The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1864-07-28
Upton, IOWA, JULY %, 1864.


the Alabama, Is an author, having writ
ten book entitled "Service Ahoat and
Ashore" which was published in 1851
but is now out Of print. 1t uarratcs E.,
4 portion of the services rendered BY ou,
Navy during the Mexican war, iu which
the author was a. junior officer. Part OF
his ''services aaoat," by the way, consist.
ed IN losing the U. S. brig Somers, which
went down with half her crew while
blockading the port of Vera Cruz, ,Semmcs
being in command as Lieutenant. Du.
ring the var Mexico attempted to organ,
'ze system of privateering, which was
not attended with success. This is made
the subject of some remarks in the vol.
umc, condemning the resort to privateer.
ing as barbarous at best, and, in cases
where the vessels crew, or at least 4 ma
jority of it, are not bona .Jiae citizens, as
prat'eal! We copy from pages so, 81,
and 50 Of the work:
"a few fast sailing vessels, distributed
IN the different seas and oihcered aud
manned by bold fellows in the pursuit Of
plunder, might have inflicted incslculs-
bic injury upon us. This system of pred
atory warfare, more than any other, equal,
ICES the strength Of nations on the wa
ter. To render privateering
available to her [Mexico] under the law
OF nations, 1t was necessary that major.
lty OF the officers and crew of each cru
s'er should be citizens; not citizens made
dd hoe, IN fraud of the law, but bona
hde citizens; aud any vessel which might
have attempted to cruise, under a letter
OF marque aud reprisal, without this es.
sential requisite, would have become from
that moment a pirate. With.
out the observance Of these principles,
no man can transfer his allegiance to an
other country, and claim the protection
due to citizenshi p under its laws. A sort
OF Jus yenttum has grown up on the sub
ject which individual nations are DO long.
er at liberty to disregard; and much less
have they the right to disregard it in
fraud OF bilIigerent rights, as Mexico at.
tempted to do in the present Instance. It
would DC a fnonstrous doctrine, indeed,
If, on the eve of war, or at any time du
ring its existence, either of the bellver.
ents might invite tho citizens of other
nations, al tsbitum, to take part in his
quarrel, and, with single stroke of his
pen, make them citizens pro hoc rice"
The author then goes on to Law down
the requisites of citizenship, in which
both the United States and Mexico agree
as--lst, residence; Cd, a previous te.la.
ration of intentions; Sd, q uneiaticn
OF foreign allegiance, aud 4th, the oath
OF allegiance to the new sovereign before
Judicial othcer. 1t does not appear that
IN the case IF the AIabama's crew one of
these prerequisites was complied with
Indeed, we know that O msj sjority of the
crew still! claimed to be Engiishmcn aud
frenchmen, not only by birth but ma
tionaIity. He adds:
"The whole transaction must be Lonn
.iae, from beginning to end: and there
must be no fraudulent intent, either on
the part Of the Government or ind,vid.
nals. Great Britain valves residence in
the case OF seamen serving in her nation.
al marine, or rather she regards her ships
of'war as portions of her territory, and
constructive residence follows as necee.
ssry result of the principle. Mexico has
adopted aud even extended this princi-
pie; but it is equally clear that,
beyond this limitation, every foreigner
who might have undertaken to prey upon
cur commerce would have been deemed
to be, and would have been treated ss, a
pirate. This unworthy attempt of Mex. I
leo to strike blow at us on the ocean. |
by means OF so great fraud, was met by
the commercia! nations of the world will, =.
the contempt it deserved, and produced
no results; and itwas fortunate for hu- /
manity that it was so, as our Government /
was prepared to adopt the view on the |.
subject which | have here presented, aud |
to carry it out with sternness. Indeed. |
there Is growing disposition among civ.
il'zed nations to put an end to this dis I
reputable mode of warfare, under any .
circumstances. 1t has its origin in re. /
mote and comparatively Sarbarous ares,
and has for its object rather the plunder !.
of the bandit than honorable warfare.
In short, they [privateers are little .
better than licensed pirates; and it be-
hooves all civilized nations Who like oar
selves, are extensively engaged n foreign
trade, to suppress the practice nl.ogcth-
err"
Such were the opinions of Captain
Semmes upon piracy only thirteen years
ago; but we have less to do with his views
than the fact that, according to his own
showing, he is himself pirate in com
mon with the whole crew of the Alaba. .
ma, it being requisite that majority of /
both the officers and men on 5rivatce.
be citizens of the State on whose behalf
she roves the sea; otherwise she is to be
regarded and treated as pi-atcal vessel.
Holding such views of international mar.
itlme law, it was simply an act of pru-
dence on the part of this freebooter to-
seek refuge and and hide himself like a
thief in one Of the boats Of the Deer
hound, as be could anticipate nothing but
a felon's death had he been taken prison.
er by the Kearsarge. ooh, that mine
enemy would write book" is a saeacious
even unto this day!-N. y
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