The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-28

~~t-.%AA = @tAiNOiotC. q llbSt Unusual PtDNttA-
ing in departmental etiquette. 1t was said
at the embassy that Sir Julian Pauncefote.
the British ambassador, had not received
confirmation from the Foreign Office of
the British occupation of Corinto up to
the close of the embassy at 8 o'clock.
The embassy did not expect direct in
formation from London. as 1t is said the
Foreign Office has no occasion to commune
cate with the British representative at
Washington,
There can be no doubt that the action OF
the Nicaraguans in declaring Corinto a
closed port has seriously complicated this
most troublesome question, and even II there
is no resort 10 hostlities at present. it
opens prospect for alarming events in the
future, which may. and. in fact are even
regarded as likely to involve the United
States directly in the affair. in spite of the
earnest disposition of the administration to
avoid the ENHANCEMENT. The action means
that no goods can now be entered at Cor
into, a port which has, heretofore received
over half of the imports into the country,
without violating the national law OF Mica
ragua. The British may collect duties il
any goods enter the place, but the latter
would be liable to seizure the moment they
crossed the British lines into the interics:
They must do this to find market, for the
coast, being unhealthy, is thinly populated
and the great consuming class of the popu-
lation lives in the interior.
The first effect of the decree closing the
port. therefore, probably will be to divert
nearly all, il not the entire import trade of
the place to San Juan del Sur. or perhaps,
Realajo, seaport near by, for it Is i'm
probable that many merchants will take the
chances of getting their goods into Nicara-
qua through the British lines under the cir
cumstances. In this case the length of the
stay of the British at Corinto is problem
atical. conditional, it is. collecting
enough revenue from customs to make good
the indemnity demanded. But another con-
sideration arises at this point, for our gov
ernment has been assured that the occupa-
ton will not be permanent, and, indeed
the first paragraph of the Clayton-Bulwer
treaty expressly pledges Great Britain
against any occupation of Nicaraguan ter
ritory. So the problem will arise how to
collect the indemnity within a reasonable
time. This may be settled sum-
marily by simply extending the oc-
cupation and blockade beyond Cor
into, SO as to include all of the Pa
cific ports of Nicaragua. From the dispo-
sition shown blythe Nicaraguans at present
this can be done only by force, and is likely
to add very largely to the expense incurred
in the collection of the indemnity, which
items will surely be added by the British
to the original sum. This course, moreover
would seriously embarrass the commerce of
the United States and this point Great
Britain has given Secretary Gresham cer-
tain assurances.
BRITAIN MAY DECLARE WAR.
Another manner in which the British may
be able to secure their ends is by
prompt declaration of war, and an invasion
of Nicaragua, involving the capture OF the
capital, Managua, and the imposition on
the Nicaraguans of the British terms as
the price of peace. 1t may be that the Brit
ish government will be driven to the latter
course in the interests of trade, our own
as well as that of her own merchants,
which she is bound to safeguard If goods
entered at Corinto, after payment of duty
to the British occupants should be seized
in the interior, the owners, British or
American would have very good claim
for reparation. The only question is as to
whose duty 1t would be to secure this
whether the United States would feel
bound to intervene in the case of an Amer
lean merchant in such cases-and therein
lies one of the factors which may involve
our country directly in the dispute. IT has
been asserted as a hard and fast rule of
international law that duties cannot be
twice collected, and our own government
has taken an advanced position on this
question. At one time, when the diplomatic
relations between Great Britain and Mexico
were interrupted, and a revolutionary move
ment was in progress in the latter country,
British ship entered one of the revo-
lutionary ports of Mexico and paid duties
on her goods to The insurgents. Afterward
the Mexican government again assessed du-
ties on the same goods, holding that the in
surgents had no authority to make the first
collection and refusing to recognize 1t. The
British minister at Washington, Sir Edward
Thornton, appealed to our government,
Great Britain having no representative in
Mexico, to secure the release of the goods
from this imposition. We acted very
promptly and obliged Mexico to release the
goods ard to acknowledge the principle
that duties cannot be levied twice This
case differs in many important features
from that presented by the closure of
Corinto and it is difficult to ascertain the
application of international law in this
last case, though the general broad prin-
ciple would seem to be similar.
DIR. Guzman communicated officially to
Secretary Gresham this afternoon the news
he had received by Gale from Managua of
the landing of the British at Corinto and
the abandonment of the town by the Mica
raguans