Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-07-08
GBe. 9aiIp Spp,
THURSDAY. July 8. 1858.
The Right of Search aud the slave

The Right of Search aud the Slave
Trade.
All cause of controversy between Great Britain
and the United States, substantially by the with
drawal BY the former power of all claim to the
right Of visiting or searching American vessels,
the question naturally arises, will the American
government consent to mutual right of visit
and search, under safe restrictions, for the sup
preston Of the slave traffic AS Senator Wilson
said in his speech of May Goth, on this matter,
eff this government is sincerely DESTROYS to sup
press the slave trade if it wishes to fulfil its
treaty obligations If it means to redeem the
honor of the nation; now furnished BY allowing
the flag Of the republic to be prosttuted by pi-
rates to cover their piracy on the coasts Of Afri-
ca and the shores of Cuba let it at once send to
the African coast, and.to the waters around Gu
ba, vessels adapted to the work Of breaking up
the commerce in the bodies and souls of men
now prosecuted under cover Of the American
flag. five have not ships adapted to that work
let US build them, at any cost, at the earliest
ment, and send them to the seas nov covered by
pirate crafts, over which waves thefag of the re-
public. BY so acting, we can redeem the honor
of the nation, now tarnished, and demonstrate to
the world that the American government should
execute its own laws and perform its own oblga.
tons, by its own means and its own power >"
Would that these recommendations of Senator
Wilson might be properly needed by the admin
istration at Washington, and carried out, but we
have no faith that they will be, SO sunk in pro-
slaveryism has it become by the Lecompeon infa-
my.
The New York Times, paper generally very
conservative in its tome has the following admir-.
able observations on this point;
"This prompt and most honorable conduct on
the part of England imposes duties upon us,
which we can no longer neglect without forfeit.
ing our self-respect and the regard Of the ciyilz
ed world. We owe it to ourselves, and to all
other Christian nations, to take prompt and eff
fective measures to clear flag from the fearful
responsibility which rests uponit, Of protect
ing and perpetuating the slave trade. We have
refused to permit England to search our ships,
suspected of the traffic, and have declared that
the duty of detection belongs to ourselves. We
have asserted our exclusive sovereignty over our
own vessels on the high seas, and have declared
to the whule world that we alone are responsible
for their conduct aud their character. We owe
1t, therefore, to ourselves, well as to other
tons, to institute some effective means Of pre-
venting this gross abuse of the American flag.
We cannot shut our eyes to the fact that the ex-
istence Of the slave trade at the present time is
due almost entirely to the immunity which it re-
ceives from the flag of the United States. Upon
the coast Of Africa-on the coast of Cuba-wher-
ever slavers prosecute their inhuman traffic, they
secure IMMUNITY for themselves and success for
their trade by the use Of the American flag. This
is too notorious to be denied or doubted. Nearly
every other nation has conceded to Great Britain,
by treaty, the right to visit its vessels and pre-
vent any such abuse Of its national colors-the
American flag is the only one with which they
cannot interfere, and it is, therefore, the one
which is always used.
Our government cannot maintain its present
attitude Of indifference on this subject without
loss ofcharacter in the eyes of the civilized world
We have declared the slave trade iegal-we have
putt upon the same footing as piracy-we have
most stringent laws against its prosecution-and
yet the fact remains that its existence is due sole
ly and exclusively to the apathy of our govern.
ment, and our criminal neglect to take measures
for its suppression. This state of things should
exist no longer. Let us stop the slave trade, or
else let US brave the public sentiment Of Chrsten
dom and abolish the laws by which condemn
it. The prompt concession Of England to our de-
mands on this subject has imposed upon US still
stronger obligations 10 cooperate with her in the
accomplishment Of this end"