Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1863-02-25

tons of the parties as 10 the true nature Of their
previous niu,na relations, The g"Vrrn"hH ni 'r""i
Britain aud France accordingly sigh'u h'ii "e'rr-
| m,natiun To cunhne themselves ~ recognizing The
scll-r, icnt fact OF the existence ui war, hhd 10
maintaining st.ic neutrality during It's progress.
Some of the other puwers at Europe pnrHurd the Suire
course ut policy. aud II became apparent lh.l bA me
understanding, express ar iact, hur"pr h'd 9r'i"ed
To leave the initiative In all action touching ihr col-
test un This continent 10 the twu powers Jnst h'nri
who were 10 nnilcd To have the arg II iut' ftstN III
yoNrd lu,h by reason of proximity and "l Tie cAltut
aud intimacy NJ thrr cumiHerrIal relations with lht
I state, engaged IN Tie war,
II il manifest that the course ofacton adopted by
Eurypc whlle hnspd on AN apparent refusal To deter
mine the olIr-I iuil or side with either party " s
in Ioint of tact aud actual decision against cur rights
and in favor Of the gruundlcsS prricnsiuIs "i TIE l-
ted Statr. II was u refusal TO Irrat US Hs an indie.
p-ud-uf government five were independent States,
Ih refusal to entertain with u> the same inicriiai"h-
nj intercourse was maintained with "Gr enemy MAS
unjust, ana was injurious in Its eircs. whatever may
! have been tn. motive which prompted II, Neither
was it in accordance with the high moral obligations
of that Internal onal code whose crl sahrliOh II Tue
| conscience, of sycrcigns and tie public opinion Of
mankind that lhusc eminent powers sIiond decline
the perIOrulanCc OF II duty peculiarly inrumbeHt
ON ,lrn,, from any apprehension of lie consequences
To themselves one immediate nnd necessary result
Of their declining the responsibility oi d"cN'o
{ which must have been adverse tu the cNlraNagaEt
prirnsiuns Of the United States, the prUlon ga
lion of fIus'iiitrs tu which our ciriars We're thereby
.ed and which have resulted In nothing but
a. itlIN u'NtstalNh u hh IhiS
and of misery aId suffering uii the O,lri. such ns
have scarcely parallel IN history, Hal those pow
,rs prumIiS almit our right 10 be treated ~ all
other in,eucnd,ul nation. none can doubt that the
iulal Ell vi such action would have been 10 dnlcl
the ,lrI.vn under which the tnit"d Saies haN"icr-
sisted in ;l ir clUr's oHconpI"h our rhIIuEhi"ii..
To the continued hesitation ui the same r""cIs IN
rendering this act Ufsimple justice towards t- Con-
i.rracy j. slill due the UinliaHcr ~ ia" Camites
which niink ind suffers from ih" lHicriup Ion al It's
pcaceiui pursmlis both in the old l the new worlds.
There are other matters in which less Than jis,ire
has been +, nrrrh his people 10y neutral Europe,
aud Hu,tuc uivau,a' conferred on In aggr"rsurs in
a wicked war. At the inception OF hus,lll'rs tho
Inhabitants of the CouirderHcy were almost cNciu-
svriy ~; ricutuliss ihUsc Ui tie thiitd HtcS, 10
great rNi,nt, mechanics ana h"l hiiiS. We md no
cunIInri citl unrinr, while their merchant vessels
covered lie ocean. We wcr" without navy, Hlrl"
they had powerful fleets 1h" advantage which ii ry
pusa, s-sd for inir,ing inny our COASTS an, hat
hur, VT, ;huS crun'crbaanc"'l III some measure 10y
the exposure of lrir commerce to nilhch hy lriNhr
armed vessels. 1t was known to Europe that within
u wears past the United States had rrrrmpiorily
refused acccdG TO PROPOSALS for nbo!I'ng lrr'n-
t""rng the ground, Hiutlp"d l'y them, tlIaj
tiuls owning powerful i!eets wD'd thereby OBJ ain
undue Vantage ever ih"-c possessing inferior naval
forces. Yet Was war iialranI between the
cui,dcrlcy and the Uniicd States, han the mari
time powers OF Europe issued or"ls prohibiting eth
lar from bringing lIIHcs INTO Their ports. This
prohibition dircc,ci with apparent imlariiaiy IL
gaiHs both bcligrrcnls, was in really effective IL
gtinst the Confederate Sia cs alVur, ior they alone
cpui iind II '"slilc commerce ON HE rc"n. Merely
seminal against the luIrd Statcs, the prohibition
upyrillcd with intense severity Un ia" toird r,N,
by drprving it Of The only means # maintaining,
vi h some al pruirl 10 equality. lis struggle on the
a. aiIsl the rushing superiority ;tvdl force
pn>Srs,cd Icy il, cncnIu- The value amt icirncN OF
the weapon winch was thus wirsicd from our grasp
b. the combined ui neural European p"wels
III LtHur OF IL nation which ru f's''s my its nirn
on of laNngiiIg their commerce" Icy lyatccrs ~ any
futurr war, Is o,rikngy illustrated y the terror lu-
u [
siaics by single iHrr Ui the Confectionery. One
nutt"nh steamer c"in.n,r 10y olict rs amd lutnned
by crew who are drbIr"d, Icy thrcloSiie "i ncutrl!
