Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-01-24
WASHINGTON NEWS AND eossIp

know Of the French spoliation claims only by
name, synoptical history of them may not
prove unintsrssting. In, We believe, our first
treaty with France, 1t was stipulated that the
flag Of either country should protect many do.
scriptions of goods and merchandise, in the
ships Of either nation, which are eontraband
of war under the laws of nations. This ar.
ticle worked badly for France in her war with
England after our revolution--as another AT
ticls of the same treaty worked badly for Eng
land during that war. This second article
authorised France to bring her prizes into our
ports, to condemn them, and to fit out priva.
teers here and man them with American sea.
men Turing that war our Government was
harrssssd by complaints from both those ma
tions. The English complained that, as neu-
trails, we had no right to make our harbors .
refuge for their enemies, wherein they re-
ceiyed most material aid and comfort, or to
fight their battles under their flag. The
French complained that, under their original
treaty with Us, we were supplying the English
with the most needed means Of carrying on
the war, while they were bound to abstain
from sezing those supplies on the high seas
by our reading Of the obligations of the treaty
above referred to. In all this time some of
our merchants were specializing on the chances
of the war q portion of them were furnish.
ing privateers to cruise under French colors
and the English, with various articles contra
band of war, some of which the French seized
carried into their ports and appropriated them
to their own use, paying for them, however,
in all Gases their full market value, but de-
tanning the ships for months, and often year or
more. Other seizures of American property
were made by the French, of, perhaps, more
questionable propriety. This Government,
wesried out by the troubles with both beliger-
ents, arising from the treaty provisions above
referred to, at length acquiesced in the act of
France formally abrogating them. subse
quent to that act, the war between France and
England continuing, France made many more
such seizures of American merchandise des
tined for England which was contraband ofwsr
The lossers urged the American Government
to force France to pay for the articles 80 seized
for the detention of the American vessels. &c
and the most powerful diplomatic efforts on
our part known to history, were made with
out avail. Our Congress then virtually de-
clared war against France, putting in opera
tiCn against her all the small maritime force
at its command-authorizing American priva-
teers to despoil her commerce, and providing
sustenance for the French prisoners that might
be taken by our ships, private and public
We also adopted the non-intercourse system,
and imposed heavy penalties on American
vessels voluntarily going into French port
Thus matters continued until the treaty of
1900 was ratified by the United States Senate,
to which Napoleon consented eonditionally-'
that is, expunging the second article of the
treaty, Which provided that the clair MS in
question (Which France never acknowledged,
notwithstanding the assertions to the contra
ry) should be left subject to adjustment by
future negotiations. On our part, we gained
by that treaty release from certain oner-
Gus obligations"-that is, from the obligation
to permit France to use our ports pretty much
az her own in time of war, to fit out in hem
American privateers urder her flag, 80 which
keeps US in interminabIe hot-water with her
enemy, and, as much as anything else, laid
the foundation Of cur war of 1872 These
obligations" however, were by no means
pecuniary.
Our Government did not cease its efforts to
obtain for them what the claimants asserted
to be their rights from France In 1903, the
treaty for the purchase Of Louisiana was
made. According to his instructions, the
French Minister was to have taken fifty mil.
lions of francs for the territory, if the United
States would pay no more. But by adr itly
agreeing that twenty millions of francs of the
money to be paid for the territory should 20
to the liquidation Of American claims on
France, be obtained eighty millions for the
Louisiana territory; and the twenty millions
was reserved and duly paid out on such of
the claims as France, on due invest CATION, 40
knowledged. Most of the balancs-the claims
now bein. urged on the American Congress
arose from the a,ts of our citisens, after both |
France and the United States had proclaimed
assumed to be lawful, to be no longer binding
on either nation.
The claimants who got none Of the money
so distributed, Immediately turned on their
own Government; and from that day to this
have been urging that by agreeing with Napo-
leon in 1900 to expunge the second criticize of
the treaty of that year-which provided "that
the American claims on France should be the
subject Of future negotiation"-and also by
becoming in the same treaty released from
: onerous oblig atoms" to France, the United
States had made themsel YES justly and legally
bound to pay the claims in question.
To this We object
LIST. Because their reading of the /" onsrous
obligations is glaripgly false one-those
obligations being political, not peouniary.
Next: Because the Government of the Uni
ted States did its whole duty in the premises,
even If the claims on France had not arisen
for the most part from the desire NJ mn u.-