Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1861-04-17
The BloekAde fhsory.


ment, have assumed the position
that no blockade Of Southern ports
Willie recognized which is not thor
ougll nd eff ctual, under the deLnl-
lions of the treaty OF faris' Tue
ratification is said TO have been ON
,iallv made BY Lord Lyons, and is
expected 10 be followed by q similar
ons finm NJ Mereier, The two
Goyernmcnts will thus be in accord
an n point al vital Interest Ia the
Confederate States
The United States were not par
ties 10 the treaty OF Paris, aud have
declined Ia acccde Ia lis terms
These terms were, by the contract
ing parties, the powcrS which had
brcn engaged in the Russian war
agreed upon to bc binding among
themselves and upon all other pow
crs which should signify their accep-
tance, The former Administrations
"f the United States declined To hc-
Q ne hound thereby, on account of
one of the clauses, which stipulates
ior the abandonment OF the right al
privatcoring Ia war, For reasons
with which the American people
Were satisfied, il WAS decided not To
consent 10 tho remuneration Ola prac'
tice which WAS of peculiar value, as
nh instrument al naval warfare, 10
n people which did not desire to
maintain costly standing ornaments
10y sea,
But on all other points of the
Paris declaration relating Ia neutral
rights, and the definitions OF block
AIDE, the unrcscrvcd concurrence OF
tho United States was stated. The
Paris declaration provides that the
articles should be accepted, or de-
clincd in mass, and therefore the
United States Government withheld
its assent, proposing to amend, by
adding TO tho prohibation OF priva'
tecring n stipulation for tho abol'-
ton of all war on tho ocean against
private property, not contraband.-
This was not accepted, and it was
sui Q ,quently withdrawn, because the
United States had decided not to
negotiate ut all for the rclinquish-
mcnt of the right to employ priva-
tcers.
For the reasons the Paris stipula-
tions are not binding on the United
States, by conventional agreement
to any Of these provisions. But to
all of them, except the privatcering
clause, they given uniform support,
in the doctrines maintained in all
their negotiations with foreign ma.
tons. They contendcd for them
against the practices Of Great Brit
ain and France, in the early part OF
this century, and it was in support
of them that they became involved
in the war of 1912. The declaration
of Paris, on the subject Of blockade
is claimed in fact as an homage to
the doctrines which the foreign de
partment of the United States main.
tanned fifty years ago, to be founded
on the law Of justice, and to be real.
ly part of the publiclaw. The Con.
gress at Paris sought to make the
same doctrine the public law of the
world, by convention among all the
States having interest in commerce
If the United States could not, for
other seasons, join in the dcclara,
ton, by convention, they are, new.
erthelcss, even more bound by it
than those who made it, because
they had previously, and have al
ways affirmed that this portion is
already an indispensable part Of the
public law.
France or England might consis.
tently, if not wisely or prudently,
contend that there is no obligations
on any of the parties to that decla-
ration, to observe its conditions to-
wards States which haze refuse l to
enter into reciprocal obligations
therefor. But the United States
could enter no such plea for violating
their own long settled and strongly
proclaimed principles of public law
But it appears shat EnglamEand
France are disposed to extend' to
the United States tie pr ne pie of
the rule of the Parisstrraty, not be-
cause it is rule binding upon
American affairs, created by the
treaty, but because it is also an
American rule, which may be in
sisted on because u departure from
it would be extremely injurious to
French and British interests:
The Government at Washington
will not be permitted to say that a
paper blockade, the mere proclama-
ton of non-intercourse; unsupport-
ell by an adequate force at every
point where Il ship may enter, will
be permitted to shut England and
France from supplies Of the most in
dispcnsable ncccssitytb themselves,
afterAmcrica had for centuries con-
tended that such blockades in Eu-
rope, against her own commerce,
were fragrant wrongs
4 prcminary to any lawful block
AIDE ia state OF war; sufficiently
made known. Thc'noticc Of block
ade is n notification that there is
war and this idea is very likely to
enter to- the heads Of the mon Of
Mr.. Lincolns Cabinet, and to set them
before they 90 seriously to work, to
rrGactino very closely on all the
- -. Al
IN