Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1858-06-26

language.
Again, on the 2oth day Of January, 1873, sf
. Stamford Canning stated 70 Mr.. Adams . tha
| the British Qoverntsrht still remained con
? Vinesd that the only efectnal remedy Of sup
pressing the traffic was to be found in the pro-
posed mutus al concession OF the right Of search >
lne concession was seain refused bv our
Govsrnmenb and, although perhaps the boldest
Statesman Great Britain ever had, was in the
, control, be did not dare assert or claim the
rignt TO visit without concessions The yerv
language is concession. The very word used
10 all this correspondence was "eoneessione-
eoneede to Great Britain. II IL was hers u
right, we had nuthing to eoncede-she, nothing
70 demand. And when IN her history has she
failed to claim ard enjoy all that was hers Of
right, and more, far morei The very fact that
she asked concession is OF itself enough to
convict her before the bar OF the civilized ma
tons OF the earth that she had no right, and
she knew Il. | have already shown that as
late as ls4I, Lord Aberdeen, in his communal
cation OF the 18Th October, expressly rehounced
all rretensiens IN time of peace to visit and
search American vessels / will not detain the
House longer, BY referring to 6ther evidences
to be drswh from repBneiatiohs Of this right
10 time OF peace But | will, before Quit
this branch Of the subject, refer the House to
a curious item Of English history in Ielatios
to the same subject. Il seems that In 1899
the Haytien Government enacted law pro-
vidiug that any vessel whether Haytien or
otherwise, found engaged in the slave trade,
should be SEIZED, and brought into a port for
adjudication. This law aroused the indigna-
| tion OF the British Lion, and Lord Palmerston
responded in the following language: Hsyti
has undoubtedly the full right to make such an
enactment about her own citizens aud ships,
but that her Msjesty's Government apprehends
that Hayti hae nc right to leeislste for the
I Nna ~ - H. 49, =.
time OF peace, nc ship belonging to ore State
has right to search and detsin ships sailing
under the dag Of, aud belonging to another.
without the permission Of su-h Stateo He |
also states that the right Of search and deten-
tion to be exercised must be first given by |
treaty. And Yet, in the face Of all this, she |
has many vessels In The waters Of the Gulf of /
Mexico daily OBTAINING and searching our ner- |
ehantmeE, and men are to be f0und-yes, men |
upon this hoor-who speak Of it with sup |
pressed tone, as if afraid they would offend |
Great Britain, and cause her to make war |
upon us. SIR, must say, that II to this CON-
plexion things must come at last, because we |
shall demand that our homer be not violated, |
and OUT eomthefce destroyed. let it come and |
hearts and strong arms, to strike down and l
humble the hsughty imperialism which exists
on the little spot called England.
But, Mr.. Chairman, | desire to present this /
subject to this House in another spect, so that /
every earthly difficulty may be removed from /
around it. In 1917 French vessel called the
louis was captured and condemed In the inferior
courts nf Admiralty. The case was brought
before Lord Stowell, who reversed the sentence
of the court below, upon the special ground
that, even admitting that the slave trade bad
been prohibited by the municipal laws Of
France, (Which was doubtful,) the right of
visitation and search (being exclusively bel
ligerent right,) could not consistently be ex-
ercised in time OF peace. He also says " No
nation can exercise the right Of visitation and
search upon the common and unsppropriated
part of the ocean except upon the helligerent
claims. Ia the case Of Madrsgo rs Willis, 10
the Kings Bench, in 1870, it was decided that
the Brush Government could not prevent the
subjects OF other States from carrying on the
slave trade out Of the limits OF the British Gov
srnnent. Now, with all these admissions BY
her minister's, these decisions Of her courts,
these declarations made by our courts and our
Government a thousand times over-,hat she
should send her crtiisers In our very neighbor
lood-in sight Of our shores-and constantly,
in manner most offensive, most lawless, and
iehantly search our merchantmen, is enough to
;all forth murmur Of scorn from the graves
of onr revolutionary ancestors against this gen.
sration if we longer submit to it. Timid men
here nav bow in menial silence, and cry,
: Wait the slo~hess Of negotiationi" /" but,
should there be such; they will, yhen they re-
urn to their constituents, meet an Indignant
-ebuke from high-sOuled freemen, who will ot
willingly yield to individual or national dis {
honor.
