The Honduranean Minister to the Secretary of State.
Washington, August 5, 1908.
Sir: I have the honor to inform your excellency that I have to-day received the reply of the minister of foreign relations of Honduras to the cablegram which I addressed to him conformably with vour excellency’s desires, in the sense of causing the revocation of the decree of cancellation with regard to the exequaturs of the consul and vice consul of the United States at Ceiba.
The Government of Honduras, which has given recent proofs of sympathy and deference to the Government of the United States, and which laments the unfortunate incident in which the consuls of that nation have been involved, does not find it possible to revoke the order in question which has already been published in its official journal, because to do so would profoundly wound the sovereignty and the sentiments of dignity of the Honduranean people, not merely compromising the good name of Honduras, but that of Central America in view of the solidarity which exists between those countries in an international sense.
My Government believes, moreover, that even the American Government itself would be affected by such a revocation, because the weakness with which Honduras would show forth before the world would be correlative to the force or pressure employed to compel it to take such a course.
My Government is confident that the Department of State, when it is acquainted with the proofs which will be presented to it in this case, and inspired by elevated principles of justice, will recognize the justness of our action in the cancellation of the consular exequaturs. It can hope for no less from such a Government as that of the United States, which is governed by law and which has given so many proofs of accepting and maintaining law in its highest signification.
Before or after presenting the proofs which my Government has offered I shall have the greatest pleasure in coming to the Department of State to give such explanations and submit such data as may be deemed necessary in this disagreeable incident.
I renew, etc.,