Mr. Sherman to Mr. Romero.
Washington, March 31, 1897.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose a copy of dispatch No. 664, dated March 12, 1897, from our minister at Madrid, and with it copy (in Spanish) of a communication, dated March 10, 1897, received by him from Señor Don Vicente G. Quesada, the arbitrator selected by the United States and Mexico to settle the Oberlander and Messenger cases, giving notice that he, the arbitrator, will not take up the matter until August next.
In view of this fact, and of the further fact that this Department has been unexpectedly required by the arbitrator to present the case of the United States in the Spanish language, I have the honor to propose that the time for submission of the cases to the arbitrator be extended until August 1, 1897. By the terms of the protocol (Article II) the time for such submission will expire about the middle of June, and it is not certain that this Department, with its limited facilities, will be able to prepare in a reliable Spanish translation the voluminous documents necessary for the arbitrator’s consideration.
The proposed postponement of the date for submission of the cases will also give the arbitrator more time for their consideration. Article IV of the protocol requires him to render his award within six months from the date of submission, and if the cases are submitted in June a month and more of the time will expire before the arbitrator gives the cases his attention.
Accept, etc.,