No. 752.
Mr. Connery to Mr. Bayard.
Mexico , November 21, 1887. (Received November 29.)
Sir: Referring to your No, 203, of date November 7, 1887, relative to the supposed mission of an agent of the Marquis de Campo’s steamship line, I have the honor to report that to-day I had an interview with Mr. Mariscal, the minister of foreign relations, and explained to him your wishes on the subject.
Mr. Mariscal said that no agent of Marquis de Campo had made his appearance in Mexico. He had heard of the matter before, however, unofficially, but your message through me was the first official notification he had received. As to the wish expressed by you that the United States would receive from Mexico at least as favorable treatment as from the Central American States, Mr. Mariscal observed that he could only repeat what he had written in his late note to me under date of November 7, relative to the complaint of Messrs. Alexandre & Sons, namely, that Mexico is not held by treaty stipulations to negotiate with the United States as a most favored nation; but that nevertheless she does so treat the United States, except in rare causes when, from some special reasons, she feels compelled to do otherwise.
I asked him if he could not give me some more satisfactory assurance as to the treatment of the Pacific Mail steamers in case of an allowance of a 5 per cent, rebate to the Marquis de Campo line, His answer was promptly though courteously in the negative. He could give no other assurance at present.
I do not pretend to repeat Mr. Mariscal’s exact words, but their meaning was this:
That in the case of the rebate allowed to the Spanish Transatlantic Steam ship Company,of which the Alexandres complained, both Germany and England had made quasi protests, but that they had to be satisfied with his explanation that the exemption was not granted to the flag of Spain but to a private company. England and Germany, in their respective treaties with Mexico, had the favored-nation clause and had more real ground for complaint than the United States, which had no stipulation of the kind with Mexico and therefore no claim to be treated as a most favored nation. No one could question the right of his Gov eminent to concede subventions to private companies in any form it saw fit, so long as treaty stipulations were not violated.
I am, etc.,