The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-04-30

doubted that they contributed largely 10
produce i. They began the indusnes5 under
which this change has continued. Thsrs b
another document which bears directly upon
the present question. | refer to the intsrat-
ing report Of Mr.. Morse, our consul at Lon
don, made during the last year and publish-
ed by the secretary ofstats. After minute
inquiry the report shows that, on the braak-
ing out Of the rebellion in 1861, the entire
tonnage Of the United States, coastisg sad
registered, was. 5, 559, SIS tons, Of Which
2,S42, ,645 tons were registered and emplysa
in foreign trade, and that, at The Gloss of he
rebellion in 1865, Notwithstanding sn in
crease In coasting tonnage, our registered
! tonnage had fallen to I 602 528 tons, being
loss during ihe four years Of more than .
million tons, amounting to about forty per
cent Of our foreign commerce. During the
same four years the total tonnage Of ths
British empire rose from 1886, 369 tons to
1895, ,604 tons, the increase being especially
in the foreign trade. The report pr0cseds
to say that as to the cause Of the decrease In
America and the corresponding incFsass In
British empire, there can be no room for
/ question or doubt. Here is the precise tea-
timony from one who st kis Official post n
London watched this Unprecedented drama,
with the Outstretched ocean IS a theatef and
British pirates as the performers:
'Conceding to the rebels the belligsrsnt
rights Of the sea when they had not soli-
/ tary war ship ahoat, in deck, or il process
Of construction, and when they had 10 power
i to protect or dispose of prizss, made their
sea-rovers, when they appeared, the in
struments Of terror and destruction to our
commerce. From the appearances Of the fut
corsair in pursuit of their ships, American
merchants had to pay not only the marine,
/ but the war risk also on their ships. Affer
I the boruing Of one or two ships with their
neutral eafgOes, the ship owner bad 70 pap
the war risk on the cargo his ship bad on
freight as well as on the ship. Even then,
for safety, the preference was as matter Of
course, always given 10 neutral vessels, and
American ships could rarely find employ
msnt on these hard terms as long as there
were good neutral ships in the freight mar
kets, Under such circumstances there vas
no course left for our merchant ship OEnsrs
but 10 take such pro6tless business aB Was
occasionally offered them, let their ships be
| idle at their mOOrings or in dock with large
expense and deterioration constantly going
on, to sell them outright when they could do
so without ruinous sacrifice, or put them uns
der foreign flags foz protection. - RsDOrs Of
r. Il. Morse, Ui1ite5 States CoBsslI al London,
dated January l, 1868.
Beyond the actual loss in tbe national ton.
mage, there was a further loss in the arrsst Of
our national increase in this branch Of indus
try, which an intelligent statisiician puts At
i've per cent. annually, making in 1856 q
total loss on this account Of I ,284, ,955 ions,
which must be added to l ,229 OBS tons act
ually lost. The same statistician, after si-
timatIDg the value Of ton at $40, gold, and
making allowance for old and new ships,
put the sum total of national loss on this &C.
count at SIl0,000,00O To these authorities
add that of the National bosrd Of trade,
which in recent report on Americas ship
ping, alter setting forth the diminution Of
our sailing tonnage, says that it is all to be
traced to the war on the ocean, and the re-
suit is summed up in the words, that, 'Whils
the tonnage Of the nation was rapidly disap-
peariDg BY the roUagss Of ths rebel cruisers
and BY sales abroad, there was no eonstrue-
ton Of new vessels going forward to counter
act the decline even in part. Such is the
various testimony, all ending to one conclu.
sion. This what have to say for the praa-
ent on national IOsses through the destruc-
ton of commerce. These are large enough;
but there is another chapter, where they are
larger far. refer ofeourse TO the national
losses caused by the pEolongation Of the var
and traceable directly to England. No can.
