The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-12-23
THE DAHL Y DISPATCH
Tnrrary aIernirs. pecrmee.' es - ls.so
PrivateerIrw.

THE DALI Y DISTANT.
Ta<~sry sIsrninu. December ~. %"
PrjvateeriuE.
The amendment of Mr. Marcy 70 the propos'"o"
of En,,ana and France for the abolition Of pr'va
Gearing s,uplv proposes that property. other tna'
cor,r.h.nd ~ war. sbaH be also free from cap
err. he enemies national vessels, ~ well as oS
rr,v.,. armed ships on The Aigh scds reservins 70
~. .a.my the right of blockade, by effective 'oroe
10 prevent the property Of subjects ana c'''hens
from reaching The high seas
Ths Emperor of Russia accepts the condition
nroposed bv the United States, in the following
word. viz THAT ale pirate properly Of me sao'
ss, and citizens of the contracting parties shat IN
,;ass Of gar be respeced By their respea'ro "anHt
ores. a. ea BY those Of all ne poSers seh'cA 'Hog
soia IN This declaration"
wa .vree with an able Connecticut correspon'
dent of the New York Journal of Commerce In
his opinion, that the Emperor of Russia, in the
above word ing, accepts more than Mr. marcy :
proposition covered, and perhaps intended 1t as
delicate hint Of important oversight in Mr.
Marcy's amendment, In not adding, that all block
AIDES of seaports should be abolished, far as con-
eerned private property on shipboard In port, and
their free and uninterrupted access. Should Erg
land and France accept Mr.. Marcy's proposition
as IL Is believed they will they could, In the event
of war; blockade all seaports with ease. whilst
their own commerce would roam over the seas un-
raciested 1t seems to us that there Is much force
in the suggestion of the Journals correspondent
shat, if our Government is unwise enough to enter
into any negotiation with European powers on
this question it should at least be insisted on that
tie bookrde Of seaports shall nor prerent the free ana
aniataruwed mgrtss ondegress Of pirate ships 'csth
their cdrSoes
The Journal referring to the important commu-
niea,on of its correspondent says it has again ez-
amiued the correspondence between our own and
certain European governments, in respect to priva
teeriug TO see able Secretary of State did not
sitter all, intend TO exempt merchant vessels and
their cargoes except contraband goods,) from the
operation of the laws of blockade. No such reser
walton, however, can be found. The contrary is
Implied in a paragraph, where, speaking CT the
coutraband trade. he says "The laws of siege and
blockade, i, is believed. afford all the remedies
against neutrals that the parties to the war can
Justly claim Those lams interdict all trade Nth ne
besteged Jl0ckddsd Places 1t is clear that the
freedom of the seas" would be an empty name, so
long as our merchant vessels could neither get to
sea nor enter our own ports
The Journals correspondent is also emphatically
right in the recommendation that our government
should decline all overtures and reject all proposed
arrangements in regard to privateering. No sane
Al supposes that the proposition was ever made
for the sake of softening the horrors of war
everybody knows that their sole design was TO
cripple America in the right arm of her naval
defence. They might call upon US, with just as
much reason, to surrender cur militia and yolun
teer system as our privateers. In fact it would
not be sd dangerous to sacrifice our undscipliued
and undrilled militia, and agree that we would
only fight with standing armies, as to bind our
selves only to employ national vessels in naval
warfare The ocean is the arena which we
must decide our quarrels with Europe, and it is
arena to which she will be slow in inviting u.s. if
her commerce is to be placed in equal jeopardy
with our own. Privateers have always been
strongholds, and if we surrender them. Britain
will rule the waves" without rival, and the
prediction of Journals correspondent be realized
that ar will take place with this country in less
than six months and Cuba be taken possession of
by these powers, as The point 'appnt for their me
ditated designs to control the balance of power on
this continent and the humiliating spectacle will
be presented to the world of aggression on this
continent, which we have not the power to oppose
having but a miniature navy to oppose the two
largest navies the world ever saw. In the mean
time, the war may continue forever; England and
France have nothing to suffer in their. commerce.
,kat being by treaty stpulations permitted to roam
unnlolested.
What has America to 90 with Paris Congress-
Let Europe regulate its own affairs. Let us cling
to privaeers, and if the Western Powers insist
upon abolishing the system, let them substitute
maiu force for diplomacy, and if they can accom-
plish their object by that means, we can then
agree that privateering is useless system, and
give il up.