Baron Fava to Mr. Hay.
Washington D. C. , November 26, 1900 .
My Dear Mr. Hay: On the eve of the reopening of Congress I take the liberty to beg you, in a merely friendly way, to submit courteously to the President the following considerations and requests:
The hope that the President expressed in his message of last year that the authorities of Louisiana would duly punish the perpetrators [Page 731] of the Tallulah lynchings has, unhappily, not been fulfilled. The guilty parties have not been punished.
In this condition of things the question of the protection of the Italian subjects can only be resolved between the two Governments by legislative provisions which, like those contained in the two bills, Davis and Hitt, afford a guaranty for the future according to the treaties.
I appeal again to the well-known sense of justice of the President, in order that this year, too, his authoritative word may explain to the nation its incumbent duty of protecting effectively the safety and lives of the citizens of a friendly country, and kindly suggest to the Congress the speedy adoption of the above-mentioned bills. * * *
Believe me, etc.,