Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-11-28
AMERICAN AFFAIRS m EUROPE.
Complaint 20 Ihs Arrest af British Sub.
jects for Political Offenses.

jects for Political Offenses.
From the London Post, CPalmerstons Organ Oct 81.
The Americans, since the constitution of thei
Government, have always professed to observe will
great strictness the principles of public law Or
some occasions they have carried those principle.
to extent hardly jusihable by thar comfy which
ought to exist between friendly nations. We NAV
mention the opposition to the Eoglish Orders m
Council which led to the war of 1872 the refusal
to admit the right of search, when sought to be en-
forced solely for the purpose ef repressing the At
rican slave trade and the Indignation which few
years ago pervaded the United States on account
some supposed violation Of the American neutrality
laws. II add to this list the angry disputes which
existed with regard to the Maine and Oregon bound
aries and the sovereignty of the Island of San Juan
some notion may be formed Of the high handed man
ner in which the United States Government has uni
formy asserted its national rights. No doubt it is
difficult TO measure the present American civil con
test by those definite and well-estabIished rules
which the practice Of civilized nations has pre-
scrfbed for the conduct Of reglar warfare.
| few months ago the Federal Government was
extremely indignant with England and France for
having issued declarations Of neutrality which, it
said, conceded belligerent rights TO the seeding
States. Nevertheless, the Federal Government, it,
self, has, almost from the commencement Of hos
Utilities, acted upon precisely the same principle
Secessionists taken in arms have not been shot but
treated with the usual courtesies of war; and by
the last mail we are informed that an interchange
of sixtyseYen prisoners hsd been effected with the
consent Of the authorities at Washington. In al.
most the first prize CAGE which has oecurred-that
Of the British ship Hiawatha-e condemnation was
pronounced on the ground that regular state of
war subsisted between the Federal Government
and its reyOlted provinces. Up to this point it may
be inferred that attempt has been made by eth
er Of the eontendng parties TO depart from those
principles Of public law which in state of hostili-
ty, govern the conduct of European nations both |
as regards belligerent and neutral commerce. The
only exception IS the employment Of priYlteers
which the South may justify on the ground Of ne
cessity.
It appears, however, that the Federal Govern
ment, for its own purposes, has assumed TO exer~
else powers which are paramount to the ordinary
law of the land. The writ of hdbeds CORPUS has
been suspended, system Of espionage is in force
both sides Of the Atlantic and American citizens
on bare suspicion Of disahectcn, constantly
consigned to Fort Lafayette and other military
prisons.
We in this country may lament that the liberty
Of the subject in America should thus be made 10
depend upon the will of military dictator and I
thatthe ordinary machinery Of justice should be !
thrown aside as worthless and useless lumber {
But the question comes home to US when we find |
that Lord Lyons, the British Minister at Washing
ton, has felt it his duty to protest against the
bitary confinement of British subjects alleging "hat
the authority of Congress is necessary for such E
measures" No doubt British subjects who violate
the Queens proclamation, by aiding either belg- i
erent, place themselves beyond the protection Of
BRUSH law. 1neY are as Inucn liable 20 be lnprlS-
oned as native born Americans. But the "arbtra- .
ry confinement" Of foreigners of course, means .
very different matter. 1t has reference to those '
measures Of preesution which Government takes 1
for the oppression and coercion of its own subjects
in time Of peril and trouble Mr.. Stewards apol-
ogy is Y
That in the present emergency all classes of so>
ciety alike must cheerfully scquiesce in the meas
ures which the safety Of the people demand and b
that the British Government could hardly expect .
the President to accept their explanation of the Con-
sttution of the Uaited States" a
It is unfortunate that 8 question of this gravity a
should have arisen; but it s however clear that if
British subjects wrongfully detained and the h
American courts afford them no redress they | h
must look to their country for protection. In
the case Of Mr.. FoTwood, that gentleman was ar, 81
rested upon his arrival at New York "on suspicion
Of Southern tendencies, was kept under arrest and
searched and his papers read but nothing being a
found which could be construed reasonable he Of
was liberated" In fact every steamer which now b.
crosses the Atlantic has board some spy who "
plies his discreditable vocation by perYertiDg the b
words of careless and unsuspieious conversation n
nto proofs of completely more serious than mere e,
Southern tendencies If the people of the North W
States tsmely submit to such system the fault
theirs. British subjects, however, must look to II
heir own Government, which, independently of the
Constitution of the United States s bound to oord
hem protection and redress. CO