The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-11-29
from DE New York Commercial ADVERTISE
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

We would suggest a little closer attention to
this excellent rule, on the part Of the gentleman
who fills the Office of Attorney General of the
United States. Not that we have any intention
to charge him with failing to perform the du-
ties of his office. For aught that we know to
the contrary, he may be a hard-working public
officer, and we rather incline to think that he
is. We suspect that he likes work that he is,
in fact, busy-minded that his industry is equal
to his ability, which is saying . good deal, and
placing him almost AT the antipodes of indo-
lence or inactivity. But every now and then
something transpires to make us wish that Mr.
Gushing would " mind only his own business"
and not take upon him the duties of the Presi-
dent and Secretary of State, as he too often
seems disposed TO do.
In September last, Mr.. Attorney General
Cushing addressed two letters to the United
States District Attorney at Philadelphia, rela-
tive TO the prosecution of certain agents OF the
British Government, who were charged with
enlisting men for the British army in the Cri-
mea, in contravention Of the laws of the United
States. These letters were reproduced by the
Commercial, as part Of the PennSyIranias's re-
port of the Hertz case, in October Recent
rumors Of difficulties between this Government
and that of Great Britain have induced sever
al Of our cotemporaries to republish these doe
uments, with comments. Ii is sufficient for our
present purpose to reproduce a sentence or two
from each letter. In the one dated September
9TH Mr. Gushing said
This Government has, of course addressed
to that of Great Britain such demands of pub
lie redress and satisfaction, in the premises, as
the national honor requires. But the Govern
ment of Great Britain, with extraordinary in
attention to the grave aspect of its acts, name
| ly-the fragrant violation of our sovereign
1 FHfr ,Hr ,lvragl
| tcent justification of what it has done, to re-
ply that it gave instructions to its agents so to
proceed not to infringe our municipal laws ::
and 1t quotes the remarks Of Judge Kane in
| support of the idea that it has succeeded in
tins purpose. 1t may be so. Judge Kane is
an upright and intelligent Judge and will pro-
nounce the law it is, without fear or favor
| But if the British Government has, by ingeni-
| GUS contrivances, succeeded in sheltering its
| agents from conviction as mslefactors, it has,
IN doing so, doubled the magnitude of the na-
tonal wrong inflicted on the United States"
In the other, dated Sept. 18th, he said:
/ " 1t is known that instructions on this sub
ject were given by that Government to its Off
GERS in the United States. We are told by Lord
| Clarendon that those officers had stringent in
| structlOns SO to proceed as not to violate the
municipal law-that is, to violate its spirit but
not its letter If so, the instructions themselves
violate the sovereign rights of the United States.
" But, in the mean time, every Consul of
Great Britain in the United States is, by the
avowal OF his Government, subject to the lust
suspicion Of breach Of law; while, apparently,
he must have disobeyed his own Government,
or, in obeying it, have abused his consular
| functions by the violation of his international
duty to the United States
Upon these letters, the National LnteIIiqen-
Ger, than which no journal in the Union is
more entitled to respect and consideration, thus
| comments:
ave confess that we do not perceive that
there was any necessity for incorporating in
the letters so full exposition of the views
and feelings of this Government upon the mat
tiers therein referred to. But we respectfully
submit that as they were merely suggestions
from the highest law officer of the Government
to subordinate officer of his Department, and
were not addressed to the British Government
or any of its officers, they are by no means
properly cognizable by that Government"
We can scarcely subscribe to the doctrine
asserted by our esteemed contemporary, as a
| general rule or principle. Suppose the highest
law officer Of the Government had seen proper
writing in his official capacity, and under the
guise OF instructing subordinate officer of his
| Department. to disclose some important over
lures from another Government to its detriment,
or grossly to misrepresent such Government in
order to feed popular prejudice against it,
would not such communication ESPECIALLY
when published by his consent or connivance)
be properly taken notice of by that Govern
ment? We think it would. And we think also
that on this ground Mr.. Attorney General
| Cushing's letters to his subordinate were likely
to be, and Justly were, cause of complaint or re-
monstrance on the part of the British Govern
nent to the head of this Government. Had
Mr. Cushing confined himself to his duty as At
torney General-had he written simply as legal