Washington sentinel., 1856-06-03

This had been decided by the courts of tn,
United States, and was publicly and exten
sively made known. 1t is not controverted
indeed, it is admitted, that he had the re
cruiting business in his charge and under his
control yet he permitted it to be continued
although iudicially determined to be unlawful
through the months of May, June, and July
into August
Now, this long series OF acts, unlawful and
otherwise prejudiclal to the good name and the
tranquility OF this country, were performed by
persons who were literally paid by British
officers, and many Of whom actually entered
the military service of Great Britain. That was
incontestably proved on the trial of Hertz and
Wagner, by evidence which has not been and
cannot be impeached and although the evi-
dence adduced on those trials does not need
corroboration, still it may not be amiss to add
that much other evidence to the same effect is
| in the possession of this Government, some OF
which is annexed to this despatch in the form
of documents responsive to those accompany
ing the letter Of the Earl of Clarendon.
Who is to be held accountable for these un-
lawful acts?
Were they all performed by volunteer and
irresponsible persons, as argued in the Earl OF
Clarendon's despatch of the 10th OF July?
reason that they received pay from British
officers, and of course were employed by some
responsible agents of the British Government.
The Earl of Clarendon, In behalf OF her
Majesty's Government, discaims all intention
to violate the laws, compromise the neutrality,
or disrespect the sovereignty of the United
States, by enisting troops within their territory.
The President unreservedy accepts and is fully
satisfied with this disclaimer. Of course the
unlawful acts In question were not authorized
by the British Government; but the fact is
nevertheless, we'll established that they were
done and done in the name and at the expense
of the British Government. Who, then, is re-
sponsible for those acts? Were there no direct
proof-though there is much Of that character
the inference would be irresistible that, not
being authorized by the British Government
itself, they were the unauthorized acts Of
British agentsin the United States. Such agents
having acted in wiful disregard of the orders
of their Government in thus infringing our
laws, may have failed to inform their Gov
ernment that what they had undertaken to
do could not be done without infringing those
laws; or by Encouragement, indiscretion, or
erzeal, they may have participated in such
Infringement, though well knowing it was con-
trary to the wishes and the express orders of
their Government. However this may be, it is
certain that agents existed because their acts
appear. Who were those agents?
Of this we are not left in doubt. In the
documents on the subject recently laid before
Parliament it is distinctly stated that the en-
listments in the United States did not stop until
Mr. Champion gave orders for their cessation on
the 5th of August. He had power to stop the
acts of enlistment; he knew the proceedings
were, from the commencement, exceedingly
offensive to this Government, and that it was
devoting its active energies to arrest them; he
was bound to know, he could not but know,
what was notorious to all the world, that through
the months of April, May, June, and July the
recruiting agents in various parts of the United
States, and conspicuously in Boston, New York,
Philadelphia, and Cincinnati, were keeping up
a most unseemly contest with the law officers
of the United States, and that at least as early
as May the illegality of the proceedings had
been pronounced by the Federal courts in New
Y York and Philadelphia; and yet, notwithstand
ing this, he permitted the unlawful acts in
question to 20 on without check until the month
of August. For thus giving countenance to
these illegal proceedings heis distinctly respon-
sible.
But his accountability extends yet further;
for the same documents show that the official
suggestion to the British Government of the
untoward scheme of obtaining recruits in the
United States came from the correspondence of
Mr. Champion, and of the Consuls at New
York, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati; and that
to Mr.. Champion we're the superintendent and
execution of the scheme committed. And thus
it is that be who directed had the power to
stop the proceeding; and thus, from early in
March until August, he is found busily occupied
in experimenting eulistments, partly in the
United States and partly in Canada and Nova
Scotia, and in issuing instructions to the agents
engaged in that enterprise.
1t does not suffice for Mr. Champion now to
say that he did not intend to commit or parti-
cipate in the commission of any infringement
of the laws of the United States He was the
directing head of long-continued infringements
of the law it was under superior authority
from him that acts Of continuous violation of
law we're perpetrated by the inferior agents !;
some of those agents are proved by his own
letters to have held direct intercourse with
him; and at every stage OF inquiry, in hume
rous cases investigated by the American Gov
ernment, there is reference, by letter and oral
declaration, to the general superintendence Of
of Mr.. Champion.
His moral and his legal responsibility are
thus demonstrated. With full information of
the stringency Of the laws Of the United States
against foreign recruiting, with distinct per-
ception Of its being all but impossible to raise
recruits here without infringing the laws, and
with knowledge Of the condemnatory judicial
proceedings Of April and May at New York
and Philadelphia, yet he persisted in carrying
on the scheme until August, when its obstinate
prosecution had at length brought on a most
unpleasant controversy between the United
States and Great Britain. And it is not the
least of the causes of complaint against Mr..
Champion that by his acts Of commission in
this business, or in failing 10 advise his Govern.
ment Of the impracticability Of the undertaking
in which he was embarked, and the series OF
illegal acts which it involved. and in neglecting
to observe the general orders of bis Govern.
ment and to stop the recruiting here the mo-
ment its illegality was pronounced by the
proper legal authorities of the United States,
he was recklessly endangering the harmony
and peace of two great nations, which, by the
character Of their commercial relations and by
| other considerations have the strongest possi.