Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1855-1861, 1861-06-15
The Position Of the United States on
friyateeIing.

always opposed The abolition Of priyateering,
and Is now about to snner the consequences
OF her roiusal.'
The leading Journal shows us much ignor-
ancc Of our diplomacy rs il has recently
shown OF our geography md politics. Not
only has America not opposed lhcaholiIlon of
sgi, from the beginning of our
national eNittenge W. have been trying to
bring other n,uons up 10 our standard of hu-
rpanily hy reiterated attempts to Induce them
to abolish gFAgtiusi private proprryon the
40 ffts Sst w. y.aia af,s. orr pselsrs-
ton of Independence, this Government made
a treaty with France, In which il was sipu-
lated that :" II any citizen or subject Of either
OF the contracting parties took commission,
or letters Of marque, for pryatecrlng against
tue other from any Power with whom the
other was at war he should be treated rs
pirate In 1852 We concluded treaty with
The Netherlands which contained similar
pruy sion against priyatccriug aud our treat
les Of 1885 with Prussia, 1894 with England,
1890 with Spain, 1916 with Sweden, ana SUBJ
sequenIly with most uf the South American
States, all coutainlikc stipulationsagainstth this
practice While the nGtious Of Europe were
still busily engaged ia fitting out priyoteers
to dcprcdaic on each other commerce Frank
lin wrote in letter of March, l7s5:
"lt is high tune, for the sake of humanity,
TO put stop TO this enormity. The United
States Of America, though better situated
than any Europeon nation to make profit by
priWtgcrug, are, so far rs in them lies, en-
dea,oring To abolish the practice boy Offering,
In all their treaties with other Powers, an
article engaging solemnly that in case of iu-
turc war no priyatecr shall be commissioned
on either side, aud that unarrncd merchant
ships, on both sides, shall pursue their yoy-
ngts unmolested This will be happy i'm
provemont of the law OF nations The humane
and the just cannot but wish general success
to the proposition
Thus, at that early period in our history,
we were already In advance Of the nations Of
Europe ~ the treatment OF this important
question. 1t Was Mt our suggestion, aud by
our negotiations, that prlyalccring received
the first check
Unfortunately, when our treaties with
France aud England expired by limita ion, the
stipulation in regard to privatccrs was not re-
uewed but this was not because Of any I'M
willingness on our part, but because they re-
fused 10 renew the agreement
During the negotiations Mt London, in 1928
"a, between the American Minister, Mr.. Rush,
and the British Plcnipotcnluries, McSsrs,
iusksson and Slrtford Canning, the subject
was again brought up, under instructions to
MIR. Rush from Mr., Adams, then Secretary OF
State Mr.. Adams wrote rs follows
ave press no disaSowalon her, (sngand, }
l,tt Al. ttl Ia. a.
pcious for urging upon her aud upon others,
an object which has long been dear to the
hearts and ardent in the aspirations Of the
benevolent and the wise an object essential
~ congenial to the true spirit OF Christianity,
and, therefore, peculiarly fitting for the sup
port Of nations intent in the same spirit, upon
tie fina ana total suppression d 81 s,a.6
trade; and OF sovercigns who have given
public pledges TO the world of their detcrm
nation TO administer imperial dominion upon
the genuine precepts Of Christianity.
The olec, to which Iallude Il the abolii-
ion Of pr sivswE,snpon lbcseh.
'nithaS t9n remarked that, by the usages
Of modern war, the private properly of M
enemy is protected from seizure or conlisca-
ton, rs such: and private war itself has been
almost universally exploded upon the land
By an exception, the reason of which il Is not
easy TO perceive, the private property of an
enemy upon the sea has not so fully received
the benefit of the same principle. Private
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