J. M. Lafragua to John W. Foster , Envoy Extraordinary and, February 23, 1875

Mr. Lafragua to Mr. Foster.

Sir: I have rendered an account to the President of the Republic of the note of your excellency, dated the 8th instant, in which you are pleased to communicate to me the substance of the report which the consul of the United States in Acapulco has made to your excellency relative to the events occurring in that city on the occasion of the assault which was made upon a Protestant Church.

In reply, I have the honor to state to your excellency that, since those unfortunate events came to, the knowledge of the government, there have been issued, and there continue to be issued, the most decisive orders for the arrest and punishment of those who may appear to be guilty; and, as an evidence of the activity with which this is being done, the fact appears that the governor of the State of Guerrero has proceeded personally to the place of these occurrences, in order himself to dictate the energetic and opportune measures which may be necessary to prevent the crime from remaining unpunished, and to re-establish security and order in Acapulco.

Whatever may be the views and judgment of the consul of the United States in that port, they can be can be considered as nothing more than personal opinions, inspired, perhaps, by the fears of the moment, since the escape and concealment of the criminals does not signify inability nor lack of will in the authorities to arrest and punish them. It is possible that there be delays, excusable and even necessary, when, under circumstances so unexpected as the present, there does not exist a sufficient force at immediate disposal to repress an outbreak; but this does not signify that there is a disposition to leave it unpunished.

Moreover, it appears just, in order to comprehend the difficulties and delays that are liable to be encountered, to take into consideration the peculiar circumstances of the countries in which certain events take place.

The consul in Acapulco cannot be ignorant of the fact that Protestant worship was a new propaganda among a people who, unfortunately, have not been able to attain to that degree of civilization to enable them to accept without aversion religious tenets which they disown; and it is well known that the religious sentiment is one of the most sensitive, and that when attacked it is all the more irritable. Therefore it will not be strange that the great majority of that people conceal and protect the aggressors. The difficulty which the authority encounters from this source will not be insurmountable, but is indeed very grave.

The general government, on its part jealous of its authority, firmly resolved that the laws shall be complied with, and interested as much as any other that liberty and individual protection may be secured to native citizens and foreigners, has dictated extraordinary measures in the present case, in the hope that the ends of justice may be fulfilled, and that, in conformity with it, the criminals may suffer a sufficiently exemplary punishment to prevent similar deeds from being repealed, and to satisfy the ends of public retribution.

It is not amiss to make note of the fact at this time that, according to the report received, the Protestant Church, where the events occurred, was not registered in the office of the prefect, which, for that reason, perhaps, was not able to know the condition of the location, nor the hours of assembling, so that it might exercise its vigilance and place the church under the protection of the police.

Neither is Henry Morris registered with American citizenship in the register of matriculation in this Department.

It pleases me to renew to your excellency the assurances of my high and distinguished consideration.