Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-01-22


But it ia especially ia relation to the soaled block
sde of coast that the policy of European powers
has been shaped the greatest injury TO the
Conederacy, and to confer signal advantages on the
United States. The importance OF this subject quires
some development.
Prior to the year 1856 the principles re- uIatisg this
subject were to be gathered from the writings of ern
nent publciss d. cisons of admiralty courts, inter
national trea les and the usages of nations. The an
certainty and doubt which prevailed in reference to the
true rules of maritime law in time of war; resulting
from dscordant and often conflicting principles an
nounced from such varied and independent sources had
become q grievous evil to mankind. Whether block
ade vas allowable against port not invested by land
as well as by sea whether blockade vas valid by sea
if tht investing feet merely sufficient to render in
press 10 the bockaded port evidently dangerous.
whether it was further required for its legality thar it
should be sufficient really to prevent access and
numerous other similar questions had renamed DOUBT
full and undecided
Ar mated by the highly honorable desire TO put an
end to differences OF opinion between neutrals and
begerents which may occasion serious difficulties and
even coufcts" II quote the official anguage,) the five
great Powers of Europe, together with Sardinia and
Turkey, adopted, in 1856 the following solemn decla
ration " of principles:
/. Privateering is and remains abo.heo
2. The neutral flag covers enemy's goods, with the
excep 10 Of cOntraband of
3. Neutral goods, with the exception of contraband
of war are not liable to capture under enemy's flag.
4. Blockad S. in order to be binding, must be ef,c-
tive that is say maintained by force sufficient real
ly tC prevent &c less to the coast of the enemy.
Not only did this solemn declaration announce to
the world the principles to which the signing powers
agreed to cone rm in future wars but it Dtalned
clause to which those powers gave immediate effect and
which provided that the States, not parties to the Con
gress of Pars should be invited to accede 20 the de
claraon. Uuder this iuvi alton every independence
State l.! arope yielded its assent at ast instance
ia known ne OF q refusal and The United States,
while declining TO assent to the pre- position which pro
hibited prvateerine declared that the three remaining
principles in entire accordance with their OVID
views of n'erna iona law.
No instance is known in history Of he adoption OF
rules Of public law under circumstances of like soem
nifty, with like unanimty and pledgng the faith OF
tiona with saDctity 90 p uliar.
Wner, therefore, this Confederacy was formed, and
when ulra powers, while deerring action its de-
mapd Tor admission into the family CT nations rect
med it as bege power Great Britain and Fra zee
made informal proposals about the same time that their
own rights as neuras should be guaranteed by
cedjng begeents to the claration OF principles
made BY the Congress Of Paris The request ad-
dressed 70 Our sense of lstce and therefore imme
date favora Die respons the resolutions OF the Fro
vsional Congress OF the 18th August, 1861, by which
all the principles announced by the Congress OF Paris
adopted the guide OF cur conduct during the
var, With the sole exception Of that relstiye to
priva eering. As tie right make Of privdtes
in which neutral nations had, 10 the pres
war, no interest it right which The United
States bad refused to abandon and which they remain
ed at liberty to employ against il right OF
which already in actual enj 1ympnt, ard which
could not be expected to reDounce frGgrane bello
against adversary possessing an overwhelming
periority of naval forces, it reserved with entire
confidence that neutral nations could not fail to perceive
that just existed for the reservation. Nor
this confidence misplaced for the official documents
published by tie Government usually called " Blue
Books contain the expression of the satisfaction OF
that government with the conduct of the officials who
conducted successfully the delicate business con6ded to
their charge.
These solemn declars ions of principle this implied
agreement between The Conederscy and the powers
just named, have teen suffered TO remain imperative
against the and outlages neutral rights,
committed by the United States with unceasng and
progressing arrogance during the whole period of the
war Neutral Europe remained passive when the Uni
ted States with naval force insufficient to blockade,
effectively, the coast of single State, proclaimed pa
per blockade of thousands of miles Of coast extending
from the capes of the Chesapeake to those OF Florida
and encircng the Gulf of Mexico from Key West to
the mouth of the Rio Grande. Compared with this
monstrous pretenson of the United States, the block
AIDES known n history, under the names of the Berlin
and Milan DEGREES, and the British orders in Council
in the years 1906 and 1907 sink into insgnifcance
Yet those blockades justified by the powers that
declared them the sole ground that they retail
iatoy yet those blockades have since been condemned
by the pubcsts of those very powers violations of
international law yet those bockades evoked angry
remonstrances from neutral powers amongst which the
United States were the most conspicuous; yet those
bcckades became the chief cause of the between
Great Britain and the United States in l8l2 yet those
biockades of the prncp motives tina: led to
the caration OF the Congress of Paris in 1885, the
fond hope Of imposing enduring check the very
abuse Of maritime power, which is renewed by the
United States in 1861 and 1862 under circumstances
and with features OF aggravated wrong without prece
dent in history.
The records OF our State Department contain the
evidence of the repeated and formal remonstrances made
by this government to neutral powers against the re-
cogntion of this blockade It has been shown by evil
dence capable Of contradiction and which has been
furnished in part by the officials of neutral nations that
the lew ports OF this Confederacy, before which any
naval forces at all have been stationed, have been n
vested ineficieDty that hundreds OF entries have
bsen Effected into them since the declaration of the
blockade: that enemies have themselves admitted
the inc icency of their blockade in the mist forcibe
manner by repeated FL cal complaints OF the ssle to
u.s. of goods contraband of wsr sale which could not
possibly affect their Interests it their pretended block
ade sufficient "realiy to prevent access 10 our
coast " that they have gone farther, and have alleged
their inability to render their paper blockade Elective
the for the odious barbaFity of destroying the
entrance to one harbors by sink ny load
ed with stone in the channel that our commerce with
foreign nations has been intercepted not by the Elective
investment of pors BY the seizure of ships 10
the attempt to enter them, hut by the capture the
high seas of neutral vessels by the cruisers If cur enc
mes, whenever supposed to be bound to any pont
our Extensive coest, without enquiry whether Dge
bockadpg vessel was to be 0uud at such point hat
vessels have left the ports at Which they
stationed for distant expeditions have been abaen
fJr many days and have returntd without no either
Of the cessation renewa OF The blockade in a NO
that every prescription of maritime law d every gh
IF neutral nations to trade with begerent under the
sanction Of principles heretofore universally respected
have been systematics lily and persstenty violated by
he limited Neutral Europa has received