New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-04-13

considered il better 70 leave II alone till the excite
ment passed away had il been the case Of one or
ven tive vessels. Bot when he found that these
ships were TO be followed BY many Others, u be-
came question affecting the interests OF he country
and their friendly relations with the United States
Thus the ports and shores Of the United King
don were made OF for the purpose o.
what might be called, not a private, bat puo,,
I've war with the United Ststee. Hear, nset
He now came TO consider what steps snouIu w
taken 70 prevent this. He did not set the uovJr
nent TO infringe the right stletch the law sgsins
any British subject; but he ssked them 70 cary uu
the law and IF they found thai the law was not SUI
|hcent to prevent these proceedngs tney ouBus 70
come down to the HOuse and demand iur<nef Pe"
ers.
IT,. cor.;,ar.General sasd the aocusCi ions which
had h..n made against the Government OF this
country With respect 10 the Akbama-and which he
Sad 70 satisfy The House were entirely grorndless
were bot part Of 9 series OF accusations o. sys-
,.,,st,. breaches of neu,raly which unhappily the
GnvsInment Of the United States had permitted
Mani yes to make, FROM he might almost ray the
hegiupng Of this war, against this country. 10
! the;r diplomatic communications through MT. Ad'
ans 10 her Majestys Government, and which be
Saanly regretted to cay constituted no small part Of
the contents Of the book VIII oh he held In his hand
ard which had been lsid before Congress by the
American Government, be found repeated over and
over again catalogue OF grievance OF wncu tpis
He wond only mention two or three examples.
On the 18th Of February last year they had Mr..
Seward writing 70 plain OF the expectation from
this country of the munitions OF war and arms, which
he represented 40 breach Of neutrality aud a. Q
thing which the Government were bound TO pre-
| vent On the 1st # May, 1862, Mr.. Sewsrd COIN
claimed that money had been collected by subscrip-
| ton in Liverpool for the purchase OF arms and
munitions for toe Comic derates On the 18th OF May,
Mr. Adams wrote to Lord Russell, complaining OF
nf mar and shiua which lyed
with arms AID money, for Que Of the parties IN the
war. Upon the ID Of June Mr.. Seward sent TO Mr.
Adams the report Of q gentleman, who gave long
account as to the purchase OF arms munitions OF war
and military stores which were stated 10 have been
shipped from England to the Confederate States;
and as late as the 30th December last, MIR. Adams,
while engaged III correspondence with Lord Russell
on the subject Of the Alabama, annexed TO his dis
patch a great number Of documents, giving an &C.
count Of large quantity OF military and other stores
said TO have beeu exported from this country TO the
Confederate States. 1t was true that Mr.. Adams
endeavored to give come color TO that complaint by
connecting ii with the question Of the blockade, but
he reiterated the complaints referred 10; and indeed
that was the manner in which from first 10 last in
their diplomatic correspondence with the Govern
ment of this country the United States Government
had not thought it unworthy Of them 10 compa OF
this country as guilty Of breaches Of neutrality.
They had in that correspondence done no more nor
less than TO deny the application TO this country In
this of those principles as neuras which had been
Invariably recognized as international law by ali ma.
tions, and by no nation more strongly than by the
United States themselves. lCheers de bad gwen
tue House the dates of the several c0mplaiuts bo
would now mention another date Of importance.
On the 22d Of November, 1862, the Mexican Minis.
, ter nj Washington addressed q complaint 70 Mr..
Seward 70 this effects have the honor 10 inform
YOU that my Government has given instructions
TO communicate TO that OF the United States that the
; Mexican Government has trustworthy information
TO the effect that the chief OF the French expedition
Which is invading the Republic has sent emissaries
: to New. Orleans and New.York TO purchase mules
and wagons for TRANSPORTING cannon, war msterla
and provisions to the interior Of Mexico. My Gov
ernmeut thinks that If such purchases should DO
realized the neutrality which should be observed
would be violated by the sellers" What was the
answer 10 that remonstrancei MIR. Seward, In his
y reply, quoted sundry extracts from well known
authorities and those he considered constituted "A
l. full answer TO the complaint. What those
o tracts The first wss an Instruction 70 collectors
Of customs issued BY Alexander Hamilton Secretary
TO tie Treasury dated 4th August, l793 follows
g Z" The purchasing and exporting from the United
States by way Of merchandise, art Giles called con-
ID trabaLd, being generally wariike Instruments snd
stores free all parties az war; and ought not TO b
d interfered with Cbeer 'lfour citizens undertake
10 carry them they will be abandoned 70 the
which the laws of the country authorize" Had tnir
, country MOI abandoned 10 the penalties which the
laws OF the country authorized all the ships which
had been taken on tie higb seas, and which were
subject TO such penalties The next su,hority was
dated 9Th July, 1872 from Mr. Webster: 1" II is not
the practice OF nations 70 undertake 10 prohibit their
own subjects from trafhcking In articles contrabsnd
OF war; such trade is carried on at the risk Of tLose
engaged IL IT, under the liabilities and penalties pre-
scribed by the law Of nations" Cheers. Accord
ing TO MIR. Webster, therefore, If American mer-
chants i'll the way Of commerce sold munitions Of
TO Texas the Government OF the United States were
not bound 10 prevent it, aud could not prevent It,
without manifest departure from the principles of
peutrality. lRenewed cheers The next extract
was from President Pierce message to Congress In
1855: The laws Of the Uni cd States do not forbid
their citizens TO cell to either Of the belserent powers
articles oontraband Of 10 take mubions VI
or soldiers board their private ships for transpor-
tstiou"-l cheers) i" and although in doing the
individual citizen exposes his property or person TO
some Of the hazards Of war his tacts DO not involve
any breach Of International neutrality, a.d do not
of Themselves impcate the Government" (Cheers.
Complaints bad been made as 70 loans OF money 10
the Confederates. What did Mr. Webster say on
The subject Of loans in the year lS4l "As 70 the
advances Of money or goods 70 the Government OF
hardly needs to be informed that there 10 nothing
una full in this Or that these are things that no
Government undertakes 70 restrain" Hear, hear |
The American mind would DO bcttor prepared to ap.
prsciate the justice and specific value OF tho COM
plsins made a. TO the Alabama by an application to
them Of those acknowledged principles of interna-
tional law. The Foreign Enlistment act Was con
fined TO this country. and had reference only to
British subjects Ii il had been violated the Amer
lean Government had no more ground 10 complain
than they had right 70 prevent its enactnent
or its repeal. They bad also Foreign En-
iistment act, which, being older than ours, was
more frequently the subject Of judicial de
cision. In the year 1915, in tho Supreme Court Of
the United States, tn, highest tribunal the coun.
lry il was decided that neutral nation might il ~
disposed without any breach Of its neutral charac-
ter graut permission TO both beiligerents to equip
their vessels of war within its territory; but with