The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-22


material; the principle is admitted, if anything les
than the whole demand was accepted in satisfaction
OF the whole. The very bill now before the Senat,
admits the prineiplej for It proposes 10 take Ave
millions IN full satisfaction Of four or five times tina
amount claimed, and without the interest, which il
the fifty years which elapsed since their origin
would be three times the amount Of the principal
The whole amount of these French claims, princpa
and interest," would now probably be seventy OF
eighty millions, yet the claimants offer 10 take nv,
millions for the whole thus, admitting by their act
while denying it by their words, that the government
is not bound TO obtain full indemnity, or pay IN,
damage itself but that il may compromise, surren
der abate, and cancel, It finds II convenient anC
proper to do. On this principle, these French
claims were settled ia 1900 Near four millions il
money was received; the release Of all uneondemnec
vessels was obtained; security for the future wal
acquired IN the immediate cessation OF sesures and
IN the immediate recommeneement Of trade and
commerce on safe and friendly terms.
/ repeat IT, right or wrong, the decision OF the
administration IN 1900 was final and conclusive on
these claims. 1t was final either way and left DC
claimants without further recourse, either upsu
France or on the United States. But 1t Is easy TO
prove that 1t was right, and that open war with
Bonaparte for their payment was an absurdity
which, without doing them any good, would have
| involved the whole Union in a ridiculous war oil
overwhelming expense. IL was right, therefore, to
take what was got, rub out old scores, and re-
| SoihihbiNt VI uduc anu ITlcnuHNlps Slt-
cumstances, well known then, but too little known
now, softened and justified this conclusion. II was
well known that the claimants went into danger
with their eyes open, and upon a calculation Of i'm.
mense profit. From the very commencement OF
the war with Great Brtain-from the month OF
| May, l793-the French revolutionary governments
began series OF DEGREES again the freedom OF com
merce, ostensibly directed against British goods
and bottoms and against intercourse with Great
Britain, but falling heavily upon neutrals and es-
Peclaly upon the ships Of the United States These
DEGREES were contrary TO the laws Of natons and 10
the treaties of alliance, trade, and friendship, OF
! l77S, between the United States and Francej but
they were public deerees formally enacted and pro-
mulgated, first by the National Convention, and then
! by the Directory and council Of prizes was es-
tablshed 10 Judge the of every vessel which
was captured and brought into French port under
these DEGREES. OF course, | now limit myself 10
these DEGREES; for other classes Of injuries not
ing within their provisions, have heretofore been
settled, These Injurious DEGREES, under which so
many captures and cOnfscations took place, were
public acts, duly promulgated TO the world, and for
the execution of which public tribunal sat in Paris.
Those who adgentured against them knew the risk
they ran; but the profits of supplying the great
armies Of Europe, then universally engaged in war
to the neglect Of agriculture were so large, that II
one vessel IN three or four went safe, fortunes were
made. Besides, those who chose to insure might
do so, and thus avoid all risk. The Of fifty
years ago knew all this and they also knew (what
the French alleged was, III many instances true
that British property often concealed in Amer-
can vessels, and British owners often covered by
the American flag. They knew all this, and more:
that American commerce, Notwithstanding the dan
gers to which it subject hourished in the most
extraordinary manner; that it rose, in the verv pc
Rod Of these depredatons, from S26 90 572 (Which
it was in 1889 to sos, 5O602l, (Which it had at
tanned in the year 1901 The foreign commerce ofthe
United States is only about 100 600, 900 now With
| population increased four-fold, 1t is now only a
fraction over what it then! Yet the good. ma.
tured people of the present generation must be made
to believe that fereIgn commerce twas swept from
the ocean," "that ruin overwhelmed the merchant in
that disastrous time;n and that the present genera
ton are bound to make good the losses OF the
poor sufferers of that time! when the memorable
bgures of the custom-house books prove the fact
that these ruined people were about four times
better off in the midst of their losses than we ace
in the midst of our gains They knew, also, that
most of these were insured; and they knew,
if we do not, that the United States not bound
to insure insurers that is to say to insure, without
premium, those who made their living by insuring
for premiums But there was one thing that they
did not know, and could not and which we can
and do know, and that is, that the mass OF these
claims are now in the hands of spectators, who
have purchased them at five cents and ten cents in
the dollar and now, Qike the old purchasers OF
revolutionary soldiers certificates at two shillings
in the name of the widows and orphans they have
feeced, to get their FIVE and ten cents changed into
one hundred
But these claimants plead a particular title to be
compensated by the United States They plead
that they were surrendered to France for consd-
| eraon--for the valuable consideration of getting
rid Of the burdensome articles of the treaties Of ITS
with France, by which she guaranteed our indie.
pendence and possessions and we guaranteed her
West India islands, and also by which we granted
to France the exclusive use of our ports for her
commercial and military MARINE and for her cruisers
| and their prizes, during her with other ma
| tons. 1t was for release from these burden
some and rninous stipulatons, the claimants say,
| that their claims were surrendered in 1900. But
this is entire, an utter mistake. The law OF ma
tons had released them from the time 1t became
dangerous burden; and this declared and set
| tied by Washington's proclamation Of neutrality
| the moment the burden about to fall upon US.
| BY the laws OF nations, any power which enters
| into stpuations which become ruinous to them,
| or even involve them in dangerous wars in which
| they have no interest-any such power may plead
the fact, and declare itself released from the obi
CATION; and that declaration creates question be-
| tween the two parties themselves, with which no
one else has right to interfere. On this principle
| the celebrated proclamation of neutrality OF 1893
issued, by which the United States refused to
join France in her war with Great Britain-retused
to defend her West India slands-and refused to
grant privileges, incompatible with neutrality, to
French ships and cruisers in our ports. All the
burdensome articles of the treaties of alliance, or
commerce and amty, were then knocked in the
head. The proclamation put an end to them; and
the French government alone had right to imPugn
the correctness of that procamation and II they did
So their course was, first to remonstrate and then
to fight. They did not impugn it They admitted
it to be right and during the seven years that elapsed
from the date of the proclamation to the conclusion
of the treaty Of 1900, the onerous sdpulotions OF
these treaties remained dead letter on the book
France lost all her West India islands, and never
asked either to pay for them or to conquer them
! for her. Under the National Convention and under
the Directory, and while Great Britain and other
powers were despoiling France of all her West In
dia islands, and the revoted negroes of San Domn-
go were emancpating that island, no requIHtion was
made upon to abandon the proclamation of neu.
trality and comply with the treaties Of IT'S. When
Bonaparte came to the hssi of the French govern
rnent, he frankly declared that the stpuiations Of
these treaties were incompatible with the freedom
and Independence of the United States, and in the
treaty Of 1900, as signed agreed that they should
continue to remain without operation until "a conpe
nsm timee came to treat of them again, which war