Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-03-28

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We seek 10 know, ;;an Taoa
Ha-, IN Thy wisdom gwen.
New York March - r.
POLITICAL.
THE cAsS AND WEBSTER CORRESPONDENTS
10 the Eators u he G!obe
Mr.. Webster, seeing letter recently addressed TO
him by General Cass, published in the Globe Of last
evening, requests that the enclosed copy Of an answer
TO hat letter may be published IN the Globe OF this
evening.
Washington, March Il
(Prva,e) WAsnl>GTo., March 10, 1919,
Sir Your letter OF March 7th has been received
this morning and have hastily glanced, and only
glanced, at one or Two OF Its first pages.
My las. Official letter You in the clerk )
hands for copying whenyUu arrived IN TINS city. You
remember doubtless, the various conversations he
tween you and myself, and the President aud yourself
and the considerations which led t. the posponeiuen
Of the delivery Of that letter you. Indeed there
was, as you know, wish on the part o the Pres
den, 10 find necessity for answering your letter Of
December llth. Bat gentlemen, not remarkably
friendly 10 The President though expressing high re-
gard for you pressed call after call 'or yoGr correspond
with THIS department. and i: became indiS pen
sable TO furnish il. You wl remenatr, alsc, that |
mentioned 10 you your leaving the CITY, that It
such calls were persisted IN the letter mast be seut ;
and that 10 this you answered, 'tha, II mirhthe trans
med 20 you whenever founc necessary, and that you
should make reply 10 4.
AT leisure shall peru=e vour letter carefully.
and, If think occasion requires II. shall write you
again gu, ,ha, letter and i> and any future
Pondence on the subject, must be regarded private
The President havng already directed tina: he Official
correspondence mus; be considered as closed.
Yours, with regard,
DANIEL WEBSTER
General LEWIS CAss, Detroit, Michigan.
.Nr Cass to Mr. H'sbstsr.
DETKoir, aarch 10, lci3.
Sir regret exceedingly, 10 trouble you again on
the questions which have arisen between us, respect
ing the Treaty of Washington and the eiIec, II pro-
duced upon my official position in france But
my letter OF the 9Th inst, have read aentv-iy,
the recent message Of the President TO which refer.
red and have also Tor the first TINS your report
of the letter Of Lord ABERDEEN, read 20 you by .r
Fox
These documents ;crter ); necessary, that should
present you ataiiioaa! considerations to which
they have given risc, aGd which have important
bearing upon the Controversy between us beg you,
therefore, 10 receive this letter postscript 10
the last, and | sincerely trust, that circumstance
will render necessary tor again 10 the
respondence.
1t seems row, that England avows, pe.em2'orily,
her determination to search vessels ealing t!ls
search ''visltation. And !; is cleer, from the Ian
guage OF the despatch, taat this preensiou extends
every where, and viii be exercised ev-ry where
"rhat the genGneness OF any flag, which suspected
vessel might have, tha, to say, vessel suspected
ofassuming nationality, she is not entitled to- would
be ascertalned by searching her And II IS added,
which there mis'Gknr, that at Nhe i3tl.
tish Government) should entertain Tor sngle instant,
the notion Of abandoning the right Itself, would be
quite impossible
| quote another paracr. ph THAT the President
knew that The rght Of Search nerer formed The sutj,t
Of discussion turing the tGs n. g0tiucn and that uci
ther any concession required By the States
Government, no, made by Great BRITAIN The tia
lies not NINE Now, where We: | suppose,
from the aspect Of the whole affair, that in fact, this
IS, ~.
ring the negotiations; and indeed, DO not understand
that there any difference between our Government
and that Of Great Britain upon THIS point for you
TO expressly, your letter of December 20;h, post
marked February 23d, that the President deemed 1t
unworthy OF the honor Of the ;. TO demand any
"pledges upon such SUBJECT ''irom any nation, hut
that he stood upoa cur public denial of the doctrine
Allow me 10 make passing remark The state of
this part OF the controversy with the British Govern
ment, is another tribute 10 those lessons, which
taught by experience. If the usual diplomatic
had been pursued and protocol of the meetings Of
the negotlators or correspondence between them
had been held and preserved, such declaration Us
that of Sir Robert Peel above quoted need no, have
been made.
Blu, to return. THIS view Of the absence Of any de.
mand ola concession from Great Britain, still cr.
Their fortified, by the fact that Government 10 moi,
contend that this claim OF 1tsitaticn abandoned by
any express stipulation toe treaty, Tor 1t evident
there such but bec1usa there ''pract,cal
settlement of the question. These The words ]
neither add to nor take from them shall not stop 10
ask hat IS the precise meaning, Her "ha; ts dil
ference in treaty, bet@ecn the pract'c9i and the
specaqtire settlement cC question: but | will ask,
what the qgestio? 10 be settled: The answer 10
tins IS all important, hen caec upon 10 pro
nounce a judgment, not merely upon the wisdom o!
the American pegociaor, but upon the controversy
which has arisen between tue parties to the treaty
Let US 90 back. England was trying 10 suppress
the slave trade Size had formed treaties with several
powers, by which mutual right of search mot esit
such) conceded. and whereby her cruisers
could board, and take possession Of, and send in the
vessels OF these contracting parties found engaged
the slave trade. After hesitation, and no little
e.gversatlop, she finally announced that If one of
her cruisers boarded American vessel fagyaate
deeto 1t full Of slaves, such vessel must be left
pursue lis infamous traffic. That It response
BILE only 10 the laws OF lis own country, and could not
be captured by tho armed ships 81 another The Co.
vcrnment of the UGied States manifested its inc spo-
ston 10 enter INTO any mutual arrangement upon THIS
subject, giving special right OF search; choosing
execute l;s laws by its own proper force. H..
therefore, there were NJ American cruisers employee
in the slave trade iauuces, Ii is obvious, tia; ,
shocking traiic would 5e open 10 every American yes
sci, whose would sacrifice all othcI CONSIDERS
t,ons, to hazardous but the whole, 10 too pro-
iiiable commerce.
Here great difficulty, fo7 whch there was
avowedly no remedy, but in the ley ai,y and energy
of our Government
BIT there was still smother difficulty, for which ;he
statesmen Of Great Br,:aa were a.tc enouna Ia de-
wise remedy, ard sufficiently rees-dfnl of the int
rests oi their country Ia lola 1t their own hands
and which If once established rs par. Of the aw Of
nations, as con:ended for, would become ire
ncndous instrument the accomplishment, Of her
schemes of ageraad cement.
And that difficulty here. a vessel, concerned
in this traffic, might conceal lis nationality, md by
hosting the American flag or the flag OF any other ma
ton, rot party 20 iese conventions, giving mutual
right CT search, nigh, pass English cruiser rnex
amlned, and pursue her foul destination, untouched.
THIS vas the evil-aad now for The remedy
1t was first publicly announced, Gu he 27th August,