The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-29
WEBSTER AND CUBA.
Utterances That Have Application to
the Present Situation,
The Great Statemans Answer to Austria
in 1850.
Washington Star. }

Ane Great Stateman'S answer to Austria
in 1850.
Washington Star.
The letter from Daniel Webster to Mr..
Hulsemann, charge d'affairs of Austria,
referred to in a recent issue of The Star.
is interesting enough as bearing on the
attitude of the government of the United
States, in regard to the Cuban revolution.
to excuse the reproduction of it's princi :.
pal features.
The lotter is under the State Depart
ment letter head of date December q,
1850. In the opening of the letter Mr..
Webster says:
Ihe objects of Mr.. Hulsemann's note
are, trst, to protest, by order of his gov
eminent, against the steps taken by the
late resident of tho United States to as
certain the progress and probable result
OF the revolutionary movements in Hun
gary; and, secondly to complain of some
expressions in the instructions of the
late Secreatry of State to MIR. A. Dudley
Mann, confidential agent of the United
States, as communicated by President
March last.
"The principal ground of protest is
founded on the idea, or in the allegation,
that the government of the United States,
by the mission Of Mr.. Mann and his in
structions, has interfered in the domestic
affairs of Austria in manner unjust or
dislespeotful toward the power. The
Presidents message was communica-
tion made by him to the Senate trans
uniting correspondence between the ex-
ecutive government and confidential
agent of it's own. This would seem to
be itself a domestic transaction, a mere
Incidence of intercourse between the
President and the Senate, in the manner
which is usual and Indispensable in com
munications between the different
branches of the government 1t was not
addressed either to Austria or Hungary !:
nor was it public manifesto, to which
any foreign state was called on to reply.
1t was an account of its transactions
communicated by the executive govern
ment to the Senate, at the request of
that body; made public, indeed,
because such is the common
and usual course of procedure.
1t may be regarded as somewhat strange,
not perceive that, by the instructions
given to Mr.. Hulsemann, it was itself
interfering with the domestic concerns of
a foreign state. the very thing which is
the ground of its complaint against the
United States
proposition and adds, after recapit1lating
Mr.. Hulsemann's note:
If Mr.. tHulsemann saw, in the adj
dress Of the President to the diplomatic
corps, satisfactory pledges of the senti-
ments and the policy of this government
in regard to mutual rights and mutual
duties, it might, perhaps, have been bet
ter not to bring on discussion of past
transactions. But the undersigned read
lily admits that this was a question fit
only for the consideration and decision of
Mr.. Hulsemann himself; and although
the President does not see that any good
purpose can be answered by re-opening
tho inquiry into the propriety of the
| steps taken by President Taylor to ascer-
tain the probable issue OF the late civil
war in Hungary, justice to his memory
| requires the undersigned briefly to re-
state the history of these steps, and to
| show their consistency with the neutral
policy which has invariably guided the
government of the United States in it's
foreign relations, as well as with the es-
tablished and well-settled principles of
national intercourse and the doctrines Of
public law
''The undersigned will observe that
the President is persuaded his majesty,
the Emperor of Austria, does not think
that the government of the United States
ought to view with unconcern the extra
ordinary events which have occurred not
only in his dominions, but in many other
parts OF Europ since February, 184S.
AMERICAS NATURAL SYMPATHIES
After declaring the natural interest of
neutral power that the United States
felt in the matter, he proceeds:
fBut the undersigned goes further, and
freely admits that, in proportion as the
extraordinary events appear to have their
origin in those great ideas of responsible
and popular governments, on which the
American constitutions themselves are
wholly founded, they could not but COM
mand the warm sympathy of the people
of this country.
"Well known circumstances and their
history, indeed their whole history, have
made them the representatives of purely
popular principles of government. In
this light they now stand before the
world. They could not, if they would,
conceal their character their conditions
Or their destinies. They could not, if
| they so desired shut out from the view
| of mankind the causes which have placed
| them in SO short national career III the
station which they now hold among the
civilized states of the world. They could
not, if they desired it, suppress either the
thoughts or the hopes which arise in
mems minds, in other countries, from
contemplating their successful example
OF free government. That very intelli-
gent and distinguished parsonage, the
| EMPEROR Joseph IL WAS among tina first