Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-11-20

81 MI TIC oh - -
dressed 10 "The sentinel Once" WASH
tngton.
INSTRUCTIONS OF ATTORNEY GENE-
RAJ CUSHING IN THE EN-
L~IsTMENT CASES.
A comparatively unimportant Office may be
rendered very imposing and powerful by an
able, ambitious, and persevering man. Such
a man, rebelling against restraints, can never
be satisfied until his Office is so stretched as to
instances of men, like Buckingham Of England
and Richelieu of France, who, not content to
move within circumscribed limits, have pro-
ceeded step by step until they have become the
rulers Of their country and dictators to their
royal masters.
The Office of Attorney General in this Re-
public, while an office of high dignity and
great influence, and which has been graced by
some of the best cultivated and most command
ing i~ntellects of the country, has yet been con
sidered a grade inferior to the other cabinet
offices. Latterly, however, it has doomed up
before our view in greatly increased dimen-
sions. The learned gentleman who fills that
Office seems to have thrown all his abilities
and all his energies into the effort to make it
potential and august. His opinions issue from
him with a fscncy and a continuousness that
argue well for his habits Of industry. They
are spread before the public day after day, and
are made the subjects of comment in almost
every newspaper. Indeed, he appears to have
made the Office of Attorney General the great,
controlling, supervisory office o. the Govern
ment. No question, however great, is too
great; no question, however small, is too small
for the interchangeable Attorney General. He
can settle with a dash Of his pen the question
as to the equality OF the States, or the con-
s%truclion Of an ordinary statute. But while
we are inclined to think this learned and labo-
rious Attorney General is stretching his office
too mucs, we yet must render the humble tri-
butte OF our appreciation to the following in.
structions, communicated by that functionary,
to District Attorney Van Dyke. True, they
seem to encroach somewhat on the Legitimate
functions of the Secretary of State. That,
however, makes but little difference, since the
instructions themselves are altogether right.
Attorney General Gushing is not only a man
Of mark here, but he is making a great noise
abroad. That great thunderer, the London
Times, has assailed his instructions to Mr.. Van
Dyke with exceeding bitterness, and a score OF
lesser papers have followed up its attack. But
Mr.. Cushing's positions are so obviously right,
that the thunder.bolts of the London press fall
harmlessly at his feet. 1t is not for the Eng
fish Government, but for our Government, to
decide whether the recruiting service for the
Crimean war shall be transferred from London
to New York or Philadelphia. Mr.. Gushing
is right in his instructions.
M. Cushing to J. c. Fan Dyke, esq.
ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE, Sept. IL.
Sir: In reply TO your letter Of the 10th inst,
on the subject of the indictments pending
against persons charged with recruiting for the
militia service of Great Britain, / have the
honor to make the following observations:
Mr.. McKeon has been advised Of the desira
bleness Of comforting with you personally
either by himself or his assistant, in regard tc
new evidence to which he may have access
and which may be useful TO you.
/ suggest the expediency of trying only q
part of the cases now, especially if you fail Il
convict in some leading case.
But the most important consideration is this
This Government has, of course, addressed
to that Of Great Britain such demands Of public
redress and satisfaction in the premises as thu
national honor requires. But the Government
of Great Britain, with extraordinary inatten
ton to the grave aspects of its acts, namely, tn,
fragrant violation of our sovereign rights in
voived in them, has supposed it a sufficient jus
tifcation Of what it has done TO reply that i
gave instructions to It's agents so to proceed a,
not to infringe our municipal laws; and j
quotes the remarks Of Judge Kane in supper
OF the idea that il has succeeded in this pur
pose. 1t may be so. Judge Kane is an up
right and intelligent Judge, and will pronounce
the law as it is, without fear or favor. But i
the British Government has, by ingenious con
trivances, succeeded in sheltering its agent
from conviction as malefactors, il has in so do
ing doubled the magnitude Of the n~ationa
wrong inflicted on the United States.
This Government has done its duty Of inter
nal administration in prosecuting the individ
uals engaged in these acts. II they are &C
Quilted, by a deliberate undertaking Of the Bri
fish Government, not only as a nation, to VIC
late our sovereign rights as a nation, but also
to evade our municipal laws-and that under
taking shall be contaminated BY its agents il
the United States-when all this shall hay,
been iudicially ascertained, the President vii
then have before him the elements Of decision
as to what international action it becomes tn,
United States to adopt in so grave a matter.
am, very respectfully,