Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-04-23
VERY DIPLOMATIC.
Secretary Blaine's Reply to the
Last Note From Italy.
That Government Assured that While
Foreigners are Not Favored Nor
Their Lives Insured, We Are
Disposed to What is Right.

Blaine's reply to Premier Rudlnls last
official utterance respecting the Italian
incident. was completed and handed to
Marquis Imperiali Tuesday. Marquis
Imperialfs last note, which includes
the Rudini dispatch, and Secretary
Blaine:s reply were given to the press
last night. The correspondence is as
follows:
WASHINGTON. April 2, 1891.
Mr. SECRETARY OF STATE: hasten to ac-
knowledge the receipt of the note which
your cxcelisncy did me the honor to address
te me the 1st instant, in reply to that
whereby the Baron Fava informed you of his
departure on leave.
L have laid the contents of your excel
iency's afOres- id note before the govern
ment OF the king, and his excellency the
president of the council His majestv's
minister for foreign affairs, has just directed
me to address the following communication
to you:
"The government of the king of italy has
asked nothing beyond the prompt institu-
ton of judicial proceedings through the reg
ular channels. 1t would have been absurd to
claim the punishment of the guilty parties
without the warrant of a regular Judgment
The Italian government now repeats the
same demand. Not until the federal GOV
eminent shall have explicitly declared that
the aforesaid proceedings shall be promptly
begun, can the diplomatic incident be con-
sidered : closed.
Meanwhile his Inajesty's government takes
note of the declaration Big which the federal
government recognizes that indemnity is
due to the families of the victims in virtue
OF the treaty in force between the two coun-
tries"
have therefore the honor to bring the
foregoing to the knowledge of your excellen-
cy, and l avail myself of this occasion to
offer you. Sir. Secretary of State, the assur-
ances of my highest and most respectful
consideration.
tsigneGI INPEEIALL.
WASHINGTON, April ii, 1891.
The Marquis Imperiaii, Charge n 1fdlreS:
SIR have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your note dated Thursday. April
Z, 1871 1t contains a second telegram from
the Marquis Rudini. part of which l 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 thc punishment of the
guilty parties without the warrant of n regu-
lar Judgment. The Italian government now
repeats the same demand. Not until the
federal government shall have explicitly de-
clared that the aforesaid proceedings shall
be promptly begun can the diplomatic Incl
dent be considered as closed"
This government certainly had no desire
whatever to change the meaning of the Mar
quis Rudini's telegram OF March "a. 1t was
delivered at the state department by Baron
Fava i'll person. written in his own hand and
expressed in the English language. The fol-
lowing is the full text of his telegram:
ROME, March "a. 1891.
ITALIAN MINISTER, WAsHISGTON: Our re-
quests to the federal government are very
Simple Some Italian Subjects acquitted by
the American magistrates. have been muir
dered in prison while under the immediate
protection of the authorities. O1u right
therefore 10 demand and obtain the punishment of
the m"rdererS and indemnity for the rictiR,s is
afHquCStiOHa5te l wish to add that the public
opinion in Italy is justly impatient, and if
concrete provisions were not at once taken,
should find myself in the painful necessity
of showing openly our dissatisfaction by
calling the minister of his majesty from
country where he is unable to obtain Justice
ISigned.J RUDINI."
The words underscored are precisely
those which quoted in my former note,
and am directed by the president to
press the satisfaction of this government
with the very material qualification of the
demand made by the Marquis Rudini on be-
half OF the Italian government.
You quote in your note another part of the
Marquis Rudinfs telegram of April 2, in
these words: Meanwhile his Elajesty's gov
eminent takes note of the declaration where
by the federal government recognizes that
an indemnity is due to the families of the
victims in virtue of the treaty in force be-
tween 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 did say was in answer to Baron
Fava's assertion that the United states gov
eminent refused to take this demand for in
demnity into consideration. Iquote my re-
ply: "The United States so far from refusing,
has distinctly recognized the principle of in
demnity to those Italian subjects who may
have been wronged by violation of the
rights secured to them under the treaty with
the United states concluded February 20,
ISL"
The Marquis Rudini may be assured that
the United states would recompense every
italian subject who might be wronged by a
violation of a treaty to which the faith of the
United States is pledged. But this assurance
leaves unsettled the important question
whether the treaty has been violated. Upon
this point the president, with sufficient facts
placed before him, has taken full time for
decision. He now directs that certain con-
SideratiOns on the general SUI ject be sub
mittcd to the Judgment of the Italian gov
eminent As a precedent of great value to
the case under discussion. the president re
calls the conclusion maintained by Mr..
Webster in 1851, when he was secretary of
state under President Fillmore. In August
of that year a mob in New Orleans demol-
iShed the building in which the office of the
Spanish consul was located and at the same
time attacks were made upon coffee houses
anu cigar shops Kept DN spanish SUBJECTS.
American citizens were i'll yolvei in the
losses, which, in the aggregate, were large.
The supposed cause OF the mob was the in
teiiigence of the execution of fifty young
Americans in Havana, and the Punishment
to Spanish mines of nearly 2)0 citizens of
the United states The victims were all
members of the abortve Lopez expedition.
IL consequence of these depredations of
the mob against the property of the spanish
consul, well as against the Spanish sub
jects. Don Calderon de Ia Barca, the minis
ter of Spain, demanded decentralization for
all the losses both official and personal.
Mr.. Webster admitted that the spanish
consul entitled to indemnity, and as
sured the spanish minister that if the in
Iured consul, Mr.. Laborde, ''Shall return to
his post. or any other consul for New Orleans
shall be appointed by her catholic majesty's
government the officers of this government
resident in that city will be instructed to re-
ceive and treat him with courtesy and with
national salute to the flag of his ship, if he
shall arrive in a Spanish vessel, demon
stration of respect, such as may signify to
him, and to his government, the sense enter
tanned by the government of the United
States of the gross injustice done to his pre-
decessor by a lawless mob as well as the in
dignity and insult offered by it to q foreign
state with which the United States are, and
wish ever to remain, terms of the most
respectful and pacific intercourse"
But when pressed by the Spanish minister
to afford indemnity to Spanish subjects in
jured by the mob in common with American
citizens, Mr.. Webster declined to accede to
the demand, and gave his reasons as follows:
''The government supposes that the rights
OF the Spanish consul, public officer resfd-
ing here under the protection of the United
States government, are quite different from
,.NesI S-,e.r ,i=l,s ia