Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-01-01

sell viii be able to satisfy Mr.. Seward tha
they were not. If they we're, as all al
thOrities concur in admitting, agents of Il
rebellion. it will be difficult to satisfy in
partial minds that they were any less col
traband than file of rebel soldiers or
battery Of hostile cannon.
But even should there be difference {
opinion upon this point, it is very clea
that our &, vernment had sufficient ground
for presuming itself in the right, to escap
the suspicion of having wantonly violate
the relations Of amity which the two coun
tries profess desire to preserve and cult
vate.
The pretcncc that We ought to have ia
ken the Trent into port, and had her con
demned by Prize Court in order to jus
tify our seizure of four of her passengers
furnishes a very narrow basis on which t,
/ fix serious controversy between two grea
nations Stated III other words an offcnc,
would have been less if it had been greater
The wrong done to the British flag weult
have been mitig1ted if instead of sciz;n!
the four rebels, we had seized the ship, de
tanned all her passengers for weeks, AM
confscated her cargo. l am not surprised
that Capt Wilkes took different view o.
his duty, and Of what was due to the friend
ly relations which subsisted between the
two Governments. The renowned common
sense of the English people, l believe, will
approve Of his effort to make the discharge
of a very unpleasant duty as little Vexa-
tious as possible to all innocent parties
If. under these circumstances. England
should deem it her duty, in the interest Of
civilization, to insist upon the restoration
of the men taken from under the protec-
ton of her flag. it will be from a convic-
ton, without doubt, that the law Of nations
in regard to the rights of neutrals, which
she has taken the leading part in establish
ing, requires revision, and with suitable
disposition on her part to establish those
rights upon just, humane and philosoph-
ic basis. Indeed, l am happy to see an in
timation in one of the leading metropolitan
journals, which goes far to justify this in
ference. Referring to the decisions Of the
English Admiralty Courts, now quoted in
defence of the seizure Of the American reb-
els on board the Trent, the London Times
of Nov. 18th, says
80 far as the authorities 90, the tcsti-
moHy of International law writer's is all Of
one way, that belligerent war cruiser has
the right to stop. visit aud search any mer-
chant ship upon the high seas.
But it must be remembered that these de-
cisions were given under circumstances very
different from those which now occur
Steamers in those days did not exist, and
mail vessels, carrying letters wherein all
the nations of the world have immediate
interest, we're unknown. We were fight
ing fUr existence, and we did in those days
what we should neither do nor allow ethers
to do, nor except ourselves to be allowed
to DO in those days
IL England, as we arc here encouraged
to hope, is disposed to do her part in strip
ping war Of half its horrors by accepting
the policy long and persistently urged up
on her by our Government, and eOmmsnd-
ed by every principle of justice and hu-
manity, she viii find ns ground, in the yis-
it Of the Trent, for controversy with our
Government. | am sure the President and
people Of the United States would be but
too happy to let these men 90 free, unnat-
ural and objectionable as their offences
have been, if by it they can emancipate
the commerce of the world. Greatly as it
would be to our disadvantage at the pres
ent crisis to surrender any of those mari
time privileges of belligerents which are
sanctioned by the law of nations, L feel
that | take no responsibility in saying that
the United States will be faithful to her
traditional policy upon this subject, and to
the spirit of her political institutions.
On the other hand, should England be
to make corresponding sacri-
flee; should she feel that she could not yet
atfe. to surrender the advantage which
the present maritime code gives to . domi-
nant naval power, of course she will not
put herself in false position by aAiDg US
to do it. In either case, therefore, l do
not see how the friendly relations of the
two governments are in any immediate dan
ger of being disturbed
That the over prompt recognition, as
of body of men, however
arge, SO long as they constituted mani
fest minority of the nation. wounded the
eclings of ny countrymen deeply, l will
not affect to deny, nor, that that act, with
'Omc of its logical consequences which have
already occurred, has planted in the breast
If many the suspicion that their kindred
n England wish them evil rather than
.ood. But the statesmen to whom the po-
itical interest Of these two great people
ire coEfled act upon higher responsible
les and with better lights, and You may
est assured that an event so mutually dis
strous Us war between England and A
nericl cannot occur without some other
nd griver Frovocatiop than has yet been
iveu by either nation.
WINFIELD SC0rE
iOrEL WESTMINSTER, Paris, Dec. =, 1861.
To ESn.