The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-04-30
REa7 e~rr.- WASHINGTON, April %. 2
Rut,er ON the AIabama Questien.A

50 cFFs WASHINGTON, April ~
RufIer ON the AIabansa Question
Mr.. Butler is getting his views upon
the Alabama question in opposition to
those of Sumner into shape. He holds
that so far as the recognition of the
belligerency of rebels is concerned our
case is as grave against France and
Spain as against England. He thinks
that Sumner, by making the ground.
work of his complaint sympathy with a
G: rebellion against constituted govern
81, ment, puts this Government in false
position, as we believe in the right of
revolution, If only it be in favor of lib
erty and liberal institutions. The haste
{ which she made to Acknowledge bel
ligerency in rebels need only be consld-
cred as evidence of her intent. We
need net stop to discuss whether
~ She was technically right or
wrong in her acknowledgement OF Del
~ ligerency, OF whether the blockade was
justification of that acknowledgement
or not. If she took the advantage OF
technical law to iDjure friendly power
and to do unfriendly acts for the pur-
pose Of destroying that friendly power
a., and destroying her commerce, it IS just
{ p as much an injury that requires repara-
ton as though the same acts with the
same intent had been done without such
technical legal justification. The fitting
out of the Alabama, allowing her to es-
cape, giving her shelter, and allowing
the Shenandoah to 60 out, become
net incidents of her sympathy
with rebellion, but her own
act in pursuance of her designs
to destroy our commerce, and cripple
our power. Then these acts are not
incidents of recognition of rebellion
rs Mr.. Sumner puts it, but are the very
means which her Government choose
to perfect an object which no man in
this country doubts she had in view,
and which was freely avowed in her
Parliament, to overthrow great rival
maritime power of which she was jeaI-
ous He says he reaches the same con-
clusion as Mr.. Sumner, that there must
be atonement and reparation, but he
regards his own position as disembar-
RAISING our just claims from the
necessity of reversing our doctrine
of sympathy with rebellion and in
surrection. As TO settling with England
we can wait. We can easily find means
whenever she gets into a war to sweep
her commerce from the ocean, and sub
stitute in its place our own. In the
meantime we hold her under perpetual
bonds to keep the peace TO the amount
Of the interest she has in commerce and
manufactures We thus reduce her to
third rate power, because all nations
know that she dare not be provoked into
war. Therefore, as long as she stands
in her present attitude with us, she has
no commanding position in the politics
of Earope.
The National Banks.
Reports from the National Banks I'M
der the call of the Comptroller, have
come in quite rapidly. The exhibit
made is on the whole very satisfactory.
1t is found that large number OF
banks which, in making up quarterly
returns, have been accustomed to show |
slight excess of reserve fund, now show
slight deficiency, but the Comptroller
looks upon this fact as one indicating q
healthy state of affairs among the banks.
Quarterly returns are of course pre-
pared for weeks in advance, and are sure
TO look well, but so favorable an exhibit
of the actual working condition OF the
banks as a whole was hardly expected,
aud is quite gratifying. The number
which will need admOnishing is not
large.
Army Recruiting.
Recruiting for the army which was
entirely stopped about year ago, is to
be renewed again, the infantry force
being considerably below the mailman
of the twenty-five regiments provided
for nv law. Stations are established at
New York, Cincinnati, st. Louis and San
Francisco.
Grnutnud the Cubnm Insurgents.
The Government is daily expecting
the eturn of a secret agent sent down
to make personal inspection OF the
condition of affairs in Cuba. This agent
is an army officer, in whom Grant has
great confidence, and the policy OF the
administration towards Cuba will be
shaped according to the character OF the
report he makes. The President takes
no stock i'll the statements of what IS
known as the Cuban Junta in this coun-
try, because many of those connected
with it are working for personal ag- |
graudizement, and are interested in
giving peculiar coloring to everything
connected with the movements of the
insurgents and Spaniards. Grant is |,
known to be favorably inclined towards !
the patriotic Cubans, but he wants to
know something about their strength
and resources, as we'll as their prospects
of success, before he places our Govern
ment in any other relations towards
them thar those now existing.
VIRGINIA.
n-....4I,.v. oT the Cousery atiVe ('ou-