New-York tribune., 1869-01-22
THE c14RryDoN-yoHySoY TREATY.


The alleged draft of the Alabama claims
treaty. published Ivy paper which has
achieved a Wide reputation for inventive COZ
respondence, shows either that a very bungling
treaty has been framed or a very clumsy in
venton has been published. Apart from its
combined verbosity and obscurity, so unworthy
to characterize q treaty between Great Britain
and the United States, the mere literary errors
with which it abounds render 1t curiosity.
1t purpOrts to provide that the two Govern
ments shall each appoint two Commissioners,
who shall agree upon "third" (meaning
ffth) as an umpire If they cannot agree on
the fifth Commissioner, they shall select two,
either of whom (by lOt) shall act umpire In
case of difference. The umpire is apparently
selected anew on each claim on which they
differ. On certain claims, therefore, there will
in reality be three American and two English
Commissioners and on others three English
and two American, tho question which Gov
ernment is entitled to appoint the umpire be-
ing determined by lot. 1t would have been
simpler, with the same result, 10 decide the
claims by lot at once They arc to be heard
not on the testimony or arguments OF the cit
izen claimants, but on such documents and ar
puments as may be- furnished by the two
Governments If the Commissioners fail TO
agree. the arbitrator decides the claim,
unless two Of the Commissioners desire that
the head of some friendly Government shall
act as arbitrator, in which case it is wholly
withdrawn from the operation of the Commits
sion, and the two Governments must select
such friendly sovereign, or if they do not the
claim is barred. For every claim existing in
favor of citizens of either Government against
the other, and growing out Of events which
occurred between Feb g. 1885, and the date OF
the ratification Of this treaty, whether submit
ted to the Commission or decided by them or not,
is thereafter barred-i G., rejected. This seems
very much like the bargain which the white
hunter proposed TO the redman: snow shall
al take the turkey while you take the crow,
cor will you take the crow while take the
"turlsoy9p If Mr.. Reyerdy Johnson can dis
cover where Clarendon "says turkey to him,
we cannot Let us see.
Though the treaty talks about claims of
British residents against the United States, it is
well understood that suoh claims, whether of
Confederate bondholders, who would like to
have President Grant pay them the money
they lent the Rebellion, or owners Of blockade
runners whose vessels were captured by our
navy and condemned by our courts, arc all
trumped-up, bogus Offsets and any American
Minister who sets trap to lure our Govern
ment into becoming liable for these claims will
earn the bitter condemnation of our entire
people. We are the claimants We alone are
the aggrieved party. Nobody knows this better
than the British Government. Instead of our
bill being merely for the vessels destroyed by
the English pirates, amounting to only ten OF
twenty millions of dollars, it should be for the
value of our entire commerce which these pri-
vateers swept from the seas. If England pays
merely for the vessels actually destroyed, and
retains tire vast profits she has secured by
driving all freights into British bottoms grasp
Ing all our navigation and retaining it up to
the present time, sue comics out OF the entire
affair with net profit Of hundreds of millions
of dollars Now, how viii Mr.. Rcverdy John
sons treaty worki The Commissioners first
differ. They then cast lots TO see whether the
arbitrator on this claim shall be the one se-
lected by the British Commissioners only, or the
one chosen by ours only. If the lot decides in
their favor, the claim is submitted solely to
one British Commissioner il in ours, they have
one chance more For the first question on
which the arbitrator decides 10 only the
right to recover. The T. Commissioners may
differ on the amount. IL so. they
cast lots again for the arbitrator and If they get
him they have chance No. TO escape the pay
ment. But If they lose the arbitrator both on
the question OF recovery and OF amount, so that
the decision of the Commission would result in
favor OF the American claimant the two British