Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-07-23
CAMPAIGN AMERICAN
The Buchanan Democratic
Convention in the SIXTH
DISTRICT.


take for this week the first and second reso-
lutious of the series. These are the same,
word for word, as the L. 5, Senate passed
at its special session, unanimously, with the
exception of the last clause of the second
one, which reads
''And the prompt manner in which the whole
question has been met by the present National
Administration, meets with cur hearty approba-
tion.
This is an Interpolation by the Conyen-
ton. The resolutions are as fellows:
Resoired. That " American vess, lis on the
high seas. in time of peace bearing the Amer
can flag. remain under the jurisdiction of
the country to which they belong; and there
fore, any visitation, molestation, or deten-
ton of such vessels by force or by the exhi
biton of force, on the part of foreign pow
er, is i'll derogation Of the Sovereignty of the
United States.
Res0lred, That "the recent and repeated
violations OF this immunity committed by
vessels OF war belonging to the navy of Great
Brit in, in the gulf of Mexico and the ada
cent seas, by firing into, interrupting and
otherwise torcibly detaining them on their
disposition of the subject by the Government
OF Great Britain and the United States touch
ing the rights involved, as shall preclude
hereafter, the occurrence of like aggression"
and the prompt manner in which the whole
question has been met by the present Ma
tiunai Administration, meets with our hearty
appreciation.
1t is necessary to inquire into the prompt
manner with which this question has been
met by the ''National Administration. =
Mr., Cass. speaking for the President and
the Administration, says in his dispatch Of
April 10th
'A merchant vessel upon the high seas is
protected by her national character. lie
who forehly enters her does SO upon his own
responsibility. Undoubtedly, i a ressd as
S1t7te a national cbG1 dcter to Whica she is not
entitled, and IS sailing 0nder false eolors, she
cannot be protected By this assumption of a
nationality 10 ,thich she has no Cam As the
identity OF IA person must be determined by
the officer bearing the process for his arrest,
and determined at the risk of such officer, SO
termined at the like hazard to him who,
to ascertain her true character.
There no doubt may be circumstances
which would 20 far to modify the complaints
a nation would have right to make for
such a violation OF its sovereigntv If the
boarding officer had Just grounds for suspic-
ion, and deported himself with propriety in
the performance of his task, doing n injury.
and peaceably retiring when satisfied Of his
error. no nation tcould make such an act tie
SUBJECT of serious reclamataon.'
This yields all Great Britain has ever
claimed; and to carry out what Mr.. Cas-
here admits may be done, there must be ''de-
tention, molestatlon and visitation" The
question is as far from being disposed of in
a way to 'preclude hereafter Of a like
aggression as it ever was. Indeed Mr.
Cas- says that when an American vessel has
been searched or visited, if done decently,
and the party making the visitation finds
he is in error, s'no nation Uould make such
an act the subject of serious reclGmation.'
Here is u relinquishing of the whole ques-
ton, which the ''54 40' men at the Column
bia Convention. said must be settled in such
a way as to preclude the occurrence N
like aggression This is the prompt
manner" of the administration which called
for the ''hearty appreciation" of the conven-
ton. This is the way the administration is
willing that force may be used in ''deroga-
ton Of the sovereignty of the United States.
Let us look moment at the warlike
preparation of the administration to meet
these acts of aggression Three or four
armed vessels were dispatched to the Gulf
to destroy the British armed vessels that
had been boarding our merchantmen, and
violating the sovereignty Of the L. S.
The little crazy Arctic was one of them
She broke down, got out of provisions and
was in condition to require assistance,
rather than to act on the errand upon which
she was sent. The administration knew all
this before she sailed-that she was unsea-
worthy and Of no more use in the service on
which she Was ordered than tub would be
/ 1t was about the same with all the other
vessels ordered to the Gulf. There was no
one except the Wabash at all able to cope
with the s.Styx," the offending British YES
sell Even this one decent vessel of the
American feet sent to look afte: our rights
and to capture the offending British vessels
had to take the Fulton and the Arctic in tolo
tcith her when she left her ground off the
Nero, and went into Key West after coal :
tiar be I
(and said too by a correspondent writing on
board the Arctic,) ''eouA capture three pes-
sels Ike the Arctic What prompt and
warlike manner Of meeting these aggressions
Just enough Of sea,corthy resseis sent into
the GuLfto capture British resse1s, to look
after and take care of the unseaworthy ones
sent on the same errand.
No other body of men have been able to
see anything like 'promptness" On the part
of the Administration in meeting this ques-
ton, or even ola respectable dillatoriness. -
1t has been laundering and clustering and
doing nothing all through it. 1t did not
want, it did not mean to do anything 1t
would disturb the price of cotton; and cot.
ton rules the President, and the President
controls the Democratic party SO called.
The feeble attempt to make show in the
Gulf with its broken down Arcties, only ex-
cited contempt, when we should have so act
ed as to have extorted respect and praise
from the offending party. A writer on board
the Artic says, "the English are very much
disguised to think that vessels of this class