The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-04-05

foderates'' and the slave Trade.
a document, addressed by Mr.. JUDAH
N iBgNJAsrtN, the Confederate Secretary
of State" to the Hon. H. @. G. LAMAR, tho
Confederate "Commissioner" at st. Pc
tersbufg, has been Intercepted by our
,l, bloekaders 1t is printed in The National
no Iatslbgeacer, whose editor remarks:
4fiis published for the information of
81 all concerned, as serving 70 show hsPru-
l''ia sut Ind significant Te5Tts which tie Con
federate authorities prescribe tOthem-
.Belyesia refusing TO enter into any engage
'h' tnent with foreign nations not b reUiee bse /
Z 1tsqan slate trade o.
s-r The National Lselligcaoer will not be |
90 called sensation jourDal by the most
De- Bitter enemies Of Che Administration. In
styling the refusal Of the rebels to enter
ia into any agreement not 70 revive The in
yl4 human aud abominable slave trade Sig
niGcaut," it doubtless means to express
the belief that they will be ready to re-
vive that trade, whenever it may seem to
q be 10 their pecuniary interest to do so.
-1u.' BENJAMIN, writing on the 18th of jan
17sd uAry, says: .' ,sl- r
of ' aSfR--Tt has been suggested to this
saI Government, from source Of unques@
toned authority, that, after the recOgni-
lion OF our independence by the Europe
~ an Powers, an expectation is generally
'' entertained by them that, in our treaties
of anfty and commerce a clause willb
introduced making stipulations against
the African slave-trade. 1T is even
q thought that neutral Powers may be in
clined to insist upon the insertion Of such
..,.l, clause as sine qua mon
ISL BENJAMrN's argument is that the soye
.t. reign States Ofthe Confederacy have
decided that the slave-trade shall not be
opened, and putt In the Constitution,
Iss and that therefore the Confederate Gov
ernnent has no authority TO negotiate
-7a on the subject BENJAMIN says: ..
Lad. "Tlis Government uneqlivooally and a5so-
srefg8 iutely denies als possession Of any Power
l0Iutever ovsT he subject, and cannot entertain
any proposition IN relation 10 it.
ls iva awhile it is totally beneath the dignity
b h j. Of this Government 20 give assurances
AZ 4 Tor the purpose Of indicating itself from
~ any unworthy suspicious Of it's good
si,tf faith on this subject that may be dissem-
-p. n mated by the Pgens of the United States,
.sa B. it may not be improper that you should
alta point out the superior efficacy OF our
.lr ~ constitutional provision TO any treaty
ody, stipulations we could make. The Com
-lrt stitution is itself treaty between the
.ie,s States of such binding force thatit can
-es- . not be changed or abrogated without the
deliberate aud concurrent action OF nine
out OF the thirteen States that compnse
the Confederacy. l ...,.-.
...t,..., A treaty might be abrogated by party
vs. n temporarily III power in our couatry, at
.iss.. the sole rick of disturbing amicable re-
sasqi lations with foreign power. Tho Con-
Is .1a,. stituuon upless by approach to unanimi-
sroi,,t tv, could not be changed without the de-
~ 4, struotion of this Government itself and
Y - even should it be possible hereafter TO
procure the consent Of the number of
rI1-s States necessary to change it, the forms
dlt8 and delays designedly interposed by the
.erIoy Trainers to check rash innovations would
give ample time for the most mature do
alterations and for strenuous resistance
on the part of those opposed to such
change. 2't
.ati "Ajtsr az is scarcely GIs pa,t Of ,oisiop
70 attempt % inpose restraint tbs actions
and conduct Of men for al future time The
policy OF the Confederaey is fixed and
% hi immutAble on this subject as the imper-
20 p resolve TO be. No additional agreements
treaties or stpulations can commit these
States TO the prohibition Of the American
slave trade with more binding efficacy
than these they have themselves devised,
ilA just and generous confidence in their
good faith on this subject, exhibited by
friendly Powers, will be far more eidca
ciOus than persistent efforts 10 induce
this Government to assume the exercise
of powers which it does not possess and
10 bind the Confsderaoy BY ties t0hicl. Mould
.Hu. havs no Constitutional validity.
a'- The reader. Of these extracts will be
IN struck with the remarkable degree Of
.r, quibbling, eyasiveness, and falsehOod
o' rs of MIR. BENJAMS's instructions TO Mr.
sn LAMAR tr-
"a The rebel Secretary makes the aston
o. a ishiDg assertion that the Confederate
g.- Government has no pO,eer TO enter into q
i' treaty net to reasV DO AFRICAN slave trade
Astonishing statement Why has IL moi
.-sgu the powerto do what England, France
~ and the United States have done Has
I4m the Confectionery rcbellsd against internR.
tioual law as well as the laws Of tn,
United States? l. BESJAMIN honest ia
stating shat the Coniederaey eau bind
itself by NO treaty in regard 10 aforeigI
trade? The rebel Secretary puts himself
on his dignity, and says thatthe COnfed-
l.f srAey has already established a C9nsG-
Doe tutionAl provision agsinst the slave trade
II this be SO, treaty with similar
clause in it, would only be ratification
Hl by international agreement Of what
was already established by the organic
law Of the COniederacy, and If Mr.. Ban
IAMN meant to be honest, we are utterly
unable to interpret his language when he
says that treaty prohibiting tho slave
trade would have "no Constitutional
. validity" @
But Mr. BESJANuN is not honest. The
-l COnfederacy means to revive the crims of
F mAn.piracy so soon as il may attain the
a.