Mr. Curry to Mr.
Bayard.
No. 315.]
Legation of the
United States,
Madrid, April 25, 1888.
(Received May 7.)
Sir: On the evening of the 21st instant I had the
honor to receive from you the following telegram: “Has Cuban budget been
presented-to the Cortes, and does it include Mora claim?”
The Cuban budget was published officially in the Gaceta of the 19th instant,
and contained no provision for or allusion to the Mora claim. On receiving
the telegram I immediately requested an interview of Señor Moret, which he
fixed for the afternoon of the 24th. On the 23d I, therefore, telegraphed
you as follows:
“Budget presented without any mention of the claim. Interview with
the minister for foreign affairs to-morrow.”
[Page 371]
I saw Sr. Moret on yesterday afternoon, as agreed. The substance of the
reasons stated by him for not executing the agreement to place an
appropriation in the budget was, that after the debate reported in my No.
310 of the 2d instant, and in the present temper of the House of Deputies on
the question, the presentation of the claim at this time would simply invite
defeat.
As I am impressed with a belief in the unprofitable character of verbal
declarations on the question, instead of discussing the matter at length, I
placed a note, a copy of which is inclosed, in the hands of the minister of
state, and requested him to make an official statement in I reply, of his
reasons, accounting for the absence of the claim from the budget, and of his
intentions in reference to it, in order that I might ‘as soon as possible
report his explanations to my Government, which was deeply concerned about
the matter. This he promised to do promptly.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure in No. 315.]
Mr. Curry to Señor
Moret.
Legation of the United States,
Madrid, April 24,
1888.
Excellency: I have the honor to state that it
is with some surprise and regret that I have failed to discover in the
Cuban budget, as published in the “Gaceta” of the 19th instant, any
provision for the payment of the sum as agreed upon by our respective
governments for the liquidation of the claim of Antonio Maximo Mora. In
the note of your excellency of 29th November, 1886, communicating the
decision the council of ministers, it was definitely declared that the
sum to be paid to the Government of the United States in full indemnity
for the “principal” of the claim of said Mora as well as for damages and
injury sustained by him, was to be charged on the Cuban budget for
1887–1888. This specific proposition the Government of the United States
was asked to accept as a termination of a “protracted and annoying”
controversy between the two governments, and the acceptance of my
government had the honor to communicate to your excellency in my note of
December 7, 1886. In subsequent notes of December 15, 1887, and March 5,
1888, I had occasion to emphasize the fact that this agreement, by the
terms of the settlement was unembarrassed by any complication with other
claims or matters of contention.
The Government of the United States hate no desire to interfere with, or
modify, the settlement agreed upon by the two governments, or to lessen
the discretion or liberty reserved by the Government of Spain as “to the
determination of the most practical method of paying the amount”
stipulated, but, while relying implicitly on the good faith of the
Government of which your excellency is a distinguished minister, the
Government of the United States may suggest that, according to the
well-known precedents in reference to budgets, this would seem to be the
last for Cuba during the years 1887 and 1888.
Your excellency, I am well satisfied, will have pleasure in giving me
such facts and assurances from your Government as will enable me to
dispel any apprehensions which may have been created by the omission to
which I have ventured to invite your excellency’s attention.
I avail myself of this occasion to renew the expressions of my most
distinguished consideration.
Excmo. Señor D. S. Moret.
