The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-07
JUST WHAT WAS EXPECTED
The Report of the New Orleans
Grand Jury Not at All
Surprising:
Will Serve to Narrow tho Limits
of Future Diplomatic Cor
respondence.
Can Violation of Treaty Provisions 30
Proved? Department Onicials Hold
CONTRARY Opinion.

WAsHlNGToN, May 6. The report of tho
New Orleans grand jury upon the killing of
the Italians WIS a fruitful theme for dis
cussion among people at the department of
state to-day. 1t may be said that the find
Ing Of the grand jury excited no surprise,
for some such conclusion of the case WAS
expected. The attempt to palliate the in
fraction of the law by otfsetting with alleged
attempts at jury tixing is deprecated by tho
legal department., but there is wel defined
opinion that on the whole the outcome OF
the case will be beneficial in its effects upon
the turbulent foreign elements of the
United States inasmuch as it will make
clear to them the fact that they cannot rely
upon treaties to esca, G the responsibility to
the great republic for their unlawful acts
The report of the grand jury will.
it is expected, reach Secretary Blaine in the
course of time and make quite figure in
the correspondence between the United
States and Italy. There is reason to be-
lleve that in some of the details it differs
from the report made to the department OF
justice by District Attorney Grant, and
notably in the matter of the nationality OF
the victims. The grand jury's report found
eight Of them naturalized American citi-
zens and that one had declared his inten-
tlons to become naturalized. District At
torney Grant, it is believed, found one of
the victims of Italian nationality, but he
was an escaped convict and that another's
nationality was SO doubtful as to make it
unsafe to hazard an opinion. SO at any
rate the Italian complaint will be narrowed
down to at least two persons Al
though the United states has no
naturalization treaty with Italy, the
last named nation invariably, through
comfy. recognizes our naturalized
citizens as free from amenability to their
native government. When the case of
these two victims is considered, the ques-
tlon will immediately arise, were the
treaty stipulations with Italy broken?
This question is likely to figure in the cor
responuence between the two governments,
as soon as the Italian government is ready
ofali reasonably into the usual diplomatic
method of treating subject respecting
which they took issue with another nation.
Unless it appears clearly that the treaty has
been violated, the Italian case falls to the
ground, and leading diplomatic minds of
the hta'a iapart~aart s-sHirtsis that the
fact cannot he made to appear. In Secre-
taty Blaine's absence there has been no
forward move in the correspondence. 1t is
learned that Porter American minister at
a'ohio' oppiieu W uho oSP'ti uiheuV VI ht1te
for leave of absence before the New Or
leans affair happened. He has been con-
stantlv on duty since March, 1882 more
than two years. Moreover, the sickly sea
son is app oaching in Rome. so it is en-
tirely probable that his request will lie
granted, as, indeed would already have
been the case had not the trouble reached
such an acute phase.
Attorney General Miller said he had read
the report of the grand jury but declined
absolutely to express any opinion regarding
it or to discuss any of its features. Secre-
tary Foster, when asked his opinion on the
report, said he really had not had time to
read it and. thet efore, was not in position
to expr ess an opinion on it.