Speech #470031461

I regret that the honorable gentleman from New York has made use of this occasion to bring up again a subject which will doubtless be presc~ted at other times during this session. and which has already been once considered. The question of arrests in Ireland is totally alien to anysubject contained in this bill. In doing it he has revived the complaints of neglect in the care of the interests of some of our citizens. native or naturalized. in Great Britain. I ought. therefore. to say and to remind the House that in due time. when the correspondence is completed. and when according to diplomatic usage that correspondence will be made public. the gentleman from NewYork will probably be surprised. perhaps as a patriot gratified. to know that while all this noise on the subject has been going on on this floor the Department of the Government charged with the jurisdiction of the subject has been quietly. diligently. and energetically at work to secure the rights under international law belonging to our citizens. and which have been in any way infringed in any Foreign country. It is one of the misfortunes of our executive government that it is obliged often to submit in silence to charges of inaction and neglect because. as is well known. it is improper in the highest degree to bring before the public the current condition of negotiations in their nature delicate. sometimes so delicate that nothing but the mantle of silence enables them to succeed. I have known cases. I have one in mind at this moment. when by the use of a happy chance by one of our ministers abroad. at a favorable juncture. when all in America was silent. and our demand was partially forgotten in England. one of our naturalized citizens was released from prison and restored to the country of his adoption. and the only right we had to demand his release was as a favor. for he had violated the laws of the land in which he was temporarily domiciled. I leave this subject with that remark. only assuring the gentleman. as I think I may give assurance to the House. that the subject is far from being neglected in the executive department. and the more noise and the more clamor made on this floor on the subject is an embarrassment to the result which we all seek to accomplish.