The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-25
The ClarendOn-JOhnsOn Treaty.
Fron, the N. Y. Tribune.

Inc CIarenuOn"JOhnSOn treaty.
From The ~. y Tribune.
The alleged draft of the Alabama claims
treaty, published by a paper which has
achieved wide reputation for inventive cor
respondence, shows either that very bung-
ling treaty has been framed or a very clumsy
invention has been published. Apart from its
combined verbosty and obscurity, so un-
worthy to characterize a treaty between Great
Britain and the United States, the mere lite
rary errors with which it abounds render it a
curiosity. 1t purports to provide that the two
Governments shall each appoint two commits
sioners who shall agree upon a "third"
(meaning fith) as an umpire. If they can
not agree on the fifth commissioner, they shall
select two, either of whom (by lot) shall act
as umpire in case of difference. The umpire
is apparently selected anew on each claim on
which they differ. On certain claims, there
fore, there will in reality be three American
and two English commissioners, and on others
three English and two American, the question
which Government is entitled to appoint
the umpire being determined by lot.
1t would have been simpler, with the
same result, to decide the claims
by lot at once. They are to be heard
not on the testimony or arguments of the citi-
zen claimants, but on such documents and
arguments 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 arbi-
traitor, in which case it is wholly withdrawn
from the operation of the Commission, 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 oo-
Cured between February s, 1858, and the
date of the ratification of this treaty, whether
submitted to the Commission or decided by
them or not, is thereafter barred 1. e., rejected
This seems very much like the bargain which
the white hunter proposed to the red mani
"Now, shall take the turkey while you take
the crow, or will you take the crow while
take the turkey?" II Mr.. Reverdy Johnson
can discover 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 we'll understood that such 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, are 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 Ine agSrieVeo party Nopouy KNOWS tnls
better than the British Government. Instead
of our bill being merely for the vessels de-
stroyed by the English pirates, amounting
to only ten or twenty millions of dollars,
| it should be for the value of ouI
entire commerce which these privateers
swept from the seas. If England pays merely
for the vessels actually destroyed, and re.
tains the vast profits she has secured by
driving all freights into British bottoms, grasp
| inc all naViUati0n and rafainipu, nm tr
the present time, she comes out of the entire
affair with net profit of hundreds of millions
| of dollars. Now, how will Mr.. Reverdy John
sons treaty work The commissioners firs
differ. They then cast lots to see whether the
arbitrator on this claim shall be the one Sc
lected by the British Commissioners only, Of
| the one chosen by ours only. II the lot decides
in their favor, the claim is submitted solely Il
one British Commissioner; If in ours, they
have one chance more. For the first question
on which the arbitrator decides is only tht
right to recover. The commissioners MAJ
| differ on the amount. II so, they cast lot
again for the arbitrator, and if they get hin
they have chance No. 2 to escape the pay
ment. But if they lose the arbitrator both OF
the question of recovery and of amount, so tha
the decision of the commission would result il
favor of the American claimant, the TIVE
British Commissioners may demand that thI
question be submitted to Napoleon III o.
some other foreign ruler If we fail to agree
that is an end of the remedy, if not bar L
the claim. Here are three chances of escape
by England to one OF payment. Now sup
pose the English Rebel bondholders auC
blockade-runners present their claims. TIL,
Commissioners toss up copper to decide VIII,
shall have the umpire on the question of liza
bility. If the umpire appointed by the twt
English Commissioners shall be self cted, h,
decides that the United States, by recognizing
the COnfederacy as an alien enemy and bel
ligerent power, and then oonquering it an(
succeeding to its assets, became responsible
the trickery of Mr.. Reverdy Johnson, the
United States are to be wheedled into sub
mitting to some one umpire appointed by TIVE
British commissioners, and who may be, TO
aught we could say, Mr.. Laird or Mr.. Roebucl
himselfY But should the lot decide that thi
question is to be decided by the American
umpire, the two British commissioners may
demand that it be submitted to Napoleon III