Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-11-23

Washington, aud the bearers Of these de-
spatches are now, with their secretaries, in
close confinement in Fort Monroe.
Chancellor Kent 10 the same connection,
ia speaking Of bloekadss and the duties Of
usutrals, says: "Thsre are other acts Of ille-
gal assistance sfordsd to q belllgerent, be-
sides supplying him with cOntraband goods
and relieving hia distress, under blockade.
Among these acts, the conveyance Of hostile
dispatches is ths most Injurious, and dssFosd 20
Be Of he most hOShls and AOziOus character.
The carrying OF two or three osrgoes Of stores /
is necessarily an assistance Of limited ma /
ture, but Ia The transmission Of dispatches |
may be conveyed the entire plan Of q cam
paiRn, and Il may lead to q defeat of ell the
projects Of the other belligerent in the
theater of the war. The appropriate remedy
for this offence is the oonaseation ofths ship,
and In doing 90 the courts make no innova-
ton on the ancient law, but they only apply
established principles to new combinations OF
circumstances. There would be no penalty
in the mere conRscation of the dispatches"
SC.
That the proper remedy was the coahsea-
sion Of the ship, there is no Doubt end the
commander Of the English mail steamer must
have been aware Of this iA,t for, as We learn
by the telegraph, be protested With much We
hemence, that when Mason and sIieell came
aboard be knew nothing about them or their
bnsiness, and Commander Wilkes believing,
from thess protestationa and from the manner
Of the man, that he told the truth, did not
feel willing to subject him to the loss of his
ship, and innocent passengers to the loss OF
their passage and to detention, because, like
DOOR Tray, in the fable, they were cacght in
bad company.
The justification of the course pursued by
Commodore Wilkes, we should place on the
simple ground that, during state of war,
the right Of our armed vessels to visit AID to
search all vessels on the American coast more
particularly on that part of the coast where
the inhabitants sre now in sstate of rebellion,
ia clearly given by the laws of nations-kn-
glish and French as well as American. Yis-
iting and searching the English mail steam
er, Commodore Wilkes found JON Slidell
and J. n. Mason. The former of these wor'
thies was en- agent appointed by thersbel su
thorities to 90 to France, the other holding
an appointment from the same source to visi
England, for the purpose of inducing thOs'
, Governments to intervene against the cHas
Using Of the rebel authorities and aiding
them and the deluded men who follow th'
e fortunes of JEFF Davis & Co., and by raising
c the blockade now effsetusl against the rebe
s ports, to force the war to el03e by dismem
? beriug the Union. To seize these traitor
and their dispatches was but the simple dut.
0 Of the American commander, and he did
! wisely and we'll. he did not seizs the vessel
: for he believed that the British commando
4 Of theEoglish steamer was not Pdytioe2s Grim
: ;nus-thst he was more guilty than gOCld b
I the landlord of first cless hotel, where tn
: police found brace of thieves, and hence
e With moderation for which heis to be com
8 mended instead Of blamed, he simply 8izeC
e the dispatches and those who accompanied
s them to enforce their contents by arguments
and If necessary by bribes, and then let th'
steamer go on its way, the captain doubtless
rejoicing that be had got out Of e bad scrap'
80 easily.
I In the whole matter, there is no vel
D grounded complaint that England can bring
t againsttae United States GovernmentfOr jus
; tifying the course of Commander Wilkes
o and England will make no complaint unless
d she Is determined to find some cause Of com.
E plaint in order to accomplish, if possible, hel
b darling wish Of disruption Of the Ameri'
4 can Government. If this be her object, she
/ will bluster, as is usual with that power bul
e that sae will proceed to extremities we dc
? not believe, for she might lose much more
f than she could possibly gain by such a suici-
4 dAl act.
Commander Wilkes is justified by the Law
D and his government approves of his acts. De
: did nothing but what was not only clearly his
e right, but his absolute duty to dc. and Il
e England wishes to interpolate new doctrine
, into the laws of nations, which will deprive
! this Government in time of war, of the
! right of visit and of search, after having once
q dared the hazard of war with the United
States to do it in a time Ofpesce, she will bring
upon herself the scorn and tine contempt Of
the civilized world.