The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-11-03

e The British Press on the Alabama
4 DithcultY--Necessity Of Some Sori
p Of Settlement.
Prom She London News, Oct. Is
Ifthe refusal Of the British Government
to accept some form OF arbitration, and %
abide the result Of friendly argument.
would put an end b thr discussion-ift the
American Government would De satisfied
with this Peremptory solution 0fthese difi-
culiles, the trmness Of Lord Russell s an
swer w0ald deserve every commendation
But, unfortunately, there is no reason 10
anticipate 50 agreerble Q result. M
Adams intimates ia no obscure terms that
the claims for compensation iriI stiI D.
pressed; and the latest intelligence from
, Washington proves that Mr.. Seward is col
Letting and arranging the various claims
which have arisen out Of the dcpredations
OF she Alabama and her consarts. Lt can
scarcely be expected that American citi-
zens VIII permit the American Government
% cast aside those claims for compensation
which they have never csssed 10 urge upon
them, or % abandon those principles Of in
transitional law which during four years
Mr.. Adams has lost no opportunity Of fore
] ing ufOn the attention Of the British Cahi-
net. Nor should il be forgotten that the
claims made BY Spain against the American
| Governments under similar circumstances
we're only settled By treaty, and that those
nlsde by Portugal furnished materias for
| argument which lasted more than thirty
I years. If Powers such as Spain and Portu-
| gal, in like circumstance, felt themselves
| bound IN honor 10 psrpetu@te discussion
I until they obtained some sort or settlement,
I - q probable that ne UaifCi States Of
I AHlerIod i5iii f0ilo0 difcroit coHrssy Wc
/ ttiEE not. Assuredly Lord Russells re-
/ fusdl TO refer the matters now 10 dispute
/ will not settle them.
MINISTER ADAMS has rHE nEsr o. THE AEGv-
NsNr.
From Winner and Smiths European Time. Oct. Il.
However much we may admire the YER
tal smartuess and the close reasoning afour
Foreign Secretary, it would he useless 20
deny that in q literal sense, as least, he has |
found IN the resident American Miaister "a |
foeman worthy Of his STEEL To talk shout /
"the honor and dignity Of the British Gov /
ernment and the British people. as Lord /
Russell does when be meets the claims the i
Americans BY a simple negative, is an ap-
peal 20 what Is calied ss sburcomb 90 which |
viii be taken for what II is worth Nations,
|ike individuals, are liable 60 error, and no
nation and no man ever stood higher than
when honestly acknowledging g a mistake.
But there Is one thing in this controversy
which must be seriously guarded aga nst.
Lord Rus sll 10 avoid this particular claim.
has put the British view Of the question |
clearly and ably. The question is, now far
has be put it discreetly? There is such
thing as penny wise Fnd pound foolish
eoonome even in ststesmanship, and it is
just possible that 10 avoid the payment Of /
a tau hun sHa ~ I
money, we may base our opposition on a.
principle so untsnable rs 20 cause rs, when
the cases are reVersed-when the Ameri- /
cars are neutrals aud We are beliigerents--
to suffer terribly in person and pocket. IL
must be borne in mind that there IS such
thing as argument cutting both ways, |
and bung ling lawyers are sometimes said to
be in the habit Of proving too much. We
must avoid this error. The claims Of the
Americans relative 70 the doings Of the
Alabama and her sister confederate craft,
are a mere baga'elle cOmparrd with the
punishment which is i'm store for the mari I
time commerce Of Great Britain, unless this
dispute is brought 70 an end in harmony
with international Justice. We do not ap-
prehend war, for war in these days could
not arise out of this business; but something
nearly as bad may arise in the future, when ,
the example we have set. and the practice /
.
Us in q way that is hideous even % surmise.
OUR CLAIMS IRRESISTIBLE.
From the Liverpool Post, October a.
The manner in which the London press
have reviewed the Adams Russell dispathes |
does not promiee success to the English {
view Of the Alabama question. The Times / {
thinks that Earl RusselPs proposal for a | {
commission will ultimately be accepted, but
Is careful not to pronounce too strongly |
against Mr.. Adams reasoning. while the ! d
Morning Post only manages to take a more
governmental view OF the matter, by quot
ing Lord Russells apt Portugal precedent, |
and adding, "rO this precedent, go appro- |
priately cited by Earl Russell, the Ameri-
can Minister can fnd no better response
than that the wrong -dOiug Of one party can
not be cited in justification Of a repetition |
of the act BY the other. We can not as
sumo, however, that the American Govern
ment wers wrong-d0ers in refusing the in
demnity demanded by the Portuguese Cow
eminent" Now, in the first place, Mr..
adams did find much "better response" !
than that which the Morning Post attributes /
n him; and. in the second, as Lord Russell
did not appear 10 be aware that the UEited
States hal retreated from the position taken
up by Mr.. Quincy Adams in the Portugal |
business, tits possible he msy yet be brought /
20 admit that tho alterations mgde iu the
American laws, in consequence Of the dis
cus5ion with Portugal, are oonsonaut 10 1
justice, and that, being behind the Amsri-
cans IN this matter, we must take the con
A EUEoPEAS coNTERENCE-THE REMEDY.
From the London Post Minister sIl, Oct "a.
Whether the departure of the Alabama
and her subsequent equipment constituted
an ohense against our municipal law or not
it was unquestionably an act by which the
American Government had reason % feel
aggrieyed, and which theGovsrn-
ment Of this country, acting in the spirit Of
the strictest neutrality, had the strongest |
motives for endeavoring to prevent. While /
the civil war stu lasted, Her Maiesty'sG Gov
eminent exercised a sound discretion in not /
seeking to make the law more stringent;
because, whether that law was efficient or
not, any change which would have had the !
effect Of benef,Hng one OF the belligerents
would have been a violation Of that strict /
which this country vas desirous /
Of observing. But, now that the war has
happily ended, may It not with justice be /
asked whether we ought 20 pre-erye un-
changed an act Of Parliament through
which, as O'COanell said, you can drive a l
coach -and-six, pr, mOre. correctly speaking, /
sail a whole heet Of ships And the re-
marks which apply 20 our own statute have /
equal reference 20 the AmeTiceu one. This
is an age in which We hear Of conferences
for all imaginable purposes, from the gen
ersl paei6cation Of Europe down 70 the pu- /
rifcation Of Moslem pilgrims. Why should /
there not be s conference 70 agros upon some /
eommoa code to be observed by neutral |
States, framed with view o. preventing |
Iepetit on Of such acts as those Of winch /
spain aud Portugal conpla ned 10 the United j
States in ISIS, aud cf which the Q ailed |
statts now complain 60 US