The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1863-12-15

For nearly three years this government.
has exercised U oquestioned jurlsdlction oVeF
many millions of willing and united people
1t las met and defeated vast armies OF III
vadsrs, who have in vain sough its suover c
sion. Supported b, the confidence ana al
lection of its citizens, the Confederacy mas
lacked no element which distinguishes an
independent nation according to the princi-
Piles of public law. It's Legislatures, e1ecu'
tive and judicial departments, each IN ITS
sphere, have performed their appropriate
functions with regularity as undisturbed
Is in time Of, profound peace, ana the
whole energies Of theipeople have been de-
veloped in the organization OF vast armies,
while their rights and liberties have rested
secure under the protection Of the courts Of
Justice. This Confederacy is either indie.
pendent, or it is dependency of the United
States, for no other earthly power claims
the right to govern it. Without one his
teric fact on which the prstension can rest,
without one line or word of treaty or Gov
enant which can give color to title, the
United States have asserted, and the British
government has chosen to concede that
these sovereign States are dependencies OF
the government which is administered In
Washington. 80. So.
s. Great Britain has accordingly entertained
with that government the CLOSETS and most
intimate relations, while refusing on its de
mand ordiurry amicable intercourse with
the other nations of Europe, not only denied
our Just claim of admission into the family
of nations, but interposed passive, though
effectual bar to the acknowledgment OF our
rights by other powers. So soon as it had
become apparent, by the declarations OF
the British ministers in the debates of the
British Parliament, in July last that her
Majesty's government was determined to
persist indefinitely in course OF policy
which, under professions of neutrality, had
become subservient to the designs of our
enemy felt it my duty to recall the com
missioner formerly accredited to that court,
and the correspondence on the subject IS
submitted to you.
1t is due to YOU and to our country that
this full statement should be made Of the
lust grounds which exist for dissatisfaction
with the conduct ofthe British Government
I am we'll aware that we are, unfortunately
without adequate remedy for the injustice
under which we have suffered at the hands
of powerful nation, at a juncture when
our entire resources are absorbed IN the de
Tense of our lives, liberties and independence
against an enemy possessed of greatly su'
perior numbers and material resources
Claiming no favor, desiring no aid, conscious
of our own ability to defend our own right s
against the utmost efforts ofan Infatuated
foe, we had thought it not extravagant from
our enemies, and that the conduct of foreign
nations would be marked by genuine
impartiality between the belligerent. 1t
was not supposed that protested neutral
ity would be so conducted as to justify the
Foreign Secretary of the British nation IN
explaining, in correspondence with our
enemies, now 1.-THE impartial observance Of
neutral obligations by Her Masjesty's Gov
eminent has thus been exceedingly advan.
taseous to the cause of the more powerful
of the two contending parties" The British
Government may deem this war favorable
occasion for establishing, by the temporary
sacrifice of their neutral rights, precedent
| which shall Justify the future exercise of
those extreme bslligerent pretensions that
their naval power renders SO formidable
The opportunity for obtaining the tacitas
| sent of European government to line OF
thecouduct which ignores the obligations
| of the declarations of Paris, and treats that
instrumet rather as theoretical exposition
of principles than binding agreement, may
be considered by the British Ministry as
Jus tifying them in seeking great advantage
fon their own country at the expense OF
ours-But we cannot permit, without
protest, the assertion that International law
or morals regard as impartial neutral
ity" conduct avowed to be exceed
ingly advantageous" to one Of the bsllis-
erents. ..
have stated that we are without ade.
quate remedy against the injustice under
which we suffer. There are but two mea-
sures that seem applicable t. the present
condition Of our relations with neutral
powers. One is to initiate the wrong Of
which We complain, to retaliate by the de-
claration of paper blockade of the coast
of the United States, with tn cir ports that
our cruisers can intercept on the high seas.
This measure cannot recommend 1t is
true that in SO doing we should but follow
the presidents set by England and France
in the Berlin and Milan DEGREES, and the
British order in council at the beginning of
the present century. But it''must be re-
mebered that We, ourselves, protested very
strongly against those measures as signal
violations of the law Of nations, and de-
c!ared the attempts to excuse them, on the
ground of their being retallatory, utterly in
sufficient. Those blockades are now quot
ed by writers On public law as standing
reproach on the good name of the nations
who were betrayed by temporary exas-
perations into wrong doing, and should be
regarded rather as errors rather to be avoid
ed than as examples to be followed.
The other measure is not open to this
objection. The second article of the de-
claration of Paris, which provides that neu.
trail flag covers the enemy's goods, with the
exception of contrabaHd of war, was new