New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-03-20

Z" and, even if their titleiwas questionable, rem
=" dered it the interest, well understood, OF all
" civilized nations, so to treat them Ihelr
cruisers must either be acknowledged as bel
"ligerents or dealt with as pirates When the
British Government acknowledged the rights
of either belligerent to visit and detain mer-
chant vessels having enemy's property OF
aboard, and to confiscate such property ~ 'odS
necessarily implied, as a condition OF Such ac-
knowledgment, that the detention was for inc
nurpose of bringing the vessel detained be-
"fore an established Court of Prize, and that
"confscation did not take place until alter con-
defamation by such competent tribunal"
Accepting this view of the conditions on
which belligerent rights may be conceded III
the discretion Of q Government II does noV
seem to us that these conditions existed on the
part of the Confederates. When the BRUSH ana
French proclamations were issued, they had no
cruisers on the ocean, and during the time
those proolamations were in force they had no
ports and no Courts of Prize but the ships OF
war with which they were furnished, from ports
professedly neutral, captured aud condemned
at the pleasure of the commander anu
burned and sunk at will, after the manner Oh
pirates, and in violation of the rules and prac-
tees of civilized nations.
The Pail Mall Gazette, in quoting the IAN
guage of the President in regard to precedents
seems to think that the only presidents set by
them were in the escape Of the Alabama, by
the illness of law officer, or misconceptlon
in regard to the weight of evidence.
Mr.. Thomas Barring, in tho House OF Com
mons, on the 18th of May, 1864, regarded the
| example of England as going further than this'
He said "he was DESTROYS Of inviting the at
"tention of the House to the situation In which
"tl,is country would be if the precedent now
established were acted upon in the event OF
"our being involved in war while other States
"were neutral. Under the present construc-
"tion of our municipal law, there was no me-
"cessity that q bellgerent should have port,
"or even sea shore Provided she had money
cor that money was supplied to her by neu-
"tral, she might fit out vessels. and those yes
"sels might go about the seas dealing destruc.
"tion TO British shipping and property Take
"the case which hope we shall avoid, OF our
"beng at war with Germany. There would,
cas- things now stand, be nothing to prevent
"the Diet of Frankfort from having fleet
"a number of the small States of Germany
"mght unite together and become great ma
"val power. Money was all that was required
"for the purpose; and Saxony, without sea-
"shoro, might have First Lord of the Admit
"ralty, who without any docks, might have a
"large feet at his disposal"
Mr.. Golden said: "You have been carrying
con war from these shores with the United
Estates and have been'inficting an amount OF
damage on that country greater than would
abe produced by many ordinary wars. 1t Is
ESTIMATED that the loss sustained by the cap
"ture and burning of American vessels has
"been about si500O,OOO, or nearly 100000
"sterling. But that is a small part Of the in
"iury which has been inflicted on the Ameri-
"can marine. We hare rendered the rest Of her
"rdst mercantile property useless. Why,
eff you had gone and helped the Confederates
"by bombarding all the accessible seaport
towns of America, few lives might have
"been lost which, MS it is, have not been
sacrificed; but you could hardly have done
"more injury in the way Of destroying prop
"erty than you have done by these few
"cruisers.'
This, remember, is not the exaggerated flight
OF an excited American orator. but the cool,
deliberate words, verified by careful statistics in
regard TO the changes in the foreign trade OF
New-York and the transfer of American ship
ping to British owners, spoken by one OF En-
glands bravest and wisest statesmen. Let the
English press and the English people recall tho
past, not with petulant spirit, but with an
honest desire to discover the truth, and to make
fitting reparation il they find they have really
done us wrong, and the world will see two
great nations setting n noble example In set
Ting by peaceful negotiations and voluntary
reparation, wrongs that in tho oden time men
would have held could be wiped out only by
involving in war nations which should be one in
sympathy and interest, as they are in language,
literature, and law.