The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-02-20
De LONE NOT THE FIRST.
Other Ministers Have Had to Walk
Spanish"
BEFORE UNCLE SAM LOST HIS NERVE.
This IL the First Time the Ofensc
Was Ever So Gross and Insult
Ing to Americana. a


presence became intolerable occurred ii
washington's time. The offender wal
Citizen Genet This French minister's at:
tennis to influence public sentiment Ii
this country against the policy of Wash.
! ington's administration, With a view te
! involving us In war with England, led "a
/ his recall in 1894 at the request OF the
| United States government Hamilton and
Knox, and perhaps Others of Washington
| cabinet. had been in favor OF ordering
/ Genet perenipturily out of the country.
Jefferson and Randolph opposed TINS ex-
| treme course for political reasons ana
| Genet was finally recalled by his own gov
ernment His successor Mr.. tauchet
| upon arriving here, asked 10 The name OF
the French republic Tor the arrest oi
! Genet for misconduct. Our government
declined the request, 'for reasons OF law
and masnanimfty."
Twelve years later Mr.. Yrujo. the Span
ish minister, was summarily dismissed for
abundant cause
Tho original offense OF Yrnjo had been
an attempt to bribe a Philadelphia news
| paper To print an article cl1ticising the
administration and taking the Spanish
| side of boundary question Then IN dis
| puie between our government and Spain.
| Mr. Madison, as MIR. JeiteIson's secretary
| of state demanded the recall of the Span
ish minister; and upon direct appeal
! from Madrid it was arranged that frujo
should be allowed to depart quietly as If
he were going home on leave. But this
| diplomatic offender took advantage of the
| lonity of our government to remain in
| Washington while the Spanish question
! was still being considered by congress.
MIR Madison notified him that his pres
ence WAS displeasing to the president.
| Irujo thereupon published two iInpudent
| replies, declaring that he would stay in
| Washington as long as he pleased. He did
| stay but as private individual.
| During Madisons first term the British
minister Mr.. Jackson, wrote 10 the Sec
| Rotary Of state II note indirectly accusing
our government of duplicity. He was
promptly notified that no further commun-
| ications would he received from him by
this government. and his own government
was subsequently informed OF his mis-
conduct
Jackson withdrew from Washington 10
New York. The foreign office at London
showed some disposition TO question the
proprety of the course adopted by Mr..
Madison in cutting off official communities
ton without first asking for The minister's
recall And when it did recall him three
months later, il Indicated no dSpleasure
with him.
The nearest parallel to De Lomes per-
emptory dismissal is afforded by the case
of NJ. Guilaume Tell Lavallee Poussin- |
French Minister in Zachary Taylor's time
Poussn had on a previous occasion tested |
the forbearance OF our department of state |
by writing to Secretary Clayton a letter |
concerning some French claim, in which |
he used this language;
The government OF the United States |
must he convinced that II is more honor |
abie TO acqn't fairly debt contracted dur
Il no
tran to evade its payment by endcavoring |
to brand the character of an honest man. |
The minister was summoned at once TO |
the state department and Informed that
his letter was offensive hut that he should |
have an opportunity to withdraw or modify
1t. Poussin offered In argue the question ~
propriety. Clayton told him sharply that
the president did not deem the point a
matter for argument. Poussin thereupon
withdrew the letter and erased its offensive
expressions
This experience, however, did not teach
him wisdom. The offense which led to his
dismissal occurred several uonihs lotar
Commander Carpenter of the United States
war vessel Iris had saved French ship
in a gale off the Mexican coast There was
some question of salvage. and Commander
Carpenters course in that respect was
luiy approved by the navy department, and
afterward sustained in an elaborate opin-
ron pS the attorney general. Hon. Reverdy
Johnson BUT Poussin wrote a letter on
May II. iS49 to the state department, de-
ciaring that the French Gag had been IN
suited snn grossly by Commander Carpenter,
ana demanding the dismissal OF that off, {
Ger Secretary Clayton had the affair in
vestisated and sent to Poussin a full state
nlent OF the facts, together with all the I
the n showing that no offense against
me French flag had been committed. He
expressed the hope that this statement i
Would prove satisfactory TO the French c
soeernnleht' instead OF transmitting the
documents to Paris Minister Poussin again 7
gave Vent TO MS private opinion concerning
american methods and motives. In let 4
,er or May 80. lS4s. to Secretary Clayton. 4
ne sad;
! called on the cabinet at Washington, h
str. secretary of state In the name of the /
,neneh government to address a severe re-
,root TO ihat officer of the American navy.
u order that the error which he has com S
n !, on me point involving the dignity c
u our national marine, might not be re- /