treaty in force between the two coun-
tries"
+ WHAT I did say was in answer to Baron
Faya's assertion that the United States Gov
ernment refused to take this demand for in
demnity into consideration. quote my re-
ply: 1.-The United States. so far from re-
fusing, has distinctly recognized the princi-
pie of indemnity to those italian subjects
s0hs may haze been ,cronged by q rioIotion
Of the rights secured to them undsr the
treaty vith the United States concluded
Febru1,1r 26, 1871"
The Marquis Rudini may be assured than
the United States would recompense every
italian subject VINO might ''be wronged by
violation of treaty" to which the faith
of the United States is pledged. But this
assurance leaves unsettled the important
lated.
/ Upon this point the President. with sufi-
cient facts placed before him. has taken full
time for decision. He now directs that GER
tain considerations on the general subject be
submitted to the Judgment Of the Italian
Government AS precedent of great value
to the case under discussion the President re-
calls the conclusion maintained by Mr.. Web
ster in 1851, when he was Secretary of State
under President Fillmore.
: In August of that year mob in New Or
leans demolished the building in which the
Office of the Spanish Consul was located and
st the same time attacks were made upon
coffee houses and cigar shops KEEP. by Span
ish subjects. American citizens were in
wolved in the losses. which in the aggregate
were large. The supposed cause of the
mob was the intelligence OF the execution OF
fifty young Americans in Havana and the
banishment to Spanish mines OF nearly two
hundred citizens of the United States. The
victims were all members Of the abortive
Lopez expedition.
Provision is made in the Revised Civi
Code Of Louisiana ARTICLES 1914, 2316 and
1924 for redress Of such grievances as the
widows and children of the victims of the
mob may plead.
The Government Of the United States
would feel justified in resting on the argu.
ment and conclusion Of Mr. Webster if the
mob Of March II, 1891, did not in some Of its
characteristics differ from the mob Of 1851
But it is due to entire candor, due to this
Government and due to the Government OF
italy to point out certain differences ot
which the Government Of the United States
is honoraoly bound to take notice.
Aspromptly as possible after the lament
able occurrence at New Orleans, the Presi.
dent directed the Attorney General to cause
$hrNt ,rrI III u s.,n
made into all the facts connected Herewith
and solicited his opinion whether any Grim.
inal proceedings would lie under the Fed
eral laws in the Federal courts against per-
sons charged with the killing of Italian sub.
jects. He mas not yet received the official
report. If it be found that prosecution
can be- maintained under the statutes of the
United States, the case will be presented to
the next grand jury, according to the usual
methods Of criminal administration. But if
1t shall be found, as seems probable that
criminal proceedings can only be taken in
the courts of Louisiana, the President can in
this direction do no more than to urge upon
the State officers the duty of promptly
bringing the offenders to trial This was
done IN his telegram to the Governor of
Louisiana as early as the 18th Of March.
The United States did not by the treaty
with Italy become the insurer Of the lives or
property Of Italian subjects resident within
our territory.
The foreign resident must be content in
such cases to share the same redress that is
offered by the law to the citizen. Foreign
residents are not made favored class
1t is not believed that Italy would desire
more stringent construction of her duty un-
der the treaty. Where the injury inflicted
upon foreign resident is not the act of the
Government, or of its officers, but of an in.
dividual or Of mob, it is believed that no
claim for indemnity can justly be made
unless it shall be made TO anncar that the