The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-07
THE MORNING NEWS.
EsTABLIsHED 1850. ISCosPoRArED 1883. !
J. H. ESTILL. President,
KILLING OF THE ITALIANS
STATE DEPARTMENT OPINIONS ON
TIE JURY's RsPORT.

teed by the Treaty Two of the Inter
esting Points speculatsd Upon.
WASHINGTON, May 6.-The report of the
New Orleans grand jury upon the killing of
the Italians was fruitful theme for discus
sion among people ct the department of
state to-day. 1t may be said that the find
iugs 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 offsatting the alleged
attempts at jury fixing is deprecated by the
legal minds of the department, but there is
a well-defined opinion that on the whole the
outcome of the case will be beneficial
in its effects upon the turbulent foreign
elements in the United States, inasmuch as
it will make clear to them the fact that
they cannot rely upon treaties to escape
responsibility to the great republic for their
uula wful acts.
NATIONALITY OF THE VICTIMS.
The report of the grand jury will, IL is ex.
pected, reach Secretary Blaine in due
course of time and figure in the official cor.
respondence between the United States and
Italy. There is reason to believe that
in some 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
that eight OF them were naturalized Ameri-
can citizens, and that one had declared his
intention 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 it unsafe to hazard an opinion. So, at
any rate, the Italian complaint Will be mar
Towed down to at least two persons, one an
escaped convict, for although the United
States has no natural ization treaty with
italy, the last named nation has invariably,
through comfy, recognized our naturalized
citizens as free from emenabihty to their
native government.
THE TREATY sTIPuLATIoNs.
When the case of these two victims is
considered the question will Immediately
arise, were the treaty stipulations with
Italy brokenl This question is likely to fig-
ure in the correspondence between the two
governments as soon as the Italian
government is ready to fall reasonably
into the usual diplomatic method OF
treating the subject, respecting which they
take issue with another nation. Unless it
appears clearly that the treaty has been
violated the italian case falls to tse 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 aud immuuities as are
enjoyed by our own citizens, aud it is as
serted that If any Italian subjects were
killed at New Orleans they had the same
measure OF protection that was accorded TO
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 so.
THE GUARANTEE NOT VIOLATED.
The same measure of popular vengeance
might have been inflicted upon native citi-
zeus OF the United States. and altogether it
is not clear to the state department officials
that the victims failed in any degree to re-
ceived the protection guaranteed by the
treaty, which, it may be said, does not and
cannot insure the lives of foreigners. In
Secretary Blaine's absence there has been
no forward move in the correspondence.
1t is learned that Mr.. Porter, our minister
70 Rome, applied to the department of state
for leave Of absence before the New Orleans
affair happe ed. He has been constantly
on duty since March, 1889, more thaa two
years, and it is customary for minister to
have leave at least once year. Moreover
the slckly season is approaching in Rome,
so that it is entirely probable that his re-
quest will be granted as indeed would have
already been the case had not the trouble
reached such an active phase
CONSUL CoRTE EXCITED.
NEW ORLEANS, LA, May 6.--Pasquale
Corte, ltalial consul in this city, being in
terviewed by reporter, said that he was
not satisfied Mt all with the conclusions ar
rived at by the grand jury, AID he became
n
taken pains to bring before these gentle-
men, said Consul Corte, "all the documents,
papers and information in my possession
relative to the men implicated In the Hen
messy murder. now find that the grand
Jury has not used any Of my information as
had given it to them, and that much of
what | did say was only partly made use
OF. The oath of secrecy as to what trans
pired in the grand jury room precludes me
from saying anything moro on that subject
Will send a copy Of the report and an
account of my actions to the home govern
ment very shortly"
AN ENGLISH COMMENT.
LONDON May 6.-The st. James Gazette
commenting on the findings of the New Or
leans leans grand jury in the lynching case, says:
1he grand jury has done just what might
nave been expected, and its flndings possess
polenical interest, which, it may be feared,
N' 4uIo ul Duulu1 Will nOG Lully hppTe-
clate. II Secretary Blaine sticks to his
guns, and insists that the constitutional
authority has pronounced on the issue, that
tne constitution provides no machinery for
t1e governments gong behind the decision
OF OF the New Orleans jury, his position will
oe SILL more unsatisfactory to Italy than it
was at the beginning"
PRESS COMMENTS.
WASHINGTON, May cor the southern
newspapers so far heard from by telegraph
which comment upon the report of the New
orleans grand jury, the Charleston NeUS and
courier, Augusta Chronicle and the Mobile
ifeglSteT condemn the action of the grand
Jury without qualification or reservation.
me Columbus Cas- Enquirer-Sun, the
Norfolk Landmark Roanoke Times and
the Knoxville Tribune just as emphatically
approve it, while between these two ex-
tremes are to be found all gradations
OF praise and blame. One paper,
the Chattanooga Times, treats
tne matter in this fashion:
The New Orleans grand jury should per-
maps have reported that the MAtiaus who
went dead in the parish prison March IA
dled Of heart failure That would have
iet usout and put the burden of proof on
the amusing Rudini."