The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1861-07-13
Prom the London rmes.
THE LAW OF BLOCKADE

VIC Nhhtl uf ttilalllF lftNliN'H VI " w =
have two parties eagerly bidding iur our
AID and iealously watching our actions
We have merchants and shipowrets
sharply alive 10 the opportunities OF
turning any circumstance 80 advantage,
and ready TO test every point IN the law
Of blockade The real business Of this
war il undoubtedly the blockade Of the
Southern poris--u0t now perhaps for
We last cotton crop is. f9r the most part
stored in our European warehouses bot
in few months the question viii be
whether the Moth can Theoretically seal
the South and then Lancashire viii be
hungcring for cotton, and the Federal
States will be- iaintng for the supplies
by which it should be paid for Bat even
already we see the commencement Of
future difficulties
The American news we published yea
ierday pictures to US a single American
war steamer cruising ofi the harbor ot
Charleston, aud declaring a strict block
adc Of the whole Southern coast Of the
United States of America" The Niagra
boards the Liverpool ships and warns
them of the coast and she il strictly
m.thin her bcligcreut rights N 80 doing
At other times she is engaged ia most
exciting chase # other less ohcdlcnt
British craft. which, under The hope Of u
good freight, stand the risk u 4 race,
and sometimes make good their cuira0ce
into the hlorkadcd port A time wears
ou thrsc clasc- Will become much more
numerous. and II Governor Seward has
already had occasion 10 utter dark
threats against the French Emperor iar
some laucied Southern tendencies, We
may expect what these complications
will hc AS soon "a it becomes the dntct
peruniary interest &C every merchant
and shipawucr pt Egrapc TO break ilis
blockade et quprter oi a continent, II
viii bee found very drllirglt tu keep
sealcl what aIl Tire world ala AN interest
100 breaking and we cannot hope that The
watchers will always maintain an na-
failing good uumur ia dealiay with Use
hosts OF ovadcrs. We may dcp ua upap
IL ll.at We shall soon have q ieSiya' a.
those old questions so familiar in onr
history
What the law Of blockade il M enc
knows. True, i, may be read ia treaties
aud may hc found laid down "a text
books But these text books have Hot
the authority to Ice derived from consis-
tencv. and have never been oheyed IN
practice. They have, fpr the most part.
been written by two different schools Of
jurists, the subjects Of warning powers
and the subjects ut neutral powers NJ
the authorities Of thi- country are in "a
yor Of the most generous Interpretation
81 the rights u heilgc,rnt powc,s. iof
we have always heOu helliccTcnt, il has
always been our interest 90 give a bel &
ercut power the strongest possible rights
over neutral ships ard our Prize Courts
have always been ls. neg down doctrines
which the res, Of the world repndiatcd
as Illegal aud unteuable TIE cunse-
dneuco is that we sttl now find our
selves in false position eu all these
questions We shall ha bound hy eur
own decisions, which vii, tcl! against
our own n,eresis as aeu,rals and we
shall have to submi, To rules Of mariii'ae
public law, which very much increase
the evils we must necess afily endure
from the blockade. however Inefficient,
Of the coast, which is 20 MS So important,
boih for exports aud imports.
We should have no right Go comp ain
Of this IL there were really any code Of
maritime law Ent there il uu snch
thing II we were at WAX tomorrow,
We should have ua caeuce oi enforcing
agaiut thc neutral nations tie rules to
which we ourselves ate al ut 90 sub.
NIT pcdauts may hook for the law
4 nations IN the iolus of text writars,
but practical mon v III seek iol it in thg
facts of history When We. as helliger-
cuts, have sought to enforce out right to
take an enemy's goods ont of friendly
vessels. we have always been met by a
great league of all the maritime nations
and have been obliged tu aNate our pre-
tensions. We have never found it t.
much purpose to quote the most rovcfed
authorities Ia uur favor Denmark, and
Russia. and France. aud Spain, have al
ways been ready 10 make a code i1r the
occasion. aud that code we have been
compelled to accept We have kept II
up as an old principle, inst as we kept
NJ anr claims TO bee suveroigns 81 France;
but it has never done US auy practical
rood aud il is now likely ~ lcsd rs into
considerable practical difficulty There
can be no dispute among those who have
looked into the subject thai wo h.ye
never read the ruafatlme law OF nations
ns the French have read IT, and that a.
10 period has the practice et Europe
been uniform, even upon the most i'm
noriant priuciples which guide us 10 Gus