Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-08-20

of the United States from 1889 to this time
Yet there has been no war--no declaration of
war; but, on the contrary there has been the
most pacific spirit on both sides which could
be imagined. In 1886, Mr.. Forsyth, the then
Secretary of State. was 80 pacific and friendly,
that he informed Mr. Bankhead, bydirection of
the President, that masters, owners, and Others
engaged in the fisherics," were to be informed
ny the collectors "that complaints had been
made, that they were enjonedn to the strict
iimits assigned for taking fish under the con-
vention Of 1918. So in that wear the Secrcta-
ry OF the treasury addressed circular letter
10 the collectors OF customs, directing them to
INFORM the American fishermen not To encroach
upon the hshIng grounds secured exclusively
| to British fishermen by the convention of 1882
So in 1889, Mr.. Van, Acting Secretary OF
State, in an official communication, said:
Under the suppositon that many Of the seizures
had horn made upon insufficient grounds, and in or
der possible, to preclude Tor the future the recur-
renee OF such proceedings, the acting Secretary OF
State, In note dated tho 10th of July called the
attention of tho British Minister to the of sci
euro which had come to the knowledge of the De-
partmeDt and requested him to direct the attention
OF the Provincial authorities to the runeus conso-
quenccs of the seizures TO the Of the vessels
whatever might bo the issue Of the legal proceedings
instituted against them, and to tahort them to
else great caution and forboarance in future in order
that American citizens, NOT ma,ittstly encroaching
upon British rights, should not be subject to intor-
rupton in the pursuit Of their lawful vocations''
Sir, ! think you now see that this present
Administration has roared, in tones Of defiance
of Great Britain, at least as loud as these ut
terances of the Administrations Of Mr.. Van
Buren and Of General jackson. 1t has been a
ground of censure; and ground of complaint
and excitement here, that no notice was given
by tho British Government to the United States
that they had changed their construction of the
treaty. That is all right. 1t is good ground
of complaint, provided the condition holds If
they had changed the construction of the trea-
ty, they ought to have given us notice; but if
they had not changed, then the complaint of
want of notice must fail
1t has been complained here that the Presi-
dent withheld information. 1t is enough to
know that he had nothing official worth COM
muncating and that, when requested, he fur
nished all that he had.
If have been successful, have shown the
Senate that there is not in the present diff
culies about the fisheries any ground of
alarm-preciscly for the reason that nothing
new has occurred. That circumstances remain
just exactly rs they were that there is no
ground to apprehend war, because the dis
positions of the British Government remain
Just as pacific rs they were before; and the
dispositions Of the Colonies to retalate were
well known before and that if there were rea-
sons for censrre in any quarter it must fall
elsewhere, and not on the Administration
The President transferred the subject to Con-
grcss last December. The Senate imply that
this was right, because it rejects the idea of
negotiation. Who, then, has right to COM
plain? Is it Congress, that the Executive has
not acted I? or is it the Administration, that
Congress has been silent?
shall be told, indeed, that the notice of the
British Minister was ambiguous. But it was no
more ambiguous than the well-understood re-
serve practiced by that Government for dozen
and more years past
The Executive is not to be censured for not
having resisted the British force, for there has
been none there in hostility to resist. 1t has
not resented indignty, because there has been
no indignity offered. This is So unless the
Government of the United States shall claim
right to prescribe to the Government of
Great Britain what portion Of her naval force
she shall maintain on this station. and what
on that | should like to see how the Senate
of tho United States would regard notice
from the British Government, that we must
send not more than one, or two, or five, or ten,
war steamers, or ships Of the line, off the coast
Of Nicaragua, or into the Mediterranean. The
Executive has acted with all sufficient prompt
ness, and, when it seemed necessary the Mis-
sissippl" was sent into those waters. From
accounts received it appears that Commo-
dore Perry found the British authorities ad-
herring practically to our own construction of
the convention of18l8. What is the Mississippi
to do? She must not protect fishermen who
according to our own construction are encroach-
ing and those who are not, seem to need no
protection.
To BR CONTINUED.