The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1856-09-11
From the London Star.
Maritime Law-American Government.

Inc influence exerted by the new world,
upon the traditional policy by the old. is
not grateful .opic To the governing class
es OF Europe, and hence they say ms little
AS possible about it. 1t is with the great
est reluctance, indeed, that they can be
brought TO acknowledge the fact every day
forced upon their attention, that, without
mixing ostensible ana formally in the poll
tics OF Europe, the mere existence of power.
ful communities that have sprung into
! vigorous life on the other side Of the At
lantic must, for the future, enter as an es.
sential element into the account whenever
the affairs OF the civilized world have 10
be adjusted. Few people are aware, for
example, that the new principle which
the belligerents in the late war adopted
towards neutral powers ut sea, arose out of
representations made by the United States,
to the effect that the right of search" for
which we did battle with them in 1912,
would no longer lie submitted to- Nothing
was said by our statesmen or diplomatists
OF the real motive which induced our Go.
vernment to suspend" during the war
with Eussia. the exercise of il old "beIlire-
reut nights" and as our people know moth
ING OF the secret correspondence that was
carried on between Lord Clarendon and
Mr.. buchanan, they have, Of course con.
sidered this more humane and courteous
treatment which neutral flags have receiv.
ed, during the late war, AS an act Of hom.
age on our part TO the advanced ciyiliza-
ton of the age.
Inc Americans are now taking another
step IN path which, we predict. the rest
oi the world will be induced TO follow, and
from which we can forcsee far greater con-
sequences to the Interests Of civilization and
humanity, than from anything else likely
10 spring out of the blood and smoke of the
siege OF Sebastopol. 1t will be remember
cd that, at the late Peace Conference in
l'arls, declaration was signed. pledging
the great Powers Of Europe TO exert their
influence to put down the practice Of priva-
tecrlng IN case of future wars between
maritime States; and the Governments
/ represented at that Conference undertook
TO invite the powers not represented there
TO become parties TO The agreement 1t
appears, by late intelligence from Washing
ton, that the American Government have
met the invitation with counter proposal,
Offering 10 go great deal further, and pu.
down The robbery of private property ut
sea altogethe.. And we have no, the
slightest doubt that, eventually, the Euro
pean powers will be compelled to acquiesce
IN this overture; for, as the United States
are now the greatest maritime nation in
The world, rs measured by the only real
standard, their mercantile tonnage, there
can be no maritime international law en-.
acted TO which they are not asserting par.
ties.
The Americans say, and say truly: awe
have no large fleets Of war vessels like Eng.
land and France; we have only one line OF.
battle ship ir co&mis ion. In case OF
war; therefore, we must rely on our mer.
chant vessels for carrying on operations, at
least for the fist six or twelve months:
and we should call upon our citizens 10
turn every private ship into vessel of war.
These you cal! prvaiccrs, but their mission
would be precisely that Of your royal and
imperial navies-to capture or destroy
everything ahoat belonging to the enemy;
and where is the difference in the scale of
justice, morality. or reason, between doing
those acts 10y means of vessels built ex.
pressly for the purpose, or 10y Others which
were originally designed for better use,2"
There is no answering this logic. for the
common sense and the natural conscience Of
mankind are on its side.
But the American Government does not
stop mere. IF" say they. "your are sin
cere in wishing 10 put down prvateering,
abolish the principal system on which it
subs'sts, treat private property at sea on the
same principle of inviolabity by which it
J. now everywhere guarded, in civilized
warfare on land. Why should the mcr-
chandi>e of a private citizen be safe from
spoliauon by an army when found in his
warehouse on shore, and not be equally Sc
cure from plumber by navy when in his
floating warehouse at seal" Again there is
10 answering this reasoning. Indeed. no
attempt is made by writers on the law Of
nations To assign any ground for the dis
llnc;ion hitherto drawn between private
property on land and property on sea, ex.
cept the arbitrary ground Of custom n
plea which, If we ascend n little further
back in the history Of lhe void. may be
urged with equal force ia defence of hun.
Gred other batharouS u>ageS' in war which
have been gradually abolished by the gene
raj consent of mankind. And as The pres
cnt proposal comes from power which
can insist uron being deal, with according
to rules Of fairness and justice, there is lit
tie doubt that it will ultimately become
the international law "f the civilized world.
The consequence will be vast aud almost
incalculable.
We shall have To rccur, again and again,
to the bearings Of this question on the in
terests ofpeaco and humanity. Meanwhile
we draw the attention OF our readers to
what is going ON, with this single word of
comment that second only to The rcgret we
feel that England had not the honor Of
propounding this new doctrine. would be
our sorrow to find that >ho sets herself in
uRavailing opposition to It's adoption.