Under these circumstances it will not, in my judgment, comport with
the dignity or self-respect of this Government to make demands upon
that Government for the surrender of fugitive criminals, nor to
entertain any requisition of that character from that Government
under the treaty.
Article XI of the treaty of 1842 provided that "the tenth article [that
relating to extradition] should continue in force until one or the other
of the parties should signify its wish to terminate it, and no longer."
In view, however, of the great importance of an extradition treaty,
especially between two states as intimately connected in commercial and
social relations as are the United States and Great Britain, and in the
hope that Her Majesty's Government might yet reach a different decision
from that then attained, I abstained from recommending any action by
Congress terminating the extradition article of the treaty. I have,
however, declined to take any steps under the treaty toward extradition.
It is with great satisfaction that I am able now to announce to Congress
and to the country that by the voluntary act of Her Majesty's Government
the obstacles which had been interposed to the execution of the
extradition article of the treaty have been removed.
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