The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-05-11
rhe English Legation and tho Ala.



twashington Correspondenee tMay 81 Of the Bos-
The rejection Of the Alabama claims treaty \
could NOD have been surprise to the Eng
llsh Minhter. Mr. Thorntoa know that tke
Comfnittee ON Foreign Relatlons had all but
unsnlmously reported aeainsi It's ratiacation.
and well enough understood that he repor
was sustained by the general Judgment 81 |
our people. The unanimlty with which n |
was rejected must have hon an event on |
which he had not calculated for the shrewd- |
est and most sanguine Of out own observers |
could hardly have surmised that there would |
be but one vote In It's favor.
believe that Mr.. Thornton keeps his own |
counsel, as becomes trained diplomat. He
Is a gentleman by nature as well as by cul-
turc, and therefore speaks with reserve and
moderation on such topic rs this But II l
cannot give you his Vows directly ! can pre-
sent those Of the English Legation, which,
In this case at least, probably amount TO the
same thing.
Our way Of doing things is q puzzle to tho
members Of the legation. They see us buy
Alaska, which nobody wants, aud ratify the
treaty with the dissenting votes only Of Mr..
Fessenden and Mr.. Ferry. Then they sec Us
buy 81. Thomas, which a good many persons
believe 10 be O valuable acquisition, and
neglect 10 act upon the treaty for more than
two years. They sec the Senate ratify the
Alaska treaty all but unanimously. aud then
sec the House In sharp and long contested
struggle over the question OF appropriating
the money TO carry II into effect. They
| learn that the Alaska treaty was carried on
the argument that It would be breach Of
| good faith to reject IL, and then find large
| part Of the Senate and considerable pro-
portion Of our people deaf to this argument
when used In connection with the st..
Thomas treaty. happen to know that there
/ has been deal Of this sort OF talk In the
legation the past winter; and one OF Its
members put the points with much force IN a
long conversation only three or four days
ago. "Now tell me-" he said In conclusion,
"who among these Americans has the treaty
making poweri Is II the President or the
Senate, or the House-either one, either two
or all threel" r
The legation point to the fact that Mr..
Reyerdy johnson was unanimously confirmed
as minister TO their country, with the gen.
eral understanding that an effort would be
made during his term Of Office 10 close up
the Alabama claims business. II Is further
pointed out that the press Of the country ad-
mitted his fitness to deal with the work; that
no con siderable portion Of our people had
ever insisted on more than Mr.. Adams and
Mr.. Seward had claimed; that there was
every reason for supposlng VIC would be sat
isfed II Mr.. johnson made treaty on the
Adams Seward basis; and that Mr.. Chandler
demands were treated by everybody with con-
tempt and ridiculc.
One Of the gentlemen near the minister
puts 1t In something like this wayi "We gave
you all you asked; we conceded all that Mr..
Adams ever claimed; we finally signed a
} treaty entirely satisfactory to your Mr.. John.
: son aud your Mr.. Seward, your Secretary Of
State from the beginning OF the war, aud
your minister TO whom the Senators ali
agreed; we do that, and then you turn round
I aud kick the treaty out OF doors. Pray tel
, me what are we to dow am merely say
ing how these English diplomats do look at
II. II I understand them, they are little
confused by our way of doing things; they
] seem reasonably willing to consider our case,
8 but say they cannot clearly sec what oui
, case Is and by whom It Is represented.
They charge us with q lack OF fair dealing
l. Our demands to-day, they allege, are im
l. mensely greater than they were a year ago
i One gentleman, not q member Of the loga
a ton, but a frequent visitor there, and q
genuine Engllshman, says to me; 81 read
your New York papers and ind one view In
I the Tribune, another view in the Times, and
r another view In the Herald, all of which
profess to be friendly to General Grants ad
ministration; I read Mr.. Summers speech
: and find him taking one view Of belllgerency,
: and then the Nation, your ablest weekly
journal, and find that taking another view; !
|
what one Of your Chicago TribUH. editors
n and good many other persons say about
o Canada; and when Pm done with II all, !
ask myself, What is 1t these people want y
. sec plainly you want a good deal more
than you did a while ago, but can't make out
@ lust where you stand" And one Of the per.
\ sous In the legation, an told, says, "Mr,
Summers speech is vague and not specific,
but II we were to put It's hints Into treaty
would that satisfy the United statesf How
n can we give them what they ask when they
A | all ask something Different" The Idea ap
= pears to be that treaty made by Mr.. Motle!
" might be rejected Just as Reyerdy Johnson
g has been. And when II was said that Mr.
a Motley Is representative Of the Admins
Q tration, answer was made that no one oh
A. jected to Mr.. Johnson's appointment, ant
!, 1--WE gave him all you had been asking TO
"a through Mr.. Adams and Mr.. Seward"
, There Is still another point made agains
II us In the talk OF the Legation. They cal
n attention to the fact that the three treatic
"a negotiated by Reyerdy Johnson, viz: Tn
70 San Juan boundary, the citizenship and tn
Ct Alabama claims, arc each separate parts @
D. one whole. They quote Mr.. Stewards II
m structions-in effect, that we would declin
,s doing anything about the two other quei
al lions till that In regard to citizenship wa
he settled; point to the clause In tie last artcl
,el oil the San Juan treaty-in effect, that tn
e. document should be OF no force till Englan
Is had given US all we ask in the matter Of ci
as izenship; and then they say "these thrC
I'd papers you made equal parts Of q single SCI
n. Element; now you take the one by which 20
n get all any Of your people have ever asked
as that settling the Fenlan question and tell l
n, to go to the devil with the other two" Their
rs upon follows, with some show Of indlgna
" ton, the exclamation, "what sort Of a natio
a Is this to make bargains With"
BIT have no right to say that Mr.. Thornto
ut expresses himself In this way. He was SUI
by prised at the vote by which we rejected til
Is treaty, but, so far as | hear, speaks wit
en- cautious moderation. | know whereof
1t, write, however, when I say that the view
OF herein given prevail within the Legation
he and I know, too, that they are shared,
by some extent, by other members Of the dlpl
In matte circle In this city. We are accused {
,ss q crooked way of dealing In respect
to treaties.