, 1891-04-16
MORE CORRESPONDENCE
The Italian Government Re-
peats Its Demand
That Judicial Proceedings be
at Once Commenced.
Blaine Refuses to Consider the
Claim for Indemnity.
He Cites a Decision Made by
Webster in 1851.

WASHINGTON, April l5.-The follow
ing is the correspondence between Secre-
retarY Blaine and the Italian government
since the secretary note to the Marquis
Imperial acknowledging the notice Of
Baron FaVa's departure:
ROYAL LEGATION OF ITALY. WASH
INGToN, April 2. lS9l--To the Secretary
of State: | hasten to acknowledge the re-
ceipt OF the note in which your excellency
did me the honor to address to me on the
LIST inst, in reply to hat whereby Baron
Fava informed you of his departure on
leave. | have laid the contents of your
excellencY's aforesaid note before the gov
eminent of the king, and his excellency,
the president of the council, his majesty's
minister OF foreign affairs, has Just d.
rected me to address the following COM
munication to you:
The government of the king Of Italy
has asked nothing bevond a prompt lnsti
tuition OF judicial proceedings through
the regular channels. 1t would have been
absurd to claim the punishment of the
guilty parties without warrant of regular
judgment. The Italian government now
repeats the same demand. Not until the
federal government shall have explicitly
declared that the aforesaid proceedings
shall be promptly begun can the diplo-
matte incident be considered as closed.
Meanwhile his maiesty's government
axes note of the declaration whereby the
federal government recognizes that in-
demnity is due TO the families of the vic
tins In virtue OF a treaty in force between
the two countries
1 have, therefore. the honor to bring
the foregoing to the knowledge of your
excellencY, and | avail myself on this
occasion TO offer you, the secretary of
state, Assurances Of my highest and most
respectful consideration.
[Signed IMPERIAL.
His Excellency James G Blaine, secre-
tary of state.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE. WAsHISG-
TON, April IA, lS9l.-Hhe Marquis
Imperial, Charge D'Affaires, etc etc,
etc. SIR: | have the honor to acknowl-
edge the receipt of your note dated Thurs
day, April 2 1t contains a second tele-
gram from the MarIuis Rudini. part OF
which | here quote: The government
of the king Of Italy has asked nothing
beyond a 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 regular Judgment. The
Italian government now repeats the
anne demand. Not until the federal
government shall have explicitly declared
that the aforesaid proceedings shall be
promptly begun can the diplomatic
incident be considered as closed
This government had no desire what.
ever to change the meaning of the Mar.
quis Rudini. telegram of March "a. 1t
was delivered at the state department by
Baron Fava in person, written in his own
hand and expressed in the English Ian
Ruage. The following is the full text of
the telegram:
ROME, March u. lS9l.-To the
Italian minister, Washington: Our re-
quests to the federal government are very
simple. Some I,alian subjects have been
murdered in prison while under the i'm
mediate protection Of the authorities.
Our right. therefore. 10 demand and Oh
tan he punishment of the pturdereTS, and
an indemnity for the Uictlms IS ungues-
tiondbIe. l wish to add that public
opinion in Italy is justly impatient, and il
concrete provisions were not at once
taken should find myself in the painful
necessity of showing openly our dissatis-
faction by recalling the minister of his
majesty from the country where he is I'M
able TO obtain justice.
[SignedI "RUDINI."
The words UNDERSIGNED are precisely
those which l quoted in my former note,
and | am directed by the president to ex.
press the satisfaction Of this government
with the very material qualifications of the
demand made by the Marquis Rudini on
behalf OF the Italian government. You
quote in your note another part Of the
Marquis Rudini's telegram on April .. in
these words: Meanwhile his majesty
government takes note of the declaration
whereby the federal government recog-
nizes hat indemnity is due to the families
of the vict ms in virtue Of a treaty in force
between the two countries" If the Mar
quIs Rudini will carefully examine my
note OF April ] he will discover that | did
not recognize indemnity is due to the
families of the victims in virtue eff a traaty
IN force between the two countries
What [ did say was in answer to Baron
Fsva's assertion that the United States
government refused to take this demand
for indemnity into consideration. !
quote my reply: The United States, SC
far from refusing, has distinctly recognized
the principle of indemnity to those
Italian subjects who may have beer
wronged by a violation of the rights Sc,