The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-01-05
RAPHAEL SEMMEs.
His Defense of tiic AiaDah;ls )
Case.


what she did, both in the laws OF ma
tons and Of the United States. She
was built abroad The United states
has made the British origin of the AL
ALBANIA a source ofcomplalnt. She WAS
built by the Iairds The United States
Government cndcavored to contract
with the same firm to build for them
+ Mr.. Semmes here read extracts from
Mr.. Lairds speech in the iotse OF
Commons, already published and well
known, From this speech 1t appears
that before they undertook to bnlid the
Alabama, the United States Govern
mcnt had been in treaty with the NessrS'
Laird to build yunboats aud monitors
We offered better tcrlns--hence the Al
ALBANIA became Il Confederate ship in
stead Of Federal vessel. She lett
England as merchant vessel heI
Confederate commission was read, ana
her proper Aag unfurled on the hlsh
seas, where the Confederate had as
much authority rs the Federal Govern
mcnt.
lis the commission a'sovercign puts
on board vessel that makes her per
sonjlica,icn of tie sovereign. Even II
shin he built in Il neutral territory
she is purgci Of that wrong as soon as
she IS commissioned. 1.-THE Alabama
was buiit in violation OF the ncutrality
Flaw, that was question between the
United States and England. From the
moment the Contcdcrates were recog.
nizcd as beligcrcnts, they had a run
r,pht to m ,llc war in every partIcalar.
The United States acknowledged this
in the first months Of The war. In sup
port of this proposition the speaker
+, nuotqd "Nattal, third book and ar
rucl that if the United states conI'
, buy shiDs, the Confederate States coul'
do the same. The speaker then quote
Justice Grier's decision in the prz
, cases reported in second Black hc
!, ports" laying great stress on the pas
sorc g it is not necessary that the Stal
, should le rocogaizod.'
. Mr.. Scmmcg !ntcred largely int
the history Of lhc South America
States. claiming that their cruisers cay
tlrcd prizes and carried them int
1. American ports. In illustration OF tn
u fact that the Confederate States we'
:. rccoonized and entitled to AL the so
= arcian RIGHTS of war, Gems. Grant al
'e sherman treated Gems. Lee and Joh
ston a. generals ofan army Al!uS'C
rt was here made to the circumstances
,r the speaker parole, and 10 the Fact tn
,s he was described both As an Adlm'I
IN and . General. Johnston and She
ye man treated with each other as equ.'
'ul We laid down our arms in conslderau
We that the safety orour persons sho'
,lt he Guaranteed. When Gen. Srs
,c- wrote his letter to Gen. Lee, he r
be n,niy,j rs as solltcrs under dc J'
,al government u.,
nd The speaker here drew parallel .
AL tween the revolution and the lohi'
mt crate States Ii what the colonies
zee was right whNa they did it, what
.ra Hoccc,lcratc States did was right wi
III, they did Il. The acknowledgment
", American independence b. E1ga
vs. made no Inference, because os IN
to aoyernments de tacto and not de Jare
1se The speaker here Inotedlrom fei
.ce, more Coorer's Naval History the
ads ploit of Paul Jones and other Am
5 is can priyatecrs, asserting that the &C
ing uia) prjyatccrs destroyed their pr
.rerl ,t sea, and arguing that they had
less warrant than he had. The whole c'
was blockaded, and the burning
nr;zc, was necessity that he CO
not avoid. The colonies, less thal
century ago, did those very tn
one which they now charge on us as ef'l
,n1 Passing to the Commissioners
, "' uojotcA by the colonics-S.las ID
''Fe' Dr. Franklin and John Adams
IA Speaker drew = parallel het"een
any and A,cssrs. SIidell and Mason,
,ilcd Tho career Of the Surprise, |
=, CUNNINGHAM, colonial cruiser,
'' then quoted as a precedent OF the
ALBANIA :.
cool, Charlie. Franci, Adams comp''
beef that the Confederate States liad
s,, ,,issioncrs in Englgnd, carrying
>. ~ Naval Bureau. The co!onla! Con
- y, sioners had Naval Bureau IN IF
lould T, This manner were the Revenge,
days pri.al. Lexington, and ;he Doiph
must tainet. =,
,o.ro But il has been charged that ii
,,, ALBANIA had foreigners on to!u'
'IN" , sorting that this was no v"lia oH)'
clean since Paul Jones had motley CT
d find board Bon IIomme Richard,
, ope- The speaker concluded thus:
ia 1--we Alabama was not new constrt
- ~ save that she was steam vcs5ci
~ p' Franklin and his compccr5 con-
lis r. r. cd and manned a good many Aia
,er m Nv in their day. What our sires u''
sur sons may do. In other genel
the history of the North will be t
s,vr tory of the South. BY the ph'It
>, ~ of history am willing to be jud
l hoeN, If the philosophy Of history ell
Ter of tn' -, ~" 732o1,, th. str,,-r,os of q!
Some =. =. ",i' .'' ctatas rf it record, Il
highly :euI.'tI :'I'. tEo o~nlnits of the Surpri,
,. ,i, ,ie the Revenge, so will itrecoru
for the p'o''' VI '''1 ----I-,.--
ota'sS There WAS report chfFeh'
ROAD don, Sunday, that Stephens '.aa
.e was in England, and was traced 10
.hhurg. nshnrn the uolice arrested hiil
matter runor is considered doubtful
iot sue
, I,..,f II nrntn tnlNl