Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-06
THE ITALIAN IMBROGLIO,
what IL Said About the Grand Jury Report
ut the State Department.

What 10 Said About the Grand jury Report
1t the State Department.
ABOUT WHAT WAS ExPEcrRp-rr Will nHAcE
sEcsErAnr sLArxR N DUE COURSE OF rrxr
AND WILL FIGURE IN THE coRREspoxpEScE-
MINISTER roRrER's LEAVE OF ABSENCE
The report Of the New Orleans grand iury
upon the killing Of the Italians was . fruitful
theme for discussion among people at the
Department Of State today II NAV be said
that the findings Of the grand Jury excited no
surprise, for some such conclusion Of the case
was expected.
The attempt to palliate the infraction Of law
oy onsettins the alleged attempts at jury fixing
Is deprecated by the legal minds Of the depart
ment, out there is well-defned opinion that on
the whole the outcome of the case will be
beneficial in its effects upon the turhn,ert Gov.
eign elements in the United States. inasm,rh
as II Will make clear to them the fact that thew
cannot rely upon treaties to escape responsi-
acts.
WILL REACH NIB. BLAINE IN DUE TINE.
The report of the grand jury will, it is ex-
pected, reach Secretary Blaine in the course of
time and figure in the official correspondence
between the United States and italy. There is
reason to believe that in some details 1t differs
from the report made to the Department of
Justice bv District Attorney Grant. nota-
bly, In the matter of the nationality
Of the victims. The grand jury's report found
that eight Of them were naturalized American
citizens and that one had declared his inten-
ton to become naturalized. District Attorney
Grant, it is believed, found that one of the
victims was Of Italian nationality, but was an
escaped convict, and that another's nationality
was SO doubtful as to make 1t unsafe to hazard
an opinion. So, at any rate, the Italian com.
plant will be narrowed down to two persons
though the United States has no nat.
uralization treaty with Italy, the last named
nation has invariably, through comfy, recog-
nized our naturalized citizens as free from
as,menability to their native government
When the case of these two victims is consid.
ered the question will Immediately arise-were
the treaty stipulations with Italy broken?
WERE TREATY srIPULArIoSs BROKEN?
This question is likely to figure in the cor
respondence between the two governments as
soon as the Italian government is ready to fall
reasonably into the usual diplomatic method
OF treating subject respecting which
they take issue with another nation.
Unless it appears clearly that the treaty has
been violated the Italian case falls to the
ground and the leading diplomatic minds OF
the state department maintain that this fact
cannot be made to appear. The treaty
guarantees Italian citizens in this
country the same rights and privileges
ana lmmunities are ENJOYED by our own
cltlzens, and 1t il asserted that if any Italian
subjects were killed at New Orleans they had
the same measure of protection that was ac-
corded TO the American citizens who were killed
at the same time and for the same reason and
by the same persons. Moreover their families
may claim indemnity If it appears that they
are entitled to do go. The same measure OF
popular vengeance might have been indicted
upon native citizens of the United States and
altogether 1t Is not clear to the State Depart
ment officials that the victims failed in any
degree to receive the protection guaranteed by
the treaty, which, 1t may be said. does not and
cannot insure the lives of foreigners. In Sec
rotary Blaine s absence there has been no for
ward move In the correspondence.
Mr. PORTER MAY GET LEAVE OF ABSENCE.
1t is learned that Mr.. Porter. our minister at
Rome. applied to the Department of State for
leave Of absence before the New Orleans
affair happened. He has been constantly
on duty since March, lSS9-more
than two years-and it is customary for a
minister to have leave at least once in a wear.
Moreover the sickly season is approaching in
Rome, SO that it is entirely probable that his
request will be granted, as indeed would al
ready 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 he declined abso-
lutely to express any opinion in regard to it or
to discuss it in any OF its features.
Secretary Foster, when asked his opinion of
the report, said he really had not had time to
read 1t, and was therefore not in a position 70
express an opinion regarding it.