The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-07-20
The NeutraIity Proclamation
Again.


The official Gazette of this week returns to the
subject of the neutrality proclamation, and again
most forcibly illustrates what has 80 often been
Observed, that Il Government organ makes Il
poor di-putant, when, as in this case. attempting
to deny established facts. Still denying what i
as clear az the ,iay, that. the Hawaiian procIama-
ton recognized the rebels rs bclligerenJs, it seeks
to shift it, ground and makes Il feeble attempt to
screen the Hawaiian Ministry, 10y throwing the
responsibility of the Proclamation upon other
parties.
After quoting in full the paragraph from Mr..
COrwin's grafton, accompanied with it, own YER
sion Of the speakers meaning, it says:
"In reply to this accusation, it was explained in
the Gazette that no King of these Islands erer TccOg-
Hi=ef any bSHigereHf rights Of The Southern Com
JeieTaey, and that the proclamation was never
revoked, because II was only q publication Of the law
Of nations, and there WIS, in fact, nothing to revoke
No explanations nor dcnials can ever alter an
established fact. The cyidencc presented by us
last week fully proved To- all impartial minds that
the British proclamation was generally under
stood To coneede belliscrent rights. A. the lIa-
waiian proclamation applies to the United States
and the rebels heSGnse terms a. the British. it fol-
lows that, - far rs this point il concerned, the
two documents convey the same meaning, AMI
must be construed rs granting bclligercnt rights
alike To both. If fanny further evidence he needed
regarding the British proclamation, it i furnish
ed by the language of tie American Minister to
England. Mr.. Adams, in one of his dispatches,
discussing the proclamation, maintained
"1.-That the act If recognition by Her N1aiesiy's
Government Of insurgents a. belligcrcnts ON the
high seas before they hui a single vessel afoat was
prccipitnte and unprecedented
"2-Tha it hal the effect Of creating these par
ties belIigerents after the recognition, instead Of
merely acknowledging an existing fact.
With regard To- my first proposition | have VEN
tIrel To affirm that the recognition Of the insurgents
as benigercnts ON the 18th of May 1.-THE date of the
British proclImatiOn.-ED.l was precipitate and un-
prece,lcnte1. That ii WIS prccipitate, i clear from
the fact that not n single vessel entitled To the charac-
ter was NJ that moment afoat on the ocean, AMI that
even on the land the war itself had barely Ommenccl
in the bloOdless capture Of Fort Sumpter. That il
was unprecedented, L must infer that your loriship
does not design to dispute, since it appears that You
have not ayailei yourself Of my invitation 10 furnish
me with any example"
Again. the London NeIcs, Of May %. IS6I-
seven days after tine issue of the proclamation
said
3. 1t Is necessary 10 bear in mind continually that
Ministers have determined To- grant 10 both parties III
America the North and the South -bellige-ent
The meaning Of this l., that England i pre-
parcel 20 treat the United States and the Confederate
States ~ two powers, not, indeed. independent, but
az war with each other, and entitled To bclligerent
rights. England. therefore occupies towards each Of
them the position Of = neutral, and Is bound To- con-
duct herself with perfect imTartiality Ia both parties"
Now ~ the official Ga-eiie denies that there was
any similarity between the British and Hawaiian
proclamations, 1t becomes necessary To- show that
there was. The former recognized the rebels as
bclligcrcnts only By inference. Ii no where terms
them such, ~ 10 the French and Spanish proc
but IL alludcs TO the United States
and the rebels IL the :. said contcnding parties
very words used several times in the Ha-
waiian proclamation, which leaves Us to infer
that they were copied from the former. In this
then, the two p~rOclamations coincide and
are Identical and the same criticisms and cen
.ures apply equally 10 both. If one conceded TO
the rebels bclligcrent rights, most certainly the
other did. The Gazette admits that England
bound. a. a necessary consequence of the
proclamation. to B.. treat the parties a. belligcr-
If it i fair to deduce this inference from
the one proclamation. it Is equally 50 from the
documents fully recognized the United States and
he rebels as equal in every respect. and if equals
hen LcIligcrent-. however much it may now De
he policy Of this Government to take a different
tand. After this admission Of the Ga-.ffe.
10 further proof need Lc called Tor.
The Ga-sff~. after thus yicldin. the point Of
chnngcs il, tactics. and undertakes to
a history Of the Hawaiian proclamation.
itro.iuciug fret a letter from Mr.. Dryer. then
-uitei States Commissioner. ia which. uDlcr
from MIR. seward. he calls the attcn-
ion nT this Government - President Liucoln'-
lnskads proclamation. and statss HAT all vessels