No. 495.
Mr. Pile to Mr. Fish.
Legation of the
United States of America,
Caracas, July 1, 1873.
(Received July 22.)
No. 90.]
Sir: As soon as the message of the President of
Venezuela to the extra session of Congress was published in the Opinion Nacional, I addressed
[Page 1175]
a note to the minister of foreign relations
courteously asking if the publication was a correct copy of the message.
(See inclosure A.) To this the minister replied promptly, (inclosure B.)
Some days afterward I received the rather curious note, inclosure C.
The character of my reply will be seen in inclosure D.
It is one of the mental vices of this people that they either cannot or will
not perceive the limitations and modifications that necessarily exist with
respect to almost all general rules.
The Opinion Nacional, nominally free and independent,
nevertheless is completely subject to the dictamen of the President, and
echoes his opinion and wishes upon all political subjects.
I am, &c.,
[Inclosure A.]
Mr. Pile to Mr. Blanco.
Legation of
the United States of America,
Caracas, June 4,
1873.
No. 62.]
Sir: The Opinion
Nacional of Saturday, the 31st ultimo, No. 1262, contains what
purports to be the message of His Excellency President Guzman
Blanco to the Congress of the United States of Venezuela
in extraordinary session.
It is my duty as minister resident of the United States of America to
translate and transmit this important document to my Government, and as
it is possible that the message, and correlative events may gravely
affect the relations between the two countries. I am most anxious that
there shall be no more error in the copy transmitted. I have the honor,
therefore, to ask your excellency if the copy herewith transmitted is
correct, and if it should not be, will your excellency do me the favor
to make the necessary corrections on the margin?
I have the pleasure to offer to your excellency the assurrances of my
very distinguished consideration.
[Inclosure B.—Translation.]
Mr. Blanco to Mr.
Pile.
In answer to the note of your excellency, the 4th ultimo, No. 62, I have
the honor to inform you that the publication in the Opinion Nacional, No. 1262, to which you refer, is a faithful
copy of the message of His Excellency the President of the republic to
the Congress of the nation, dated 28th of last month. I therefore return
to your excellency the printed slips that accompanied your note.
I reiterate to your excellency the assurances of my very distinguished
consideration.
[Inclosure C.—Translation.]
Mr. Blanco to Mr.
Pile.
Having already complied with a consideration of courtesy, by informing
your excellency that the publication in the Opinion
Nacional, No. 1262, strictly agreed with the message of His
Excellency the President of the republic, sent to the Congress of the
nation on the 28th of last month, I comply to-day with the duty of
informing your excellency, in order to avoid that the two cited notes
might serve as a precedent that would authorize in the future an inquiry
of the same kind, that the government of
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the republic, in accordance with the provisions
of public law and internationa usages, including those of the United
States of the North, professes the principle that the messages, reports,
memorials, and other documents of exclusive communication between the
jurisdictional powers of the republic are of its exclusive competence
and in no case will be submitted to foreign inquisition.
For a similar reason I am obliged to inform your excellency that the
publications of the free press of the country neither can be the cause
of diplomatic inquiry or reclamation, as they are neither of an official
nor private nature.
I hope that your excellency will see in these declarations a new proof of
the desire to avoid all misunderstanding (dualidad de
intelegencia) that might in the future unfavorably affect the
reciprocal friendship of the two governments.
I reiterate to your excellency the assurances of my very distinguished
consideration.
[Inclosure D.]
Mr. Pile to Mr. Blanco.
Legation of
the United States of America,
Caracas, June 11,
1873.
No. 66.]
Sir: The note of your excellency, dated the 9th
instant, has been received and considered with careful and respectful
attention. The correctness of the doctrine announced therein, “that the
messages, reports, and memorials, and other documents of exclusive
communication between the jurisdictional powers of a nation, are of its
exclusive competencia, is not denied, but I am
unable to perceive that there is anything in my note of the 4th instant
that in the slightest manner infringes upon this doctrine.
No question was raised, suggested, or entertained as to the character or
propriety of the message. That is a matter of the “exclusive competency”
of His Excellency the President of the republic.
But, as your excellency doubtless very well understands, where there is
subsequent and “correlative” action or “events” affecting the
international relations of a government, these public
documents become a legitimate and important subject of
consideration, not for the purpose of inquisicion
estrana, but as proper sources of information in determining
the nature and character of the governmental action which they may have produced or influenced.
The correctness of this doctrine is fully recognized in the message to
which these notes refer, and it was in this sense alone that I
considered it my duty to translate and transmit it to my Government, and
this alone was the motive of my respectful request as to the correctness
of the copy referred to, so courteously complied with by your excellency
in your note dated June 6, and for which my acknowledgments are
respectfully made. The representative of a people that publish more than
live thousand independent newspapers and magazines need not be informed
that such publications are not subject “á inquisicion
ni reclamacion diplomatica.” I have neither made nor thought of
making any diplomatic reclamation as to such publications.
In relation to this matter, however, it may be remarked that the practice
of transmitting such publications by diplomatic agents to their
governments, not as matter of reclamation but as sources of information
as to the feelings and convictions of the peoples and nations where they
are published, is quite general, and sanctioned by the usages of modern
diplomacy.
I hope your excellency will perceive in these declarations an equal
desire with that you are pleased to manifest to avoid all causes of
misunderstanding or “dualidad de intelligencia”
in the cultivation of the reciprocal friendship of both countries.
I have the pleasure to offer to your excellency the assurances of my high
consideration.
