[Inclosure in No.
8.]
Statement of Lord Sackville in
connection with the publication of his private letter to
Murchison.
I was induced to believe the Murchison letter genuine, as it
came from California, where I knew there were many English
domiciled as well as naturalized.
Under these circumstances, and as secrecy and privacy were
promised in the letter, I conceived that no harm could
result from describing the situation created by the
[Page 1728]
retaliatory
message of the President, which was generally regarded at
the time as an act of hostility to Her Majesty’s Government
likely to produce international complications.
Certain it is that my answer to the Murchison letter fell
into the hands of persons who used it for the purpose of
making it appear that President Cleveland was under English
influence, and in consequence to influence the Irish vote
against him. In my interview with Mr. Bayard after the
publication of my letter, he characterized the incident as a
“campaign trick,” and after having accepted my complete
disclaimer of any intention to impugn the action of the
Executive, he proceeded to inveigh in strong language
against those who employed such means to influence the Irish
vote.
This interview took place on the 26th instant, and I had then
no reason to suppose that the matter had gone further than
the communication to Mr. Phelps of what had occurred, and I
left Mr. Bayard under the impression that it would drop. As
I was leaving, he said that he had seen in the newspapers a
report of what I had said to a newspaper reporter, and
thought it would be well if I could deny the accuracy of it.
I said that I would do so, as I never intended that any such
meaning should be attached to my words. On returning home I
immediately wrote him the private letter, copy of which was
inclosed in my dispatch of the 31st ultimo, and I heard no
further from him until my passports were sent to me on the
30th.
But, although in possession of my letter, Mr. Bayard says in
his statement of the reasons for sending me my passports
that although ample time and opportunity had been given me
for the disavowal, modification, or correction of statements
to which he had called my attention, I had not done so
through the channels in which they had found publicity,
meaning, of course, newspaper reporters. But I considered
that, after having written to him disclaiming the meaning
attached to my words, any communication through the
newspapers would have been undignified and would have met
with the disapproval of Her Majesty’s Government; and for
this reason I refrained from making any communications
through such channels. Mr. Bayard’s statement, therefore,
appeared to me to be an unjust attack upon the integrity of
my conduct after what had passed between us, and after I had
done all I could in the sense which I understood he desired,
to mitigate the effect which the unjustifiable publication
of my letter was intended to create. I was all along
ignorant of the precise grounds upon which my removal was
sought and of the nature of the communications made by Mr.
Phelps to Her Majesty’s Government, but I presumed that time
would have been allowed me to explain the situation and for
Her Majesty’s Government to pronounce upon it. But party
exigencies overruled international comity. Telegrams were
being received at the White House to the effect that the
Irish vote in New York was slipping away from the Democratic
ticket, and that immediate action was necessary on the
question of my dismissal in order to conciliate it. This
action, involving as it did a want of courtesy which I
venture to think is unprecedented in the history of
diplomatic intercourse, was taken on the 30th without any
intimation to me from Mr. Bayard that the situation had in
any way changed since I had seen him on the 26th, when he
had accepted my explanations and had said that he bore me no
ill-will. The question at issue, moreover, had never assumed
an international character as far as I was aware until the
moment it was decided to send me my passports, when all
adjustment was rendered impossible, and an incident which
concerned me personally was thus at once made the cause of
serious complications with Her Majesty’s Government.
Sackville.
Washington, November 8,
1888.