Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-01-31
THE cLAYToN-nULWER TIRE .rA;.

had determined to suspend diplomatic intercourse en-
tirely. The organ Of the administration, however
has assured the country that although our relation
with Great Britain ore delicate and, perhaps crti
tbs not proposed to withdraw our Minister ant
that " the action Of our government in asking th'
recall of Mr.. CHAMPION and the consuls implicated
in the recruitment of soldiers for the Crmea furnish
es the only foundation for the statement" Th,
Union adds: "Whilst we desire by this correction
to avoid any unfounded apprehensions of IN impend
ing difficulty with Great Britain, we cannot deny
that there serious questions Of difference between
the two governments, which ought to be thoughtful
ly considered by those members of Congress who
are obstructing the organization of the House."
But the correction, it appears to US, amounts te
little more than nothing inasmuch as the action
which is thus admitted to have been taken by the
government must in the end involve suspension Of
diplomatic relations 1t has been taken too, in view
alone of tie difficulty arising out of the efforts Of
British agents to procure enlistments in the United
States while the more serious cause of dispute has
arisen in reference to the construction of the Central
American treaty and the action of the British gov
ernment in refusing to adhere to the plain and
quivocal terms Of that convention. The latter point
contains the clue to the difficulty; and whether we
regard the earnestness with which it is discussed by
the President in his Annual Message, the decided at-
tude taken by Senators of all parties in
with the policy of the administration or the subse-
quent action of the Cabinet in illustrating this policy,
cannot doubt that the danger of an early resort
to actual hostities is imminent. A word, then, in
explanation of the history of that much-talked-o
convention will not be out of place.
The Claytoa-Bulwsr treaty was ratified on the 9Th
day of July, 1850. The negotiations looking to it
were proposed by the United States Government and
entered into by Great Britain, with the avowed OBJ
ct of securing the conditions necessary to the con-
structon of ship canal connecting the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans, to be opened for the benefit of the
maritime nations Of the world. All obstrutions to
the navigation of the proposed canal when compet-
ed, were understood to be removed by the proyis.
ion of the Convention, and, Us an important feature
of this condition. it agreed that neither Power
should occupy or exercise dominion any terrific
ry either bordering upon or adjacent to the route of
the proposed canal, whereby in any event the free
dom of aeosssto either outlet could be put in jeopar-
dy. This provision, npon which turns the point
in dispute, is contained in the first article of
the Treaty, which reads thus
"The Governments of the United States and Great
Britain hereby declare that neither the one nor the
other will ever obtain maintain for itself any ex-
IL.
that neither will ever erect or maintain any fortfca-
tions commanding the same, or in the vicinity there
of, occupy, forti6y, or colonize or assume or
exercise any dominion over Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
the Mosquito coast or any part of Central America
nor will either make use cf any protection which
either affords may Afford or any alliance which
either hos may have to with any State or peo-
ple for the purpose of erecting maintaining any
such Notifications, or Of occupying, fortifying
colonizing Nicaragua, Costa Rica the Mosquito coast
or any part of Central America, or of assuming or
exercising dominion over the same; nor will the Uni
ted States or Great Britain take advantage Of any
intimacy or use any alliance conne1ion, or influence
that either may possess with any State or Govern
ment through whose territory the said canal may
pass for the purpose of acquiring holding direct
ly or indirectly for the citizens subjects of the
one any rights or advantages in regard to commerce
or navigation through the said canal which shall not
be afforded on the terms to the citizens or SUBJ
jects of the other.
The terms of this article are explicit and to the
point and there would seem to be no ground for a
prete1t upon which to hinge misconstruction. 1t
means what it says, or it means nothing. Not to
occupy, fortify rexercise dominion" means simply
not to occupy orty or exercise dominion and it can
mean nothing else and if either government at the
time of the ratification of the treaty held dominion
in any of the territories, it necessarily involved
surrender of the claim to that dominion. The terms
of the treaty were OF the time regarded both in
this country and in England. We remember that, in
1853, Mr. CLAYTON was> severely taken to task in
the Senate because, without notifying the Senate of
the act before their ratification of the treaty. he had
agreed with the British plenpotentary to except the
Bahzc from the operation of the terms Of that in
strument: and it was declared that if the knowl
edge of the exception had been communicated to the
Senate at the proper period the treaty would have
been rejected. Had the!Brtish government not re-
garded the treaty &C surrender Of all dominion, the
exception in regard to the little strip of land
poses of cutting mahogany would not have been ur-
ged; and it is equally certain, from the debate in
1863 that had the United States regarded it in any
other light, the whole agreement would have been
signally defeated.
When the negotiations were determined, they
were evidently regarded with satisfaction by the
British government. While England surrendered
territorily of mere nominal value, over which her
right of dominion was by no means established, the
United States compromised doctrine which has be-
come feature in the policy cf her people, and was
obligated to forego the certainty of future acquisi
tons in Central neutrality-suspicious. of unmeas-
ured value to the commerce of our country and to
which our manifest destiny" would in the course
of events inevitably establish fright
But it turns out last that Great Britain has been
oyer-reached All the energy of the United States
government to the contrary Notwithstanding, our
fllibustering clans have asserted dominion in Gen.
tral America and despite our exertions promise to
disturb the slumberings of the "Monroe Doctrine"
Great Britain has become alarmed at these rresisti
BILE invasions and, though the United States have
acted in perfect good-fath in their vigorous opposi-
ton to every expedition the British Cabinet have ia
ken the only alternative and basey resorted to the
most palpsbe subterfuge to escape from the practi-
col operation Of the treaty. The minister now u.s.
serts that the provisions were intended to be pros