File No. 7357/350.
Minister Dodge to the Secretary of State.
San Salvador, August 11, 1908.
Sir: Referring to my dispatch No. 34 of the 3d instant, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt on the 5th instant of your telegram informing me that owing to Mr. Sorsby’s illness and in view of the cancellations of the exequaturs of Mr. Linard, consul at La Ceiba, and Mr. Virgil C. Reynolds, vice consul at that place, it was desirable for me to proceed immediately to Tegucigalpa and to await there further instructions pending the outcome of a tentative settlement of the matter in Washington.
Having ascertained that there was no steamer leaving until the 12th, I immediately telegraphed this to you, inquiring whether the U. S. S. Albany, then lying at Amapala, could come to Acajutla for me, thus enabling me to reach Tegucigalpa in about four days. On the 8th instant I ascertained that the date of departure of the next steamer was changed to the 14th instant, and I accordingly telegraphed this to you, adding that as the land route would not enable me to reach Tegucigalpa any sooner I proposed to leave on the 14th, probably arriving at Tegucigalpa on the 18th.
Accordingly, as it would be impossible for me to reach Tegucigalpa for so long a time, I thought best to make, through Mr. Alger, consul at Tegucigalpa, to Mr. Fiallos, minister for foreign affairs, an assurance in the sense indicated in your telegram of the 5th instant, supplementing my telegram to Mr. Alger by a telegram to Mr. Fiallos, requesting him to take Mr. Alger’s communication from me into consideration.
[Page 463]On the following day I received a reply from Mr. Alger, quoting a communication from Mr. Fiallos, stating that, “In reply to your request to the Honduranean minister at Washington for a suspension of the decree canceling the exequaturs of Mr. Linard and Mr. Reynolds, the minister had been instructed to inform you that as this decree had already been issued and published its revocation could not be granted.” As the minister had not mentioned this matter again, it was understood that it was closed. The Government of Honduras was, however, desirous of finding some means of meeting the wishes of the Secretary of State without affecting the national dignity. This reply I telegraphed to you, adding that it seemed probable, if it should be desired, that a suspension of the decree could be obtained until the appointment of Messrs. Linard and Reynolds’s successors, and that Mr. Alger had informed me that the Honduranean Government was convinced, from the result of the investigation which they had made, that the action of the consul and vice consul had been incorrect. It might be said, Mr. Alger stated, that public opinion had forced the Honduranean, Government to act as it had done.
Yesterday I received a telegram from Mr. Fiallos confirming his communication to Mr. Alger.
In this connection I desire to acknowledge the receipt of the department’s telegram of the 6th instant, in reply to mine of the 30th ultimo, suggesting the temporary appointment of Mr. A. S. Hackett as vice consul at La Ceiba. The department stated that such an appointment was neither necessary nor desirable for the present. When I made this suggestion it appeared to me to be urgent that there should be some one at this consulate authorized to perform the necessary routine work. Owing chiefly to the partial interruption of telegraphic communication with La Ceiba, I was at that time not aware that the U. S. S. Marietta had been ordered to La Ceiba to investigate this matter, and that the appointment of a temporary vice consul was no longer urgent, as Mr. Linard was allowed to continue to issue ship’s papers and as Capt. Maxwell would render notarial services.
I have, etc.,