The daily union., 1856-10-18
THE PRIyATEER QUESTION.

THE PRIvATEER QUESTION
From the London Morning Star Of September llthl
The Americans tell that in their last with Eng
land they captured in two years and half seventeen
hundred and fifty British vessels and that in the
time sixteen hundred and eghtythree American vessels
taken by British cruisers At that time they say
their mercantile marine pigmy to giant CON-
pared with ours but that the growth of fortyve years
has brought their tonnage to equality with own
aud they add the very pertinent question If in 1872 they
able to beat in the amount Of robbery upon the
high seas, how much easily would they be able
do SO in 1858 1902 They accompany this boast
however, with the offer of treaty to abolish the practice
of stealing private property the in the event Of
future
As gross an amount Of ignorance, dsngenuousuess
and immortality has been displayed by portion of
newspaper press in dealing with this proposition of the
American government remember to have observed
any other question: and that is saying great deal In
these times Many Of them made their ignorance of
the nature of the American offer the ground of an accusa
ton of bad faith They say for instance that they do not
believe in its sincerity because it is likely the Amer
cans will orego the OF private ships for purposes
of war In of future hostes These writers do not
evidently understand the point at ISSUE 1t is not ques
ton to what kind of vessels the American
will employ TO repsl an ctach By ps-Qpar OF 10 pre-
rent hostile descents upon their coasts They WILL of course
arm anything that will float for such purpose whether it
be called merchapt vessel shipofwar as should
do under the same circumstances Nay, it is pos
sible, in case OF war between the United States and
any other power that their mercantile marine would
produce larger and swher vessels than the royal or
imperial navy to which It was opposed complete
revolution has taken place in the size and construc
ton of merchant vessels since the contest of 1872 At
that time hardly such thing as private merchant ship
of thousand tons in existence Now our leading
shp-owners do not care to own one Of small burden
but they build them of two, three and four thousand tons
larger size than the lineofbatte ships of Nelson's time
Nay building merchant vessel in the Thames
which would down that great ship as
easily the Victory would have sunk the smallest merchant
of its day The question whether in case of war
the Americans to employ their merchant vessels in con-
tending against the government ships of their enemies
whether they to have the lucrative privilege
capturing merchant ships reserved for the command
and crews of royal and imperial naves The American
says that in Of will give to It's voun
teer seaorce precisely the powers capture burn
sink enemies property which other begerent powers
claim for their standing nsyes but the same time TO
prove that 1t has no desire to perpeuate system repug
nant to the civilization Of the age this declaration s ac
companied with the offer TO enter into general treaty al
together exempng private property from capture in
of war
Our leading contemporary tells that we are guilty OF
lacy in placing prvaeers and regular shps-ofwar in
the category nssmuch the latter perpetrate their
depredaons with so much humanity and poteness
than the former SO laudatory he Of these professional
punderes that might be half persuaded that Il must
be very pleasant thing to lose cargo their hands II
had not had recent experience Of their doing
But should like TO take the opinion Of the seafring
population Of the Sea Of AEoH and the Gulf of Bothna on
this subject We doubt whether greater atrocities were
committed in the pamiest days OF pvateerng than
perpcAted by vessels sailing under the British ensign
and commanded by officers Of the royal navy in those
waters during the late II is notorious all who are
engaged in trade with the population Of the Of Finland
that complete revuson has taken place n their feelings
which from ardent admiration have been changed into
the btterest hatred Of Engshmen and this has been en-
rey the work Of our regular navy without having had
prvateer among them. And let not deceive ourselves
the character bear for highhanded injustice as
naval power with the people OF the United States II is
not Of privsteers that they complain Their great
grievances which led 10 the Of 1872 were directed
against royal navy and their traditional sense OF in
jury and injustice Is all with the arbitrary and
barbarous exercise Of the power Of fleets whether on
the their coasts Some Of the commanders
who stand high in naval annals held up to the er
ecaon OF the youth Of America in the histories which are
suppose that Admiral Cookburn who commanded the feet
which visited the shores Of America In 1914 s spoken OF
in these publications.
We have lying before us couple OF volumes, bearing
the title Of "A Chds History Of the United States by
John Bonner published by Harper Brothers New York
and we win give or two short extracts "The wars
Europe ended and the great lords had no work for
tho multitude Of their soldiers except on the American
coast Powerful squadrons carrying large armies were
sent ont to America The troops told II would SEEM
to cease arrival here, to be soldiers and to become
pirates The most savage Of these pirates was Admiral
Cockburn Of whose praces the coasts Of Virginia and
Carolina You have heard already This Cookburn had
long been tired Of pundsrng arm-bouses and villages and
insulting women he longed for greater game Aaer
cruising time the coast he suddenly dashed into
the Chesapeake sailed past the mouth Of the Potomac into
the Patuxent' 6c.-yo. ill., p. 2ol.
On the British In the cool Of the evening the nj
rate Cockburu At their head There was no one 10 resist
them they took possession OF the Capitol and began 10
burn and destroy They FIRE the Presidents house
and the Offices Of the State departments to the Capitol 10
the arsenal TO several newspaper Offices private
Splendid buildings rich libraries noble works of art yalp
able records were all burnt the vile pirate Cockbnrn
boasng that he would cat his supper by the light Of the
lames-Pp. 208, a.
Pirate Cockburn had succeeded so well in his forav AZ
Washington that be impatient TO repeat the opera-
ton. few days after the troops had re-embarked he
sailed up the bay second time" &c--Pp 2O7.
Now, We would ask rational Englishmen whether they
think that the argument put forth by their great aere
Of the daily press founded the assumed superior I'M
many and courtesy Of the British navy compared with
American privateers s likely TO have any weight with
people whose children mbbing such histories OF our
exploits as those from which the above extracts are taken
Why IL they notice such dsngeuuous sophstries at all Il