Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1856-01-04

! ting out ot cruisers by or against either, or
any other act or incident Of war. And
these undeniable rights of neutrality, indi-
vidual and national, the United States
! will under no circumstances surrender.
In pursuance of this policy, the laws of
the United States do not forbid their citi-
zcns to sell to either Of the belligcrcnt
powers articles. contraband of war, or to
take munitions of war or soldiers on board
their private ships tor transportation and
although, in SO doing, the individual cti-
zen exposes his property or person to some
of the hazards Of war, his acts do not in
volve any breach Of rational alneutrality, nor
of themselves implicate the government
Thus, during the progress Of the present
war in Europe, our citizens have. without
national responsibility therefore, sold gun
powder and arms to all buyers, regardless
of the destination of these articles. Our
merchantmen have been, and still contin-
uc to be, largely employed by Great Brit
ain and by France, in Transporting troops,
provisions, and munitions Of war to the
principal seat Of military operations, and
in bringing HON. their sick and wounded
soldiers; but such use of our mercantile
marine is not interdicted either BY the ill.,
ternational, or by our munici pal law, and
therefore does not compromlt our neutral
relations with Russia
But our municipal law, in accordance
with the law OF nations, peremptorlly for
bids, not only foreigners, but our own cit
liens, to tit out, within the limits oi the
United States, vessel 10 commit hostili-
ties against any state with which the Uni
ted States are at peace, or to Increase the
force of any foreign armed vessel intended
for such hostilities against friendly state.
Whatever concern NAV have been felt by
ei'i,v. tho beiiigoront ro~ers lest private
armed cruisers, or other Vessels, III The rcr
vice OF one, might be fitted out in the
ports OF this country to depredate on the
property OF the other, all such fears have
proved to be utterly grOundless. Our cit
liens have been withheld from any such
act or purpose by good faith, and by re-
spect for the law.
While the laws of the Union are thus
percmptory i'll their prohibition of the
equipment or armament OF beilige crui-
scrs in our ports, they provide not less alb
solutely that no person shall, within the
territory or jurisdiction otthe mted States
enlist or enter himself, or hire or retain
another person to enlist or enter himself.
or to 20 beyond the limits or jurisdiction
80, 81, Il, i,
ted or entered in the service ofanv foreign
state. citheras Il soldier, or as marine or sea
man on board OF any vessel l-ot-war, letter
of marque or prlvateer. And these enact
ments are also in strict conformity with
the law of nations, which declares that no
state has the right TO raise troops for land
or sea service in another state without Its
consent, and that, whether forbidden bv
the municipal law or not, the very attempt
to do it, without such consent, is an attack
on the national sovereignty.
Such being the public rights and the
municipal law of the United States, no So
licitude on the subject WAS entertained by
this government, when, year since, the
British Parliament passed an act to pro-
vide for the enlistment Of foreigners in the
military service of Great Britain. Moth
ing on the face Of the act. or its public his
tory, indicated that the British govern
nent proposed to attempt recruiting III the
| United States nor did it ever give init
/ nation of such intention 10 this govern
ment. 1t was matter Of surprise, there
fore, to find, subsequently,, that the engage
nent of persons within the United States
to proceed to Halifax, in the British PROV
ince of Nova Scotia. and there enlist in the
/ service Of Great Britain, was going on eG-
tensively, with little or no disguise Or
dinary legal steps were Immediately taken
to arrest and punish parties concerned, and
SO put an end to acts infringing the NUM-
cipal law and derogatory to our sovereign
ty. Meanwhile suitable representations
on the subject were addressed TO the Brit
ish government.
Thereupon it became known, by the ad-
mission of the British government itself,
that the attempt to draw recruits from this
country originated with it, or at least had
It's approval and sanction but it also ap-
peared that the public agents engaged in
it had d" stringent instructions " not to yio-
late the municipal law of the United States.
1t is difficult to understand how it should
have been supposed that troops could be
raised here by Great Britain, without VIC
latiOn of the municipal law The unmis-
taxable object of the law was to prevent
every such act, which, performed, must
be either in violation of the law, or in stud
led evasion OF it and in either altcrna-
tive, the act done would be alike injurious
to the sovereignty of the United States.
In the meantime, the matter acquired
additional Importance, by the recruitment
in the United States not beng discontin-
ued, and the disclosure of the fact that thev
were prosecuted on systematic plan de-
vised by official authority; that recruiting
rendezvous had been openedin our princi-
pal cities, and depots for the reception Of
recruits established on our frontier and
the whole business conducted under the
supervision and by the REGULAR co-opera-
ton of British officers, civil and military,
some in the North American provinces,
and some in the United Stats. The COM
plicity of these officers in an undertaking,
which could only be ACCOMPLISHED by de- /