Mr. Blaine to Mr. Mizner.
Washington, September, 29, 1890.
Sir: You say in your No. 160 of the 10th instant:
Your important telegraphic instruction of the 20th of July, of which you send a copy as inclosure No. 5 in No. 143, demanding instant release of Colima and cargo, never reached me.
In compliance with your request, I send you the cipher text of that telegram as dispatched. It was left at the Western Union Company’s office in Washington at 2 p.m. on the 20th (Sunday), and inquiry at the Western Union office discloses that it went promptly forward by way of Galveston.
It is desirable that a thorough inquiry be set on foot, in order that the responsibility for the non-transmission of this important telegram be fixed.
If sent, as would appear, by way of Libertad, the obstruction at that time of the land wires thence to Guatemala City might excuse some delay, but would not account for the total suppression of the dispatch. We have the elaborate disclaimer of the Salvadorian provisional authorities that any interference with our dispatches took place in their jurisdiction. On the other hand, it is noted, with regret, that the statement of the consul at San Salvador that he had been prevented from telegraphing to you or to Washington, which was communicated to you in Department’s instruction No. 177 of September 18, 1890, is mainly corroborated by the remark in your No. 160 that “our consul was not permitted to cable to his Government or to this [your] legation last month, except in a restricted manner;” and you add that you are informed that the cable company’s business at La Libertad was controlled by sentinels placed at the door of the office.
The nondelivery of this, the most important of the instructions sent to you in regard to the Colima arms seizure, and the later incident of the mangled transmission of the Department’s telegram of August 30, 1890, touching the death of General Barrundia, give this Government a very painful impression of the insecurity of its means of communication with its agent in Central America, which, it is trusted, a searching investigation will enable you to remove. If not, it is hoped the facts will be so positively developed as to suggest the needed corrective.
I am, etc.,