Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-03-26
LETTERS OF MARQUE.

Our versatile and sprighty contemporary, the
New York Times, imsgines itself to have found {" a
very curious phenomenon" in the fact that the
National Intelligencer and the Evening Post both
agree that the President should not use the au-
thority given to him by the last Congress to issue
letters of marque" The conjunction of Saturn
and Mercury would not be, it thinks, whit more
surprising to astronomers than such concurrence
of views between journals whose orbits are so diff
ferent Accordingly, our young contemporary
raises its bit Of smoked glass to its eyes, and OBJ
serves as follows:
Let us look Three or four swift and powerful Con-
ederate sells have been for months preying upon our
commerce. The damage they have occasioned directly
and indlTecyby destroying, aud by endangerng
raise the rates of insurance to fgureamouDts
to Of millions Of dollars. The Government has 10
vain sought to catch these pirates They only prose-
cute their buccaneerng work without check but their
numbers will probably he considerably augmented
Some Of merchants IN New York, it is understood
wearied with this unending Of outrage are con-
emplang putting two or three private vessels specially
adapted to the purpose under command OF Of the
sort to haul and make short work Of these Con
drrate corsas aud they propose to apply TO the Pres
dent for letters authorizing that work Twont answer
We hear from both extremes IL 10 highly immoral y
Now, trust the President, who is a man, will do
his duty like These buccaneers deserve destroying;
aud il no cannot destroy them be must not hesitate
authorize other To do IL. This his bounden duty.
All these lachrymoss compunctions about the immortality
Of prvaeerng simply ridiculous SO far the ethical
relations Of the matter CONCERNED il is wrong
for private vessel to send the Alabama the bottom
for pubic vesse-no more wrong for the President 10
auhoriz. a civil captain to do it than to direct
captain to try to do it, 1t would puzzle the st astue
casust to make out difference There s but one duty in
the premises aud that to have this work DONE and by
the speedest agency, whatever that may be-
We are very sure that candid journal like the
Times would not Willingly misrepresent the position
of Saturn" or Mercury" in this matter, and if
it has made a mistake in the premises it is simply
because young contemporary has not formed to
itself very clear idea of what is meant by letters
Of marque. We susp,ctit is stronger in astronomy
than in public law.
We therefore find ourselves under the necessity
Of explaining to astronomical contemporary that
general letters of marquc are not at all needed for
the limited and particular uses to which the Tims
proposes that they shall be put in the capture If
three or four swift and powerful Confederate v,s
sells which have been for months preyipg on cur
commerce" The Times wi perhaps be surprised
to learn that do not at all differ from it in the
proprety Of capturing these vessels if possible, by
private enterprise, but we like to have things
called by their proper names. In the only gen.
era discussion we have given to this topic, after
promising thatin the present war, against an enemy
without commerce, there was no room for letters of
marque properly so.called, we added as follows:
be said that these private armed cruisers may be
employed III Tho search aid capture If the Alabama aud
other similar depredaiors commerce., the answer
easy For such service vessels possessing STR pgth Of
timber and weight Of metal beyond that Of ordinary let
ers OF marque will be c-ssary II the Government pro-
poses IN tbsway to supplement the activity and energy Of
the navy and dee that do without any reflection
on that arm Of the national defence do not conceive
that any rowing commission of maque s either necessary
or proper Let II be- distinctly stated that the capture Of
such enemy vessels Is the sole motive and object of the
private armed thus authorized to enter the service
OF the country And the Government, ne stimulus tn
their activity might offer them bonus for the capture Of
the ALBANIA Of any similar ship engaged In depredaDg
on our commerce"