Mr. Fish to General Sickles
Sir: Referring to your No. 195, concerning the election of the Duke of Aosta as King of Spain, I have to say that on the 19th of November Mr. Roberts called to officially inform me of that fact. I received the information without an intimation of the course that will be pursued by his Government. It has been the policy of the United States to recognize the governments de facto of the countries with which we hold diplomatic relations. Such was our course when the republic was established in France in 1848, and again in 1870, and in each case accepted by the French people. Such was our course in Mexico when the republic was maintained by the people of that country in spite of foreign efforts to establish a monarchy by military force. We have always accepted the general acquiescence of the people in a political change of government as a conclusive evidence of the will of the nation. When, however, there has not been such acquiescence, and armed resistance has been shown to changes made or attempted to be made under the form of law, the United States have applied to other nations the rule that the organization which has possession of the national archives and of the traditions of government, and which has been inducted to power under the forms of law, must be presumed to be the exponent of the desires of the people, until a rival political organization shall have established the contrary. Your course in the present case will be governed by this rule.
Should there be circumstances which lead you to doubt the propriety of recognizing the Duke of Aosta as king of Spain, it will be easy to communicate with the Department by telegraph and ask instructions. Should there be no such circumstances, the general policy of the United States, as well as their interests in the present relations with Spain, call for an early and cheerful recognition of the change which the nation has made.
I am, &c.,