St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-16
The Diplomatic Correspond
ence Between the United
States and Italy.
Daniel Webster's Policy in
the Great New Orleans
Riot of 1851.
1t Is Cited as a Precedent
Worthy Of Emulation by
Blaine.
The Treaty Does Not Insure
the Lives Of Italian
Subjects.

WASHINGTON, April 15.-The follow
ing is the correspondence between Sec
retary Blaine and the Italian govern
ment since the secretary's note to Mar
qulS Imperiali, acknowledging notice of
Baron Fava's departure:
Mr.. Secretary of State: 1 hasten to acknowl-
edge the receipt of the note which your ex
cellency did me the honor to address to me
on the 1st inst, in reply to that whereby
Baron Fava informed you of his departure
OIL leave, l have laid the contents of your
excellency's aforesaid note before the gov
ernment of the king, and his eXcellency the
president of the council, his majesty's min
lister of foreign affairs, has just direct
ed me to address the following COM
nunication to you: THE government
of the king of Italy has asked moth
ing beyond the prompt institution of judi
cial proceedings through the regular chan
nels. 1t would have been absurd to claim
the punishment of the guilty parties without
the warrant of regular judgment. The Ital-
ian government now repeats the same de-
mand. Not until the federal government
shall have explicitly declared that the afore-
said proceedings shall be promptly begun
can the diplomatic incident be considered as
closed. Meanwhile his majesty's government
takes note of the declaration whereby the
federal government recognizes that an idem
nifty is due to the families of the victims in
countries" / have therefore the honor to
bring the foregoing to the knowledge of your
excellency, and l avail myself of this occa-
sion to offer you. Mr.. Secretary of State the
assurances of my highest and most respect
ful consideration. IMPERIALI.
BIaine's Answer.
] have the honor TO acknowledge the re-
| ceipt of your note dated Thursday, April ..
| 1891. 1t contains a second telegram from the
Marquis Rudini. part of which l here
quote: 1.-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 the punishment of the
| guilty parties without the warrant Of a 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
incident be considered as closed This
| government certainly had no desire
! whatever TO change the meaning of
the Marquis Rudini's telegram of
March "A. 1t was delivered at the state de-
| partment by Baron Fava i'll person, written
in his own hand and expressed in the Eng
| lish language. The following is the full text
! of the telegram: Rome. March 24 1891
Italian Minister, Washington: Our requests
| to the federal government are very simple.
Some Italian subjects acquitted by the Amer
lean magistrates have been murdered in
| prison while under the immediate protection
| VI tue authorities. our rlSnC. therefore,. 10
| demand and obtain the punishment of the
murderers and an indemnity for the victims
| is unqueStionable. | 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 dissatisfac
| ton by recalling the minister of his majesty
from country where he is unable TO obtain
| justice. 'RUDINI'
The words underscored are precisely those
which quoted in my former note, and l am
| directed by the presidant to express the salts
faction Of this government with the
Very Material Qualification
of the demand made by the Marquis Rudini,
on behalf of the Italian government. You
quote in your note another part of the Mar
| gus RudInis telegram of April ,, III these
| words; Meanwhile his majestys govern
| ment takes note of the declaration whereby
| the federal government recognizes that an
indemnity is due to the families of the vic
| inns in virtue of the treaty in force between
| the two countries.'' If the Marquis Rudini
| will carefully examine my note of April
| l, he will discover that l did not
'recognize that an Indemnity is due
| two countries What l did say was in
answer to Baron Fava's assertion that the
United States government refused to take
| this demand for indemnity into considera-
ton. quote my reply: THE United States,
SO far from refusing, has distinctly recog-
| nized the principle of indemnify to those
Italian subjects who may have been wronged
| by violation of the rights secured to them
| under the treaty with the United States con-
| cluded Feb. 26, 1871 The Marquis Rudini
| may be assured that the United States would
| recompense every Italian subject who might
be wronged by a violation of 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
I inn
decision. He now directs that certain con-
siderations i'll the general subject be sub
mitted to the judgment of the Italian gov
| ernment. AS precedent of great value to
| the case under ascension, the president re-
| calls the conclusion maintained bv Mr. Web
| ster in 1851, when he was secretary of state
under President Fillmore. In August of that
| year mob in New Orleans demolished the
building in which the Office of
The Spanish Consul
was located, and at the same time attacks
/ wore made upon coffee houses and cigar
| shops kept by Spanish subjects American
| citizens were involved III the losses which
i'll the aggregate, were large. The supposed
| cause OF the MOB was the intelligence of the
| execution of fifty young Americans in Ha-
| vana, and the Punishment to Spanish mines
| of nearly 200 citizens of the United States.
The victims were all members of the abortiYe
| Lopez expedition. In consequence of these
| depredations of the mob upon the property
| of the Spanish consul, as well as against the
Spanish subjects, Don Calderon de la Parca,
the minister of Spain. demanded indemnifil,
cation for all the losses, both off,
cial and personal. Mr.. Webster ad-
mitted that the Spanish consul was
entitled to indemnity, and assured the Span
ish minister that if the injured consul Mr
| LaDorde, "shall return to his post, or if anv
| other consul for New Orleans shall be an
pointed by her Catholic majesty's govern
ment, the officers of this government resitient
in that city will be instructed to receive and
| treat him with courtesy and with a national
| salute to the flag of his ship, if he shah ar
rive in a Spanish vessel, as demonstration
of respect such as may signify to him and
| his government the sense entertained by the
| government of the United States of the gross
| injustice done to his predecessor by a laWless
mob. as well as the indlgnity and insult Of
tered BY 1t TO a foreign state
the most respectful and pacific intercourse +"
But when pressed by the Spanish minister to
afford indemnity to Spanish subjects injured
| by the mob in common with American citi-
| zens. Mr.. Webster declined to accede to the
| demand, and gave his reasons as follows:
| This government supposes that the rights
| of the Spanish consul a public officer resid.
| States government, are quite different from
those of the Spanish subjects, who have
come into the country to
NEingle With Our own Citizens
and here to pursue their private business and
! objects. The former may claim special in
| demnity; the latter are entitled to such pro-
While, therefore, the losses of individuals
private Spanish subjects, are greatly to be re.
gretted, yet it is understood that many Amer
lean citizens suffered equal losses from the