Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Olney.
Washington, February 11, 1896.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note, No. 319, of the 7th instant, inclosing copies of a letter from the governor of the State of Louisiana and of a further report from the attorney-general of that State on the case of Mr. Bain, the purser of the British steamship Engineer, who was grievously wounded during the labor riots at New Orleans. I have read those documents with grave disappointment.
The claim of Mr. Bain was presented by me as one appealing most deeply to the sympathy and liberality of the governor and authorities of Louisiana quite apart from any considerations of legal right.
I am now informed that “many thought that the steamship agents were largely responsible for the trouble in giving the preference to unorganized colored labor,” and the appeal which I made on Mr. Barn’s behalf is met by legal technicalities and by a suggestion that he should “sue the city of New Orleans.”
Practically, Mr. Bain has no redress under the circumstances by resort to any court of law.
Nevertheless, it would appear from the report of the attorney-general that no appropriation could be made for the relief of Mr. Bain by the State legislature, and that there is no fund at the disposal of the authorities out of which any compensation can be paid to him.
It would seem useless, therefore, to press the case any further in that quarter. I hope, however, that I shall not appeal in vain to your Government to take such action as may be necessary to obtain from Congress or otherwise the relief to which Mr. Bain is so justly entitled.
I have, etc.,