The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1863-09-25

thizers" with the French Revolution and
those of 18l7-l8 were designed to restrain
such of our people as wished to embark ac-
lively in aid of the revolt Of the South Amer
lean States in their rebellion against Spain.
In all Of this legislation the Congress of the
United States drew a broad and distinct line
between the two kinds Of casesswhich there is
now SO much effort to confound. They i'm
posed strong and unmistalIeable restraints
upon the enlistment of mon forthe land forces
of any belligerent, and also upon the furnish
4 ing Of ships-of-war. These acts were classed
together and placed upon the same level, but
there was no Legislation on the subject Of
selling arms, munitions or supplies. That
was left subject to the ordinary hazards of
commerce. This is the great point that
should have constant prominence in the pre-
sent difference between England and the
United States.
But the people of this country being to
large extent a maritime people, and many of
them having natural political afinities with
the struggling South American revolutionists,
! it was found difficult, under the act of 1894,
to prevent them from furnishing priyateers
and other war vessels to their fellow republic
cans. This created a necessity for more
strin gent laws against fitting out of vessels
| of war, and then came the Act of 1917, the
third section of which is in substance as
i follows: tt
g The collectors of customs are authorized
. and required to detain any vessel mdnifcStty
built for lodrlike purposes and about to depart
from the United States, of which the cargo
shall principally consist of arms and muni-
tions of war, when the number of men
shipped on board, or other circumstances,
shall render it probable that such vessel is
intended to be employed to cruise or commit
hostilities upon the subjects, citizens or pro
pcrty of any power, State or people with
whom the United States are at peace"
With reference to this section of the act o.
1917 it was stated on the floor of the House
} of Representatives by Mr.. Forsyth, thu
r Chairman of Foreign Relations, that it wa'
, designed to enable the President to arrest tn,
departure of any vessel achere there ara
} strong ground to presume that she was abou
> to violate the neutral obligations of the Uni
ted States The same section is embraced il
e our existing neutrality act, as the eleventh
. section of the act of 1918.
!. Such are American policy and American
law in reference to furnishing war vessels +
/ belligerents at war with nations or peopl
4 with whom we are at peace. While they ar
silent as to the sale of arms, munitions an
y supplies, leaving them, as matters of com
O merce, to the risks of war, they have Away
placed strong restraint upon furnishing yes
4 sells " presumed to be for hostilities or "n,dn
: testly" for war purposes.
o This policy and these laws have been fairly
honorably and impartially executed, within tn
: memory of even very young people. Their
: is no necessity for hunting up musty old r,
q cords, to extract isolated paragraphs from tn
decisions of Judges in long past years upo
l, very dissimilar cases. We have recent exam
IS PIES under circumstances precisely analogou
to the present, where England was the part
g plaintiff. We have frequently referred to on
J, case, that of the barque Mauuy, and need nj
4 reeite the particulars again. Here, at tn
bare complaint of the British Minister tha
V he suspected the Ma,ny was designed for
ct Russian privateer, she was libeled and d.
~ tanned by the Government of the Unite
y States.
'e This was exactly what the President sal
ID he loould do. At the outset of the Crimea
war Lord CLARESDoS called the attention
our 00vernmeas 70 or meutrafisr laws, so
is. to prevent our citizens. from operating in
y vor of Russia, and against England. II
reply was, that while our citizens would CO.
q, tinually furnish arms, munitions and supple
or to both belligerents they should furnish !
- vessels of war, because g our municipal ldl
10 u, accordance loi the lac of nations, prem,
N, torily .forbids not only foreigners, bit o.
,st citizens, to fiji out aoithin the United States
- vcssel to commit hostilities against any Sta
n Nth ,caich the United States are at peace"