The daily Wabash express. (Terre-Haute, Ind.) 1857-1867, 1861-12-31


placed In our hands. against any Government
upon earth, or all the Governments com
bined.
But it MAJ we'll he doubted whether England
has made such q demand. IL Is not consis
teht with her Acknowledged character Tor
sagscity aud " isdom: nor would !; eomport
with the dignity Of a first class nation deal.
ing with an equal. For, be "a observed, that.
whatever England may have done ar may
have omitted TO do. In order 70 establish her
on power both upon land aud sea. she has
seldom forgotten her dignity and honor a. a
nation. IL IL unjust 60 her. therefore, 10 as
sume, until we are compelled TO dc 80, that
she has. In this instance. departed rom her
established custom. Ii she has made such
q call upon our Government for explanation.
ms viii open the whole question OF the bel
iigerenf right Of search, and the rights oil
neutnls upon the ocean during . state OF war,
we should be relieved OF much difficulty IN
deciding upon the course tor our " GOV,
eminent 20 pursue, for Ia that Casa Ne should
have only 10 stand by the law oil nations ano
have England do the same.
III. however. IL we're possible for her per
s~istently to maintain the ground that We do
not possess the belligerent right. under the
law OF nations. to stop and detain and search
her ships upon the high seas, 10 ascertain
whether they are engaged IN coniraband
trade, and that, therefore, we have violated
her flag and must place Mason aud Slideli
again under is protection We present TO her
the law itself and her own inyaffable practice
in support OF our theory. IL We maintain the
right. that is The end Of The matter, for Il
must be remembered that as no one nation
has the power 60 make international law. so
il cannut violate its established principles
with impunity. But II we do not MAINTAIN
the abstract right. ard are compelled TO sur
render il at the end OF a diplomatic contro
yersy with the English Cabinet, or II shall
be awarded against US by an arbitrator mu-
tuaily choses.. then Il must follow that IL se
cannot search British r~esseis. they cannot
/ search ours while the two Governments
are at peace, and that is the end OF the matter,
, To bring il to to this result We could well
afford 10 surrender Mason and SlIdesl, for. in
: the first place, they would thus become, un-
1 Intentionally, the instruments OF doing more
good than they have ever done before, and
in the second place, we should be obtaining
from Great Britain the concession OF a ptin
: ciple which we have been laboring TO estab
e lish as public law ever since we became
4 nation.
e We might then expect soon TO see the re
cognition, by the leading maratine nations
n of the American doctrine, that free ship
make free goods without the recognition. a
n the same time of the old maxim that enemy
ships make enemy's goods. And we will. II
d that event, have gained far more by securing
IF the concession OF this principle, than Eng
Is land can possibly obtain by having Masol
and Slidell surrendered to her;-for Will
is we will have secured TO our a free
u dom for which we have c~ontended for owe
o seventy years, she will receive, as the equiv
20 alent Of her concession. only two America
citizens, who surpass all others in their trea
Of son, because, in their natures. they are capa
of BILE of being more NAL. gnant towards tn
70 government which has favored and p~retecte
ey them. What she will gain by the p~ossessio
as OF them will be for her and her own author
ur ties to decide.
Az Thus it will be seen that a proper degre
IN Of prudence and discretion may lead TO
to peaceful solution of the whole dificlty wit
Of England. unless, as already intimated, ST
as has resolved, on account OF her n~ecessiti'
b arising out of her demand tor cotton, upc
he breaking our blockade. and taking all Il
all hazards.of a war with US. IL this be her pu
nd pose. and We are to engage in such a wa
re terrible as il may be, she has more to loo.
&C. by it than we have. This could be east
ne demonstrated but / shall not now attempt
ut T.