did person, who studies this eTsntfUl psriod,
can doubt that the rebellion was originally
encouraged by hope Of support from Eng
land; that it was strengthened at once BY the
concession Of belligerent rights on the ocean;
that 1t was fed to the end By British sup
plies; that il was quickened into Tenszed
life with every report from the British pi-
rates, flaming anew with every burning
shipi nor can it be doubted that Without
British Intervention the rebellion would
ba7e soon succumbed under the Well.directsd
efforts Of the national governments. Not
weeks or months, but years Ee-e added in
this way 70 cur war, 50 fun Of the most cost.
ly saerifce.r The subsidies which in Other
times England contributed to continental
wars were less efsciivs than the aid and
comfort which she contributed 70 the rsbsl.
lion. It cannot be said too often that TIE
naval base Of the rebellion was not in Amer.
lea, but IN England. Mr.. Golden boldly
said in the House Of Commons that EnRland
made wsr from her shores on the Unifed
States with an amount Of damage to that
country greater than in many ordinary WaEs.'
According TO the testimony, the conduct Of
England was war; but.it must not Be forgot
ten that this war was carried On at our sols
cost. The United States paid for vsr1va1sd
5y England upon the National Unity. IA
sacrifice Of precious life IS beyoud human
but there may be an approx
innate estimate of the national loss in money.
The rebellion was suppressed at a cost Of
more than four thousand million dollgrA 4
considerable portion Of which has already
been paid, leaving twenty-five hundred nil
ions a. national debt to burden fhe pso.
PIE, IL through British intervention The
var was doubled in duration, OF in any ex.
ended, S. cannot bea doubted, then is E1t,-
and justly irresponsible ier the additional ex-
1enditure to which our country was doomed:
md whatever may be the fiual settlement OF
hese great sccOunts, such must be the iutQ-
neut IN any chancery which eo7sulis the
imple equity Of the case. Perhaps ought
Q anticipate an objection from the OthPrEids,
The effect that these national losses, s,Whether
rom the destruction Of our commerce orths
rolo1gation Of the war, are indirect and re-
note, so as not to Be Just clause Of claim,
his is expressed at the common Law by the
ules that damages must be for the natural
nd proximate CONSEQUENCE Of an act. (g
'rssnIsgt ED., P. 216.)
To this excuse The answer Is explicit.
he damages suffered By the United States
re two-fold, individual and national, being
, each case direct and proximaie, althOugh
! the one case individuals sufansd and in
le other case the nation. it is easy to see
lat there may be occasions whore, 0veftoD-
ing all individual damages are damages
lHered BY the nation, so that reparatiOn 70
would be insufficient; nor can
le claim of the nation be questioned simply
scause it is large, or because the evidence
ith regard to it is different from that in the
,of
images must be proved by the best possible
ridence and this is all that law or reason
n require. In the case Of the nation. ths
Iidence is historic; and this is enough.
npartial history VIII regard the national
sses from British Intervention, and It Is
lly reasonable that the evidence Of these
sses should not be excluded from iudg-
ent. Because the case is without pre-.
dent, because no nation ever before receiV-
such injury 'fTon a friendly power this
n be no reason why the case should not bat
nsidered on the evidence. Even the rule
the common law furnishes no fmpedi.
snt, for our damages are the natural conss-
ence Of what was done. eButthe rule Of
. Roman law, HhiChis The rule Oe inter
tional law, is broader than that. of The
mmon law. The measure Of damages, ac-
riding to the digest, is whatever may
We been lost OF might have been gained
aatsfs' iilt'st Q5eSt, qltaltl,Rlqlie erdri Dotd;
! this sanneTule seems to prevail ia the
ench law, borrowed from the Roman law.
is rule opens the door to ample repaTation
all damages. whether individual or ma
nal. There is another rule Of common
', in harmony with strict justice, which
applicable to, the,case.7 find It in he
' relating to RuiSdHces, which provides
it there may be two distinct prOceeding
i, in behalf Of individuals; and, second.