The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-22

DC laaued Of your government 70 thu
nererence w Ameean crelsai sels thus prevent
years have been often the subject Of the part
government"
The reply of Lord Napier TO this despatch Is either not
written or not yet published Possibly ia the retire
ment OF Lord Palmerton more moderate counses will
prevail they did in lS4l and the right be practically
abandoned not, however, without elaborate discus
sion from which Secretary Cs is obviously not inclined
to shrink II will be fault of the veteran indeed if
his administration be not distinguished by conclusive
djustment of this troublesome question a question
which, in different shapes has haunted and vexed
diplomacy for half century It will be a specific glory
to lay ghost which defed the exorcism of Clay and
Webster 1t will be triumphant crown to the long
controversy of the General with the latter thus TO reduce
his arguments TO practice.
anticipation of this result let us Law out for the use
of the reader the weapons that will DO called into play
the course of this diplomatic tilt
On the side of Great Britain il will be alleged that the
African slave trade has Increased is increasing, and
ought to be extnguished 1t only be done by the
vigilance of the antslave-trade cruisers in noting
rowy the character of all vessels approaching the slave
coast of Africa entering the keys of Cuba The Amer
lean flag is abused for the protection of the traffic and
therefore American vessels obnoxious TO peculiarly
we're scrutiny. If then the right to visit which you
persist In regarding equivalent to the right to search
be denied how we TO ascertain whether the flag il
abused not2 Will not the guilty at once resort to
that shelter eectua against detection May
not English cruisers be often deferred by this practice
from overhaulng their national vessels disguised
How in fact without this aid the treaties
be executed Are you quite that the policy of your
government is prompted by secret desire to defeat
these treaties and permit reopenng of the slave trade
on your shores 7
The American u.s. that If the slave trade treaties
cannot be exercised without this practice much the
for the treaties. While join in deplorng the
existence of that traffic and the injury il nict upon the
African race cannot forget what is due to the other
and more civilized races Of mankind, sacrifice the
freedom OF American soil to freedom for that Of
Africa for by universal consent of maritime authorities
the deck which floats the American flag upon the
high American soil The sancty of this soil we
cannot permit to be violated upon any pretence what
True it may subserve the ends of human justice
to allow the savetrader to be pursued into the
shadow of any particular flag 1t is equally true that it
would in myads of subserve the ends the
fugitive criminal upon land, escaping from one State
could be pursued and arrested by the officers of justice
upon the soil of another. But power earth
cedes this right to another So jealous is each in this
gard that between the States of this conederacy the
warrant of one is not permitted to upon the soil of
its neighbors. We claim the immunity for the
territory which the American flag marks upon
the high seas as claim for the soil of the Union.
Slave trade is piracy but we should per
init British arms to pursue and capture pirates upon
shores, however much any specific of the
might promote the interests of Justice and
permit corresponding act of invasion to be perperated
at sea. We claim that our flag exempts from search
and appeal to the entire code of maritime law for author
y SO careful have ourselves been in the observance
of the principle towards Others that when
sells have been sent to cruise among the Antilles in pur
suit of pirates they have been emphatcay instructed
to overhaul no vessel which did not bunting
Nor do admit that nothing less than visit and in
specton can enable your cruisers to distinguish the
onality of vessel discriminate its character. The
practced eye of the mariner seldom fails to Judge the
origin of ship from its hull and rig and its innocence
guilt from its behavior in the presence of the
aiming cruiser The instances where this description
of scrutiny is inadequate are and hold better
that such should occur than that the maritime
rphtg of all the nations pf he
less potent nayies than that of Great Britain should
be trampled under foot. If, in short eighteen
years ago. stood ready to oppose with the
exercise of this unfair principle when it applied
much more srenuously shall oppose it when brought
to very DOORS and exercised upon the main body of
our commerce And, if we are to talk of suspicious
have not much greater to believe in the pres
of British traffic in coolies and British endorsement
of negro apprenticeship, that desire to defeat imaginary
designs Of people upon Cuba and not love Of the At
can is at the bottom of this ocous and troublesome
zeal Or you prepared to carry out the principle
by permitting American cruisers to line the coast of China
and stop and search vessels bearing the Union Jack for
ngoing opium, which the laws of China and your
ties with her forbid for going coolies, whose
wrongs cry to heaven loudly those of the Africans
Why not then, asks the Biton by way of replication
who not enter into treaty rendering the right mutual
other nations of Christendom have been ready do
Why not inquiries the American, in his rejonder es-
tabsh reciprocal right to pursue and capture ugtives
criminals slaves upon the soil of either
If you any objection to permitting to seize the
away Sambo or Jack Sheppard in Canada in exchange
for equivalent privilege American SOIL that obec-
ton applies to the right you desire to exercise upon
shipping But, above and beyond that have no in
tenon of departing from the established policy of
government which forbids the formation of such pacts
with Europedn powers The slave-trade clause in the
Asburton treaty departure from that policy and
we are disposed to let it remain exceptional. Equally
anomalous the completely of this government under
Mr.. Websters auspices with the triple intervention in
Haytien affairs but not likely to repeat that
error, admitting the right of European States to join
in adjusting Atlantic questions so we shall carefully
avoid any repetition of the other And after ALL would
not the reciprocity established by such treaty be purely
imaginary Does any one believe that single English
merchantmen would be searched by American cruiser
where hundred would be overhauled delayed and ill
treated by the British
Such the arguments The reader can balance them
at his leisure.