The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-09-19

As3.sE
dred immunity. OF course, no royal proc
lamation can change wrong into right, or
make such business otherwise than i'm
moral; but the proclamation may take
from it the character of felony.
But even the royal proclamation gives
no sanction to the preparation in England
of a naval expedition against the COM
statute, as well as the gene
raj law of nations, in full efficacy to re-
strain and punish such an offence. And
yet in the face of this obvious prohibition,
standing forth in the text of the law and
founded in reason "before human statute
purged the common veal" also exemph-
fed by the National Government, which
from the time of Washington, has always
guarded its ports against such outrage,
powerful ships have been launched, equip
ped, fitted out, and manned in England,
with arms supplied at sea from another
English vessel assuming that by this in
sulting hocus- pocus all English liability
was avoided, they have proceeded at once
to rob and destroy the commerce OF the
United States. England has been their
naval base, from which was derived the
original forces and supplies which enable
them to sail the sea- Several such ships
are now depredating on the ocean, llke
Captain Kidd, under pretended commas
sions-each in itself naval expedition
As England is not at war with the United
States, these ships can be nothing else than
pirates; and their conduct is that OF pirates:
Unable to provide court for the trial OF
prizes, they revive for every captured snip
the barbarous Ordeal Of Fire. Like pi-
rates, they burn all they cannot rob. Ely
ing from sea to sea, they turn the ocean
into furnace and melting-p pot OF Amerl-
can commerce. OF these incendiaries the
most infamous is the Alabama, with a
picked crew of British sailors, with train
ed gunners out of her Majesty's naval re-
serve," and everything else from keel to
topmast, British! which, after more than
year of unlawful havoc, is still burning
the property of our citizens, without once
entering rebel slave-monger port, but al
ways Keeping the umhilical connection
with England, out of whose womb she
sprang, and never losing the original ma
tionality stamped upon her by origin, so
that at this day She is British pratership
precisely as native-born Englishman,
robbing on the high seas, and never nat
uralized abroad, is British pirate subject.
1t is bad enough that all this should pro-
coed from England. It is hard to bear
Why is it not stepped at once? One cruiser
might perhaps elnde watchful govern
ment But it is difficult to see how this
the cry is still they sail. Two powerful
rams are now announced, like stars at a
theatre. Will they be allowed to perform?
/ wish there were not too much reason to
believe that all these performances are sus-
tanned by prevailing British sympathy.
A Frenchman, who was accidentally a
prisoner on board the Alabama atthe des-
truction of two American ships, describe
a British packet in sight whose crowded
passengers made the sea resound with
cheers as they witnessed the captured ships
handed over to the flames. The words of
Lucretius were verified: iSuaVe etidns bella
certomsina magma tueri. But these same
cheers were echoed in Parliament, as the
builder of the piratical craft gloried in his
deed. The verse which filled the ancient
theatre with glad applause, is now given
to slavery and it's defenders; 81 am an
Englishman, and nothing of slavery is for
eign to me-" Accordingly slavery is help
ed by English arms, English gold, English
ships, English speeches, English cheers.
And yet for the honor Of England let it be
known that there are Englishmen who
have stood firm and mistaken amidst this
shameful recreancy. Their names cannot
Of England let it be spoken that the work
ing classes who were called to suffer the
most, have bravely borne their calamity
without joining with the enemies of the re-
public. Their cheers have been for free
dom and not for slavery ..
SALES OF WAR VESSELS.
Even if it be admitted that "ships of
war;" like munitions of war;" may be
sold to belligerent, as is asserted by the
British prime minister, echoing the Lord
Chief Baron, it is obvious that it can be
only with the distinction, to which l have
already alluded, that the sale is a CONNER
cial transaction, pure and simple, and not,
in any respect, hostile expedition fitted
out in England. The shipm be export
ed as an article of commerce, and it must
continue such until its arrival at the belli-
out and commissioned as 'ship of war;
when it's hostile character will commence.
Any attempt in England to impart to it a
hostile character, or, in word, to make
England its naval base, must be criminal;
but this is precisely what has been done,
ana here are the leonine footprints which
point so badly.
[After citing early precedents to show
that the United States, under Washington,
on the application of the British govern
ment, made compensation for damages to
British commerce under circumstances
much less vexatious, and, still further, by
special treaty made compensation for dam
ages ''by vessels originally armed" in our
ports, Mr.. Sumner continued:l
ENGLAND LIABLE FOR DAMAGES.
The early precedent between the United
States and England is nevery respect com
pletely applicable, and since this precedent
was established-not only by the consent
of England but at her motion-it must be
accepted on the present occasion as an ir-
reversible declaration of international duty.
Other nations might differ, but England
is bound, and now it is her original inter
probation, first made to take compensa.
ton from US. which is fatty rejected when
we ask compensation from her. But even
if the responsibility for hostile expedi-
ton fitted out in British ports were no,
plain, there is something in the recent con.
duct of the British Government calculated
to remove all doubt. Pirate ships are re.
ported on the stocks ready to be launched
and when the Parliamentary statute is de-
clared insufficient to stop them, the British
Government declines to amend it, and sc
doing, it openly defines to stop the pirate
ships, saying, elf the Parliamentary stat.
ute is inadequate, then let them sail" Il
is not needful to consider the apology
The act Of declension is positive, and its
consequences are no less positive, fixing
beyond question the responsibility Of the
British Government for these criminal ex