New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-20

aFnlistment Act, or any other act 1or inc
"same purpose, can be evaded by very ouo'io
&" contriyances but Her Majesty's Governihen'
" cannot on that account go beyond the letter
&" Of the existing law"
Had our right to protection from naval eH-
noditions fitted out armed, and equipped Ill
England as their naval base, manned ny En-
plsh sailors, and issuing from English por'S'
under the English flag, to sink and Durh
American ships, and to drive from the sea
American commere-had our right to protec-
tjon from such Outrages depended upon the
municipal law of Great Britain, Lord Johh
might. perhaps, with some show of reason
have pointed us to the defects in that law as
q sufficient reason why his Government was
excusable for viewing with calm complacency
tbe evasion of its statutes by subtle contriv-
ances. and expect the Americans to accept Us
annie compensation for the loss of their COM
merce Diplomatic assurances of his regrets
But as our right to the enforcement of strict
neutrality rested not on the law OF England
but on the Law of Nations, which England
was bound to observe toward us, not SIMPLY
by every principle of honor, but by every sen,
tment of gratitude and Just reciprocity to"aru
a nation that had practiced it with sucn SIN
gular fidelity toward herself, the weak at
tempt to escape her international obligations
by pointing to the defects Of her munclpai
law or the rulings of her judges, in regard to
their limitation, while declining to remedy the
defects or to enlarge those limitations, seems
to indicate on the part of the English Govern
ment an insanity that was not confined to the
Attorney General. Compare the conduct OF
the American Government in any case where
the British Minister has demanded its enforce
ment of neutrality with the course OF the
British Government in response to the demands
of Mr.. Adams. Take the bark Maury, for in
stance, in 1856, where the British Consul pre-
ferrcd against her. on the most trifiing grounds,
n charge which proved utterly groundless, ana
for which the Consul subsequently made
public apology. What did our Government dol
Did they say, 1.-THE aflidavits are suspicious, the
"charge is absurd, and we cannot interfere with
"the sailing of the vessclP" She was instantly
stopped. an investigation ordered, and Mr. At
torney- General Cushing wrote to District-At-
torney McKeon, "The allegation against that
vessel was improbable on its face, but deter
"mined. as the President is, not to suffer any
" of the belligerent powers to trespass on the
"neutral rights of the United States, it was
" deemed proper TO investigate the case out OF
"respect to the British Minister, through whom
"the British Consul at New-York preferred
compliant in the matter"
Now turn to one of the aflidavits in the case
of the Alabama, that of William Passmore,
who swore that he had been engaged by Capt
Butcher to sail in tho $500 with the express
understanding that she was going to fight for
"the Government of the Confederate States OF
america ~ that he had joined the vessel in
Messrs Laird & Co.'s yard at Birkenhead and
remained there several days; that he found
about thirty old man-Of- wars men on board,
among whom it was "well known that she was
"going out as a privateer for the Confederate
Government to fight under u commission
"from Mr., jefferson Davis"
This affidavit was in the hands of British
officials ten days before the Government de-
cided to take the precaution of holding the
vessel 10 abide the result Of an investigation,
and when that order was tardily given the
preparations of the 5000 were complete, and
advised in advance, by official treachery, of the
coming order Of detention, she quietly went
forth on her mission of piracy; and the House
of Commons, when they learned that she
had sailed in defiance of their most
sacred obligation, of the faith of treaties
and of the honor of England TO
prey upon American commerce and deal death
and destruction upon friendly people, instead
of bowling their heads in shame, or ordering the
prosecution of Laird, or fitting out an expedi-
ton to arrest the "corsair ship as England
had done in 1923, to prevent the landing at
Terceira of the Portuguese expedition Illegally
fitted out in England against Don Miguel they
gave vent to their feelings of satisfaction by
the heartiest of cheers. From that time the
Alabama was the welcome and honored guest
in the Colonial ports of England to which she
resorted for coal, refitting, and official hospi-
tally, until the Kearsarge sent her to rejoin
the wrecks with which she had strewn the At
lantic. And with all the facts of her career
deeply engraven in the memories of our people
it was bold move in Mr.. Johnson to present
as an apology for her escape Earl Russelrs
suggestion of the insanity simply of the At
torney- General. If the escape of the Alabama
to make war upon America, and to transfer
our commerce to English vessels, was regarded
with favor by the arstocratic and commercial
classes represented in the House of Commons,
who so warmly sympathized with the effort to
erect Slave Empire on the ruins of the Re-
public, there were thousands in England who
declined to accept the plausible fallaces of the
Cabinet. The London Ldw Times said that there
were some things which in the estimation of
rightly thinking men were of even higher inn
portance than the prosperity of Birkenhead
shipowners or Birmingham gunmakers, and
that among them might be reckoned rever-
ence for law and the preservation of the ma
tional honor At the gathering, too, of the