Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-06-04


and those who may sttempt thus to carry 1t on
will show how Just is the assertion, that they
who take the sword shsll perish by the sword
Either we have good cause or we have not
If we have il, cannot our course be dignihed,
and one that shall be worthy of nation which
contains thirty millions Of people, nation that
has passed from the gristie Of youth to the bone
of manhood If our cause is not good, shall We
succeed in mending the matter by having re-
sort to violations Of ths international law,
and by the Inauguration of piratioal modes Of
warfaTei
Much that has been written on this subject
during the last fortnight, it appears to rs, is
based on an entire misunderstanding Of its na-
ture 1t would apply if England were assert
ing that right Of search which she upheld IN for
mer times, and which gave such just offence to
Americans Of the last generation We do not
think the conduct Of the English is proper; and,
even if it were proper, it would be extremely
foolish on their part to excite an evil spirit here
merely for the chance of capturing few sia-
Yers falsely assuming to sail under our flag
We look upon the slave trade as the chief of
denominations, but we do not wish TO see Eng
land pursuing a course for its extirpatioa which
is not only insulting to US, but which Is admiFa-
bly, calculated to strengthen slavery in the United
States, and to cause it to become supreme here,
and placing it beyond the reach Of hopeful as
sault. 1t is clear to every one that Americans
will not allow the vessels Of a foreign power to
exercise supervision over their legitimate com
merce, or over any branch Of it whatsoever.
and II II shall be attempted to establish any such
supervision in the name Of opposition to the
slave trade, the effect will be to array all the
unreasoning patriotism ofthe oountFy-and that
is a mighty element in every powerful nation
in behalf Of that trade, practically, if not IN
terms. Ifit is the desire Of England TO make
the pro-slavory men ia the United States irwin
chile, she has only to pursue the course which
she has adopted, and 80 couple IN the popular
mind of America the freedom of American
commerce with the perPetaation and extension
of African slavery. II she is not acting crimi-
nally, she is acting blunderingly, and doing her
best to bring about the triumph OF those princl-
pies which she most abhors-
But England does not assert the right Of
search The most that she claims is some
thing that cannot be denied by any rational be-
inc; and those Americans who declare that eve
nv vessel sailing under the American flag is
exempt by that circumstance. from visitation.
are either 30 Ignorant that they know not what
they say, OF SO passionate NAT they caTp not
what they say. The vessels of every country,
from those of Hayti to those Of England, are all
subjected to visitation, and cannot in reason
object to it. though all countries object to the
abuse of this admitted night Without the
right to chase" says Mr.. Cooper, "a vessel Of
war would be perfectly useless n time OF
peace, and pirates, smuggleTs, mutineers, and
even those vessels which, BY being subject to
the laws of the same country, are properly
amenable to the supervision OF a man-of-war,
would escape by steering in direction different
from that Of the cruiser. No military duty
whatever could be discharged at sea, without
the right TO chase; nor Is It usual among sea
men TO consider the mere act OF chasing an act
of hostility. Vessels chase each other, even
when the object is to ask suecOTi nor IS 1t pos
sible to deliver dispatches, to communicate
news, to ask for information, or to do anything
which requires that ships should be near each
other. without chasing, when one of the parties
sees fit to steer in a wrong direction" The
right TO chase Games with It the right to visit,
| for what could be more absurd than for man
of-war to chase vessel which, though pirate,
a SLAYER, or in the possession Of mutineers, he
should no. be able 70 visit ON coming up with,
because she had hoisted the "stars and stripes, F"
and SO made of the flag OF freedom the sure
protector of piracy, slavery, mntiny, and mur-
| deri Mr.. Cooper, whom we quote because ne
eannOtbe accused of Partially to England, fur
tber says:-"That it Is the night Of Q vessel Of
war TO ascertain the character Of q ship al sea,
is dependent on her right to arrest pirate, for
/ instance In what manner can this be done, II
pirate can obtain imPunity, by simply hoist
| ing the flag of some other country, which the
cruiser Is obliged to respect Al that the lat
ter asks is the power to ascertain if that flag is
not an imposition; and this much every regu-
/ larly commissioned public ship should be per
IL - y
| in maintenance of the police Of the seas" Ana
apain,-"the vessel Of war cannot apply to wit
nesses, and cannot Judge Of national character
By mere external appearance, since an Amerl-
! can-buiIt ship can be sailed by Portuguese =
The actual necessities Of the case are in favor Of
the present English claim, as well as thst great
governing principle, which says that no great OF
principal right can exist, in International law,
without carrying with 1t ell the subordinate
privileges which are necessary to its discreet
/ exercise" This was written after the Ashbur-
ton treaty was made. The amount Of the ar
Fumsnf used by some peculiarly intelligent per-
sons in this: that if a notorious pirate shall
choose to hoist our national Tag, ships of an
other nation shall not be allowed 10 mOlest him.
This is to hold out . hopeful prospect that in
time our flag with its ''three bright eolOrs, each
divine, (" and which one Of our bards says was
\ drawn from the heavens VIII supersedn the
venerable DrGBsau R0H, or dolly Roger" with
its agreeable deaths head and erOss-bones. 1t
is hard that our eolors should be those Of slave
Nv, but We submit that as piracy has not yet
been made national" institution or State
right, they should not be handed over to those
rowing gentlemen who, like their predecessors
the bucanier, ay0w themselves friends Of the sea,
but enemies Of all who sail on it,
The English are endeavoIing to suppress the
slave trade, a pursuit denounced by our law as
piracy. They ask our government to aid in
putting down this form Of piracy; but our gov
eminent does as little as il possibly can in that
way, and that little is so very like nothing that
st is difficult to distinguish between them Sher-
idan Knowles Yirginius says he hears "a voice
so fine that nothing lives 'tviKt it and silence,
and that voice may aptly be compared with the
action Of our government against the slave
trade. The reason Of Its forbeararoe Is 70 be
found in It's fear Of the saveholders, vino rule it,
Still, the English would not have much right to
4 complain Of its activity in doing nothing, its
amssteriy inactivity in behalf Of slavery, were
It not for the abuse Of our flag by slave traders
Land for the part which some our vessels take N
4 the trade. Lord Napier, Eve mOnths ago, call