Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-11-03

lately passed, viii start upon a new era Of
progress. The enemies of free government
viii everywhere respect and fear our great
ness and power, and the down trodden and
oppressed of every cline viii seek and find
an asylum in our midst.
JOHN CESSNA,
Chairman Union State Central Committee.
THE ADAMs-RUsSEL CORRESPGN~
DENCE.
1t would take up nearly the whole space
of the CHRONICLE to publish this volumln-
Gus correspondence Weshall merely glance
at its marked features. Leaving aside the
letters which began on the seventh of April
| last and ended on the twentieth of May, we
come to the renewal of the correspondence
| beginning with Earl Russels letter dated
| August thirtieth. The British Foreign See
rotary describes the formidable nature of
the rebellion, aludes to its machinery of
civil government, its armies, Notifications,
| the extent of territory claimed by it, and
the number of people represented by it,
and iustifes the proclamation of the neu-
| trali5y in view of these facts. Coming to
| the question as to whether fair neutrality
| had been preserved, he claims that the for
| eicn Enlistment act, which is intended in
| aid of the duties and rights of neutral ma
| ton, can only be applied when a ship is
armed or fitted out, or begun to be armed
or fitted out, and even that case when proof
can be obtained that the ship so armed or
| equipped or begun to be armed or equipped
| is intended for the service of power at war
with friend or ally of the British Govern
| ment. In the case of the 0reto be denies
| that the proof would warrant detention
| In the case Of the Alabama he alleges that
| the owners of the vessel sent her off just as
the British Government was about to seize
the ship. He denies substantially that his
| Government could seize an unarmed vessel
on vague suspicion.
On the subject of recognizing the rebels
as belligerents, Earl Russell refers to A
merican precedents and claims that recogni-
tions by the United States Of belligerent
rights belonging to insurgeHis have been
| frequent; Buenos Ayres, Columbia, Mcxi-
co have been acknowledged by the United
States to have belligerent rights against
| Spain; Brazil and Artigas against Portugal; !;
| Texas against Mexico. The noble Earl adds:
But in no case have these insurgent forces
sprung up at once fully armed to the amount
Of 100000 of men. He proceeds at
length to discuss the complaints made by
Portugal during the war of South Ameri-
| by American vessels of war built in the Uni
ted States, which had not been seized and
condemned in our ports, and claims that we
| declined Commission Of Adjudication, and
in fact, made no reparation.
! He then puts the following case; But as
to the principle involved, let me ask you,
supposing a merchant or passenger vessel
| belonging to the United States were to go
to the coast of Madagascar, and were there
to meet ship from Boston with cannon
and muskets, and the merchant ship being
then armed were to take part against Bra
zil in the war between Brazil and Paraguay
let me ask, | say, whether your Govern
ment would think themselves bound to af
ford reparation to Brazil for all the captures
made by that ship? Yet such IS The case Of
the Shenandoah.
1t seems to her Maiesty's government
that if the liability of neutral Dations were
stretched thus far, this pretension, new to
the law of nations, would be most burthen-
some, and, indeed, most dangerous.
A maratime nation whose people occupy
themselves In constructing ships and cannon
and arms, might be made responsible for
the whole damages of war in which that
nation had taken no part.
| am thankful, therefore, to Mr.. ADAMS
for having IL 1878, 1920, and 1922, shiel-
ded maritime powers by his conclusive
argument from such alarming liabilities.
The Earl finally agrees to consent to the
appointment of a commission, TO which will
be referred all claims arising during the late
civil war, which the two powers shall agree
| to refer to the commissioners, and winds up
with the usual diplomatic humbug about
the friendship of the two nations Mr. AD-
| . "a last
month. A part of it is devoted to the pre-
cipitancy of the British Government in
granting belligerent rights Our revolution
Of IVA is referred to, for the purpose of
showing how long lapse of time occurred
before belllgerent rights were granted. Re-
terrlng to the course pursued by France in
that period, Mr. ADAMS most pungenty OBJ
serves:
So far from being inclined, as your lord
ship supposed it might have been, to give
aid to the lnsurrection, which since I774 had
been developing its great proportions by any
recognition of 1t as a belligerent, the French
Sovereign frankly responded to an appeal
made by Great Britain by interdicting his
people from all relations whatever with the
Americans. In other words, the example
shows that on both sides there was not the
remotest conception that recognition of in
surgents as belligerent, Immediately upon
the breaking out of the insurrection could be
considered as justifable act on the part of
a friendly power.
Mr.. ADAMS suggests the case of the
overthrow of the Kingdom of Naples, by
General GARIBALDI, and shows how pricip-
itate it would have been at the outset of
that movement for foreign nation to have
recognized in advance handful of followers
under the leadership of General GARABAL-
di as a belligerent power He warns Earl
RUSSELL that if the English example is to
prevail, neto era IN the reIdtionsQ Of ne'ttrdts
to belliigerents on dIe high seas uaH open, and
that Floridas, Alabamas and Shenandoahs,
will appear in every sea. He declines au-
thority to accept the proposed commission,
but refers the proposition to his 0oVern-
ment, We cannot candidly say that we con
slider the reply Of Mr.. ADAMS as eylnclng
much ability. Perhaps the. most decided
and suggestive passages in the entire letter
are the following. Our space will not per-