No. 8.
Mr. Osborn
to Mr. Evarts
.
Buenos Ayres , March 23, 1878. (Received May 16.)
Sir: The rebellion in the province of Corrientes is over. Eight thousand men have laid down their arms at the command of the national government. The surrender was made on the general promise of the national government that full justice to the people of the province would be granted.
The President in his last proclamation commanding the rebels to hand over their arms to Minister Plaza, the government commissioner, said:
You cannot look for other guarantees than what the justice of the nation accords, and this I explicitly promised you. I am resolved to decide with the utmost impartiality and honor the questions affecting the province of Corrientes. It is no longer a question of local politics, but of obedience to the national government, and to the decrees, which, in my quality of chief magistrate, are issued by me with the force of law. A refusal to lay down your arms would be open rebellion against the national government, and which would at once be crushed by the federal troops.
There has been no decision as yet as to who is the rightful governor of Corrientes; there appear to be no provisions for a new election unless Dirqui should resign, which as yet he has declined to do, and the [Page 12] cabinet is not a unit in reference to the question. For solution it may be turned over to the courts.
On the 1st of April the Argentine Republic will enter upon a postal service in accordance with the Berne postal treaty.
I have, &c.,