The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-18

settlement of the differences between
the United States and Canada, the alb
rogation of the treaty by Great Britain
being a possible consideration for con-
cessions by the United States to Cam
ada.
John e. Russell of Massachusetts,,
who went to Central America as COM
mercial agent more than 40 years ago,
has given the Springfield Republican
some hitherto unpublished history re-
garding the manner in which the Clay
ton Bulwer treaty was negotiated and
ratified by the senate-what may be
called the secret history CT the treaty.
Mr.. Russell is now probably the only
man living who has the information at
first hand, all those active in public life
at that time being now dead.
General Cass was a democratic MEM
Der of the United States senate when
the treaty came to it for ratification in
1850. In 1858. when Mr.. Russell called
| at the Office of the secretary of state in
regard to his mission as commercial
agent to Central America, General Cass
was secretary of state in President
Buchanan's cabinet. Nicaragua was
still agitated over the Walker filibus-
ter affair. and England's non-fulfll-
| ment of some of her engagements in the
treaty was disturbing the United States
| government.
According to Mr.. Russell's account,
Secretary Cass received him very kind
ly and talked freely on Central Ameri-
| can affairs. During the talk he gave
Mr.. Russell what he considered the
secret history of the making of the
| treaty and it's ratification and said that
| he, as well as Secretary Clayton and
| the wing senators who voted for rati
| fication, were influenced in favor of the
| convention by lobby.
/ 4,
| ern capitalists had taken quick advant-
| age of the discovery of gold in Cali
| fornia and the tremendous rush of gold
| seekers thither to esta blish the Ameri-
| can Atlantic & Pacific Ship Canal COM
pany That company's agent, E. G.
Squier, secured on September 23, 1S49, a
very favorable concession from the gov
| eminent of Nicaragua for the construc-
| ton of a ship canal across that coun-
| try. The Vanderbilt group had no ex-
| pectation of Immediately building a
| canal but they secured an accessory
| transportation charter from Nicaragua,
which enabled them to do very profit
able transportation business for about
| eight years across Nicaragua by boat
and stage coach.
| When the wings came into executive
power in 1S49 they found affairs in Cen
| trail America much disturbed, owing to
| Englands aggressions on the eastern
| shore and at the mouth of the San
| Juan river. The recent annexation of
| California and the discovery of gold
! had suddenly raised the canal question
to the first rank in Importance. Every
one wanted a canal dug, but in those
| days canal construction was expensive.
| The northern capitalists saw the situa-
| ton especially in a financial and money
making light, and hence it seemed alb
solutely necessary. in order to have the
canal built, that English capital should
| be enlisted in the undertaking. The
| Vanderbilt group, which had secured a
canal charter from Nicaragua, looked
| to England for the money and planned
| to form an international company
| The Vanderbilt combination had an
| other and more pressing motive for de-
string the negotiation of the Clayton
Bulwer treaty. In the interests of their
| accessory transportation company they
wanted England to give up her control
| of the eastern shore, including the
| mouth of the San Juan river, a control
| which impeded the Vanderbilt schemes
for controlling the Nicaragua transpor-
tstion traffic. To do that it was neces-
sary that England should have con-
cessions, and, therefore, the canal CON-
| pany became the lobby of which Cen
eral Cass told Mr.. Russell and which
worked indefatigably for the treaty as
| it was made England, when APP
preached by Secretary Clayton with his
unusual proposals for joint control of
| an isthmian waterway, eagerly en-
braced the opportunity to intrench her
| interests behind such a convention.
| According to Mr. Russel's recoileC-
| tons, Joseph l.. White. a New York
| lawyer, was the manager for the Van
derbilt group during that period Mr..
White was assassinated in Nicaragua
in 1860 or 1861. After the treaty had
| been ratified the canal project was
taken up in England, but finally was
| dropped. THO British government did
not withdraw from the Nicaragua
shore until 1852, when liberal ministry
| made the treaty with the Nicaragua
| government still in existence.
| 1t is not intimated that either Secre-
| tary Clayton or the senate We're cor
| ruptly Influenced in the making or rati-
| fication of the treaty. but that they
were influenced by a lobby against the
| interests of the country was the be-
| lief of General Cass as impressed by
| him on Mr.. Russell eight years after
| the treaty had gone into effect As
| General Cass admitted that he was one
| of those who had yielded to the persud-
sions of the lobby, If the memory of
| Mr.. Russell is not at fault, and as Gen
| eral Cass has never been suspected of
| being influenced by corrupt motives,
| it is probable that the secretary and
senate believed they were acting for
the best when they yielded to the strong
| capitalist pressure for the Clayton Bull
Wer convention. - Cleveland Plain
Dealer