ports, from tlc orlvr unity Oi causing captured NcS-
sris 10 hc condemned in eil favor aS pGst, !n s'li.
hced to'l"unr le rcS o; marine insurance in North
crn ports aud CUnssn to forced iiactiUn numbers "f
Northern vessels, in addition to the direct damage
inhic,ci hy captures n iow 1ilicnt then, 10
oNcresnatc lie effects that must imrc been produced
by hundred, vi private armed Vessels tint wCuh
hay" swept Iic in pursuit of the cunnimrrcc -!
our eeuiy il tlie means of d~puSih of their prize
nai not been Withheld by the aciion ui neutral Eu-
rope!
Eut it is especially in relation 70 The so-Callr''
blockade OF our coast that the po of EurUi
puwrr, has been shaped cause the isItuIrsI
injury to the Cunicdrdcy, and 10 confer si. ua 'd'sl
tugvs the lni,rd states. The importance Ut iLls
subject re,Iuircs develop mrHt.
Prior to the year lSj6, the principles regulating
this subject to lie gathered rum the Writings "i
eminent lublic,ts the decisions oi admiralty courts,
International tr' aeS, nEd ,h" usngS 81 nations Tie
% the true rules of nnii imc law, IA time VI war re-
suting Fl ON the discurtant and ufen conflicting
principles announced FROM such varied and lnlcpcn-
icnl sources, had hrcUmc gr.Nuus evil u mankind.
Whether blockade was allowable against "A port not
Invested by land well ~ 10y whether block
adr valid Icy il the investing ilrc' merely
sufficient tu render ngicsS 10 the hi1cEade port 'cr-
identity dangerous, whether il was uTlhpr rcuuI-
ed for its legality that il should Lo sufficient Greatly
prevent - and numerous other similar qUes-
tinIs had rrmained duublill and undecided.
Animated hy the highly honorable dosire 10 put
an end 80 differences OF opinion between ncuiras
aud btigeranis which may occasion serious ificnl-
tirs and even conflicts Il quote The official angugcl
the five great Powers OF Europe, together til Sadu
ia and Turkey, adopted in lsiG, the following "su-
emu declaration Of principles:
l. Priyaierring is, and remains abolished.
. The neutral flag covers enemy goods, with the
eXcrpl ion of coHtfaband of war.
B. Neutral gUuds, with the exception ofcontraband
of war, not liable TO capture under cnemy's flag
g. Biuckadcs in order to be binding, must be efec-
tive; that Is 10 say maintained 10y force sufficient
really to prevent access to the coast Of the enemy.
Not only did this solemn declaration announce TO
the world the principles Ia which the signing powers
agreed 10 coni"Im in uiure wars but II contained
clause TO which these powers gave immediate eject
aud hich provided that the States not parties TO the
Congress If Paris should be invited 10 acccrd TO the
declaration. Under tlis invitation every independent
state in Europe yielded its assent; least, in-
stance IL known ne Of a refusal; and the United
Saes while declining TO assent 10 the proposition
which prohibited priyateering, declared that the |
three remaining pTnclts were IN ehtlfe accordance
with their views Of international law.
No instance il known in history Of the adoption Of
rules Of public law under circumstances Of like solem-
nifty with like unnanimity, aud Flrtsiug the faith of
nations with a sanctity peculiar.
When, therefore, this Cuneirracy formed, and |
when neutral powers while deierring action ON it, |
demand for admission into the family Of nations,
cognized il as begrrent power Great Britain and |
France made informal proposals about the time
that their lights neuirai- should BE- guaran-
tied by acceding beiligerenis, the declara-