Thus, Mr.. Chairman, have shown the nom
xxi tence Of the right Of visitation. have
IL with evidences unanswerable
And II It shall be tolerated By the action of
his House, its non existence shall take an ap-
peal to the people Of this country, with evil
iences that they will see and feel and perish
before they will yield it. | would have been
glad to have had time to give this branch Of my
resolution a more thorough examination, but Z
he importance of the other propositions con-
aimed in the resolution admonishes me must {
inter at once upon their discussion. +,
The resolution directs that the President be
required to instruct our naval officers to arrest
he British cruisers engaged ia visiting our c
nerchsntlnen. And 1t is this feature which b
,auses it to be denominatee a war measure. 4
Net so, sir. have the sanction Of the British t
Government herself for this procedure. In
he case of MadragO VS.. Willis, decided in the :
.ourt OF Kings Bench in 1870, the court says
: II ship be acting eoaifsfy TO the general
aw OF nations, she is thereby subject to con-
lemnation.o 1t may be said this remark ap- |
plIes only to private ships That would be an
Inference unsupported by any language used.
see no reason why vessel Of war should be
allowed to aOat at large, disregarding law, In
,uiting nations, violating national law, and
njuriHg private property, and trampling upon
private rights, and demand indemnity, because
be ewner may be nation. From my know
e ige of British character, doubt not, 10 an
American armed vessel were In it's vicinity,
and exercising acts In violation OF international
law, and trampling upon the rights Of her eiti-
tens, bl. what she would arrest her instantly;
and ! would, by nv vote, Justify her. THIS g
view of the subject is predicsted upon the sup
position that these acts ct visitation are unau-
ihoriEed by the orders of the British Govern
nent but il BY her orders, then, she is now |
waging war sgsinst the United States; and, if
20, where is there man to-day so base as not
to meet war with war, blow with blow, vio-
eDce with violence? | have said, if this act
is the result of orders from the British Govern
meut, then she is making war on US. For au-
thority, refer again to her. In the case of
Hayti, who had by law (arounting to an order)
authorized the arrest OF saveTs at sea, Lord
PalDerston said 20 the Haytien Government
that, in time Of peace, no ship belonging to one
State bad the right to search and detsin ships |
sailing under the flag Of AID belonging to aa-
other. Why because it is a belligerent right,
bot to be exercised in time Of peace.
Now, then, if visitation is being made By
authority Of the British Government, they are
doing what they have admitted themselves they
1aye no right TO do by the laws Of nations, and
.hey are 10 the use Of beliigerent right in do
ing it. So you see, in any aspect you may view
he suit ct, these offending vessels are the sub
sct of capture. IL hey are acting upon their
own authority, according to the decision Of the
Kings Bench, to which ! have referred, they
ire proper objects Of arrest; IL by the authority
of the British Government, then war exists be-
.ween this couGtry and Great Britain, and that
by the act Of the British Government, and we
must meet il even If against our will.
Thus 1t will be seen that this portion Of the
resolution is not a war measure, but one that
egitimately grows out of an existing state Of
hings for which we are in Dowise responsible.
This country has always respected the honor
Ind feeling Of other nations, and, If she is true
% herself, will respect her own honor ; and the
,nly proper mode Of doing it, is to srbmit to no
nsolsnce, yield to no unjust demand, and have
{ plainly understood that we are always ready $
,Or war. II
The resolution next proposes that the arrest
Il offending vessels shall be continued until
has been granted to Great Britain,
and guarantees given against visitthon in the
lature. This, il is said, cuts of negotiation.
Not 80 1t only gives impetus to it. Il only re-
1uires the President to compel Great Britain to
.alk in monosylls lsbies-answering yes or no. ]
confess sir, nv obi ct Is TO avoid the slownees
Df negotiation; it is the curse Of this country
i is The disgrace Of the nation remember,
with modification, that during the last admin
stration similar outrages were committed upon
our flag by Spain remember that the Pfesi-
tent announced to the country that lie Intended
10 have instant and Immediate satisfaction.
The demand was made, and what has been
lone? Five years or more have elapsed, and
nv pride as an American citizen Is humoled
wnen | am forced to aDswer, nothing, nothing
that Spain has complicated It with thousand
other questions; and when my lotks s1ail be
gray, the aHswer viii still be, I" 1t is being Ne
gotiated 20
sir, detest the very word negotiation. Il
10 the sbzme Of this Country aad this people.
want negotiation hereafter to be had az the
mouth OF the cannon, and then one negotiation
will end all our troubles. Let Congress ad-
lourn, and when Congress meets here next win
ter, We will be Informed that the Premier OF
England required time to draw up bis answer,
and that weeks were consumed; that In his
Commune atloue he romnlfrafed fhe oueafion