The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-26

United States which had similar griev
ances against Mexico, was invited to join
these European nations in enforcing their
demands. This invitation was declined by
the United States, which was then in the
throes of civil war, but the significant
point in the case is found in the declaration
by Secretary Seward: "As the undersigned
has heretofore had the honor to
inform each of the plenipotentiaries
now addressed, the President does not feel
himself at liberty to question, and he does
not question, that the sovereigns repre-
scented have undoubtedly the right to de-
eide for themselves the fact that they have
sustained grievances and to resort to war
against Mexico for the redress thereof and
also have a right to levy the war severally
or jointly The United States has a deep
interest, which, however, they are happy
to believe, is an interest held by them in
common with high contracting powers and
with all other civilized States, that neither
of the sogereigns by whom the convention
has been concluded shall seek or obtain
any acquisition of territory or any advan-
tace peculiar to itself and not equally left
open to the United States and every other
civilized State within the territories of
Mexico, especially that neither one nor all
of the contracting parties shall, as a result
or consequence of the bostilities to be in
augurated under the convention, exercise
in the subsequent affairs of Mexico infu-
ence calculated to impair the right of the
Mexican people to choose and freely to
institute the form of its own government"
1t appears that those stipulations were
acknowledged by the contracting parties
to the satisfaction of President Lincoln,
although it was found necessary after the
close of our own war to take steps to ex-
pei Macmillan from Mexico The third
precedent was found in the case of the war
between Spain and Chile in 1866 when,
on being appealed to on behalf of Chile, in
the name of the Monroe doctrine, to pre-
vent the bombardment of Valparaiso, Sec
rotary Seward wrote to United States Min
lister Patrick as follows: 1.-The Govern
ment of the United States will maintain
and insist with all the decision and energy
which are compatible with our existing
neutrality, that the republic which is &C
cepted by any one of those (South Ameri-
CAM States shall not be wantonly assailed,
end of a lawful war by European powers.
But beyond this point the United States
Government will not go, nor will it con-
slider itself hereby bound to take part in
wars in which a South American republic
may enter with a European sovereign,
when the object of the latter is not the
establishment in the place of the subverted
republic, a monarchy under a European
prince"
Upon these precedents rests the decision
of the administration to refrain from inter-
ference between Great Britain and Near
aqua at this stage of the proceedings. In
behalf of Nicaragua, though without sue
cess, it would appear that it has been urged
that the occupation of Corinto by the
British troops would be a direct violation
of the Clayton-BuIwer treaty between the
United States and Great Britain. A pro-
vision of that treaty prohibits British occu-
patton of Central American territory.
Article covenants that the United States
and Great Britain agree that neither will
ever erect or maintain any Notifications
commanding the Nicaragua canal or in the
vicinity thereof or occupy, or fortify, or
colonize, or assume, or exercise any domin-
ion over Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Mos
quito Coast or any part of Central Amer
lea.
1t is pointed out that this is even more
binding than the Monroe doctrine, as the
latter is principle asserted by the United
States whife the treaty is an agreement to
which Great Britain is a party. There
have been individual statements on both
sides of the water that the Clayton-Bulwer
treaty was abrogated, yet the Governments
have never formally abrogated it. a reso-
luton was introduced in the last Senate
to abrogate it, indicating that those who
opposed it considered it still in force. The
terms, it is held, appear to be very definite
against Great Britain's occupying or exer-
cising any dominion over Nicaragua.