Mr. Loomis to Mr.
Hay.
Legation of the United States,
Caracas, July 28,
1900.
No. 490.]
Sir: In compliance with your instruction of
June 7, No. 343, I conveyed to the Government of Venezuela your opinion
and comment upon the case of Louis Goldschmidt, United States consul at
La Guaira, who had complained through this legation that he was not
adequately protected by the local authorities and that his life had been
threatened.
The characteristic answer of the minister of foreign affairs (inclosure
[Page 953] 1) seemed to insinuate
rather plainly either that all of the correspondence in the case had not
been submitted by me to the Department or that the Department had not
considered it all. I thought it well to try to correct any
misapprehension that may have arisen upon this point, and I therefore
sent a second note, a copy of which I inclose.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1.]
Mr. Palacio to
Mr. Loomis.
[Translation.]
Mr. Minister: Your excellency’s note of the
9th instant, in which you transmit the Department of State’s opinion
of the complaints made before your legation last May by Mr.
Goldschmidt, consul in La Guaira, and which caused the investigation
communicated to your excellency on the 17th of that month, was
received in this office yesterday. Owing, doubtless, to the fact
that this opinion is based on the assertions of one only of the
parties concerned, the Government’s endeavors to discover the
genuine circumstances of the case are not mentioned. For this reason
the friendly interest shown by your excellency in informing the
Department of State that since that time Mr. Goldschmidt has had no
motives for complaint has been viewed with especial satisfaction, to
which this ministry begs to add that the authorities have special
orders to prevent everything that may give rise to complaints of
this sort, in compliance with their own wishes, with those of the
General Government, and with the prescriptions of law which protects
the rights of natives and foreigners in this country in an effective
and thorough manner.
I beg, etc.,
[Inclosure 2.]
Mr. Loomis to
Mr. Palacio.
Legation of the United States,
Caracas, July 13, 1900.
Mr. Minister: I am in receipt of your
excellency’s communication of the 12th instant, relating to the
opinion of my Government respecting the case of Consul Goldschmidt
and the action of the local authorities at La Guaira in the
matter.
I judge from the tenor of your excellency’s note that possibly you
have formed one or two misapprehensions concerning the views of the
Government of the United States which I had the honor of reporting
to you in my note of the 9th instant.
Your note says: “Owing doubtless to the fact that this opinion is
based on the assertions of one only of the parties concerned, the
Government’s endeavors to discover the genuine circumstances of the
case are not mentioned.”
I have the honor to say in this connection that every fact and
circumstance in regard to the case was forwarded to Washington, and
that the correspondence between the two civil jefes at La Guaira and
the supreme chief of the Republic, as well as all of your
excellency’s communications on the subject, were sent to Washington
and there carefully considered by my Government, and that its
opinion was formed after reviewing all of the facts and the alleged
facts in the case. I furthermore desire to say that the Government
at Washington had everything before it that came to the notice and
knowledge of this legation. The Secretary of State, moreover,
distinctly says, and I have so quoted him in my note of the 9th,
that he had read with surprise and regret the correspondence,
because of the apparent indifference at La Guaira in view of the
action of the Federal Government of Venezuela based upon
representations of this legation. So, you will here see, due note
was made of what the Government of Venezuela did in the matter,
while at the same time the course of its officials at La Guaira
causes keen regret and disappointment.
I take this opportunity, etc.,
