The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-04-25
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The Canadian papers are very free in
their comments,s on Senator, Summers
spesoih-indeed, much more free than com
plimentary. The Toronto, Globe, the most
liberal journal of the dominion, says:
1t is not possible to gauge moral offences
by money standard. What then2 Why,
if this talk amounts to any thing, it means,
as Mr.. Thornton said, war. Mr.. Sumner
hat the recognition was unlawful. Nobody
knows better than Mr.. Sumner that that is
the very thing England will not do. The
talk which Sumner indulges in shows very
clearly that the American Government does
not wish the question settled forthwith. It
is useful in the business of home politics,
and it is regarded as q convenient screw for
pressing a good bargain with Britain in
other ways. r1 ~.
Very few in the States, except among the
more ignorant Fenians and more rabid and
more reckless politicians, dream at this mo-
ment of making the Alabama dispute the
occasion for war. Notwithstanding all their
swagger. the Americans have clear ideas of
what is involved in such IN eventuality, and
they have no inclination to run the risk.
Whenever hard bargain has to be driven.
this, however, has been their cue, and they
are now reckoning upon the ignorance and
former times, for securing good deal, at
any rate, of what they want. In this, we
believe they are mistaken. Formerly they
were contented with large slices of territory,
more than were justly duo. The ignorance
of British diplomatsts made this easy.
Now, perhaps, grown bold by success, they
dream of taking all North America as a
peace Offering, and imagine that all is ne
cessary to this is to kick and swagger as in
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thing will be done. Like the soldier that
drew his sword and threatened dreadful
things if he did not get pair of boots at
his own price, they would be the readest,
after getting what they wished, to reply to
the inquiry about what they would have
done, supposing they had been refused.
Done! Why! what conld we have done?
Done without. to be sure!" Exactly, and
that will be found to be the upshot of the
whole affair. When the Americans have
discovered that they cannot secure anything
by bullying. they will either forget the Ala.
bama altogether, or will agree to some eaui-
table method of settling the claims.
The Montreal Gazette, the Crown organ,
thus defends British recognition of belli-
gercncy OF the rebels:
ii this be s'the head and front of the"
English offending" the United States
Government was just rs great sinner.
And why? Let US suppose that England
had not conceded belligerent rights to the
South, what should have been the conse
quences according to all writer's on interna-
tional law? Only this, that as soon as the
Sumter, the Nashville, and the other earlier
Confederate cruisers arrived in England
after burning the Brilliant and other North
ern merchant vessels, their officers and
crew having no recognized status, would
hi 1ont 10 l., L., 4
to trial and execution as pirates, although
too, they were exercising their recognized
bellgerent right to make reprisals. Eng
land very properly refused to act as hang
man for the American Government. and
when the same question came up for trial
and disposal in the United States courts. in
the memorable case of the Confederate crew
seized, almost red-handed, off Charleston
harbor, that Government abated it's previous
pretensions, and ended by adopting SINH
lar course. In other words, the crew in
question was tried and sentenced to death
tor piracy; but little reflection showed the
Government that it would be unwise and
unnatural to carry out the sentence, and in
the end the "pirates" were exchanged as re-
gular prisoners of war. What difference
was there after all in tho position assumed
by both Governments? England called and
treated the Southerners rs bel!igerents.
The North went still further, and, by ex-
changing prisoners, gave them the legal
status and the recognized position of-what
England all along refused to give, notwith-
standing the representations of France-an
independent power.
Referring to Mr.. Summers elaboration of
the fact that British policy protracted and
greatly increased the cost of the war; the
Gazette says:
1t is now rather late in the day to cry and
whine about it, especially when the repara-
ton so arrogantly insisted upon will proba-
bly, have to be purchased, if England only
possesses portion of her former spirit, at
a cost of life and treasure far greater than