Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-06-04
CONGRESS-.
May 18th, 1883.

CONGRESS.
The day set by Congress for adjournment,
the eth inst, is near by. Efforts are making
to have it deferred a week or fortnight longer
doubtful, with what success. II the members
were paid by the day, they would stay till
August. But since, as now fixed, the shorter
the session the larger the profit is to each
man, they will find reasons for winding up
their business as soon as possible.
Private bills and appropriation bills are
now occupying the time mainly, some al
deviation from such hard work being found,
especially in the Senate, in " tall talking
about british outrages" on American Ships,
about sinking or burning the English Navy
generally, in theGulf d around thieves India
islands,--or at least bringing every ship into
port for con emnation, ana the hanging
of their officers as pirates This to be sure
is an exaggeration, but not more so than
that Of the talk of the /" potent, grave
and reverend seignlo:s' in the U. S. Senate.
They remind us of the chap who in setting
forth his fitness for Office, said that he wa, in
favor of the nert war.
We have this comfort left to us in the pres
ent case, that, though the talk is so strong for
war, 'if,'-they all seem to agree that there is
10 be none in reality. That makes it 50 much
the easier to talk large about it, we suppose
We see however by the last accounts, that the
tone is coming down little. The roaring is
less in the lion and more in the sucking dove
style.
The case as it now stands, is in substance
thus. From the various statements in the
newspapers very little of an official sort hav-
in Il made public, thus far) thirty or
more of these british outrages'' have &C.
curred-they ranging from instances where
mn American vessel has been brought to by
shot, and questioned rudely by the officers of
a British armed vessel, to those where with
out any show Of violence, inquiries have been
made of such vessels as u their character and
business, their officers sometimes taking such
questioning in good part and sometimes IN
high dudgcon
All have happened in the ports of Cuba, Or
on the sea at no great distance from That ISL
and and all have arisen from proceedings
aimed at the interception OF slavers en-
gagged in supplying the Cuba market. 1t
is notorious that in most Cases these slavers
run under American colors, many of their
vessels being Of American construction, and
not few of them furnished more OF less
with American crews. They resort to the
American flag, because under the treaty an
engagements Of the two governments, they
consider the chance Of escape far greater than
under any other. American vessels of war
are very scarce where the slave trade is going
on, and very often, from some cause or other,
are found to BIO very poor sailors, although,
elsewhere, American vessels have a good
reputation for speed. OF course the likeliI
hood of n slaver's being overhauled by an
American vessel is very slight. British
cruisers are warned against overhauling
vessels which are really American, sailing
under honest American papers; and from fear
Of mistake and consequent trouble to them
selves, they have for the most pare let all
vessels 20 unchecked where an American flag
was flying, save where they have been sure
there could be no mistake about the piratical
character of the vessel.
From some cause, the officers of the British
vessels about Cuba, have lately taken greater
liberty-in some cases, no doubt, unwarrant-
able liberty-in their efforts to intercept
slavers and it is fit that our government
should promptly investigate the matter, and
demand redress where any wrong has been
done, and proper caution for the future. This
1t seems to be doing and So far as the action
Of Congress is directed to such Il result it is
well, and no harm can come Of it. The as
sumption on every hand is, that the British
officers have gone beyond their instructions,
OF at most, that there is some misunderstand- |
ing OF what the two Governments have
heretofore agreed on--and that a stop will be |
put To all unauthorized interference with |
American vessels, rs soon as Government
orders from England can reach those who
have been 10 blame ~ the matter. Messages
from tho British Minotor Il, Washington
have been sent out for that purpose.
From some Of the talk in Congress and in
some Of the journals in our cities, one might
suppose that the international arrange
ments were such that any pirate ship
need only TO run up a United States
flag, and to b. safe from all intercept
ton or inquiry from any vessel of war except
one under a United States commission. No
such foolish provision has been made hither-
to. More than that, no such ono will DO
mado-for the very plain reason, if there
were no other, that in the long run our own
honest commercial marine would suffer more
than that of any other nation by it, because
our armed marine is smaller in proportion to
our commercial marine than that of any 9th
er nation in christendom.