The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1870-12-10
THIS ASSUMPTION

is limited in its practical application to
some of the provisions of the treaty, but
the assumption of right to renounce
any one of its terms involves the as
sumption of Il right to renOuncc the
whole.
This statement is wholly independent
of the rc;lSonablencss or unre;tsoable-
ness, on its own merits, of the desire OF
Russia to be released from the obser-
vance of the stipulations of the treaty OF
1856 respecting the Black Sea; for the
question is: "In whose hand lies the
power of releasing one or more OF the
parties from all, or amy of these stlpu-
lations ::' 1t has always been held that
that right belongs only to the Govern
nlcnts who have been parties to the
original instrument.
The dispatches of Prince GortchakOtf
appear to assume that any one of the
powers who have signed the engage
n,ent may allcgc that occurrences have
taken place which in its opinion arc at
Variance with the provisions of the
treaty; and, although this view is not
shared or admitted by the cosignatory
powers, we may found upon that allie
CATION, not \ request to those GoEcrn-
nrntS for the consideration of the case,
but an announcement to them that it
has cnlancipmtcd itself, OF holds itself
em:.ncipatcd, from amy StipulationS of
the treaty
WHICH IT SEES FIT To DIS.>PFRoEE.
Yet it is quite evident that the effect Of
such doctrine, and of any proceeding
which, With or without aVCWal, is
founded upon it, is to bring the entire
authority and efficacy of treaties under
the discretionary control OF each one OF
the powers who may have signed them,
the result of which would be the entire
destruction OF treaties in their essence.
For, whereas their whole object is to
bind powers to one another, and for
this purpose each one of the powers
>urrcndcrS Il portion of its free agency,
by the doctrines and proceedings now
in question, one of the parties, in it's
separate and individual capacity, brings
back the entire subject into its own
control, and remains bound only to it,
elf. Accordingly Prince Gortchakotf
has announced in those dispatches
THE INTENTION OF RUSSIA
10 continue to observe certain provis-
ions of the treaty. However s;tiSfacto-
ry this may be itself, it is obviously an
expression of the free will Of that pow
er, which it might ut any time alter or
withdraw; and in this it is open to the
same objections as the other portions of
the communication, because it implies
the right of Russia to ;innul the treaty
on the ground of allegations of which
She constitutes herself the only Judge.
Tho question therefore arises, not
whether amy desire expressed by Rus
si:, ought to be carefully examined in !,
friendly spirit by the cosignatory pow
crS, but whether they are to accept
from her the announcement that by
her own act, without amy consent from
| them, she has
RELEASED HERSELF FROM \ SOLEMN
CONENAST!
| need scarcely say that Her Majcstv's
Government have received this COM
munication with deep regret, because
it opens Il discussion which might un-
settle tho cordial understanding it has
been their earnest cndcavorto maintain
with tho Russian Empire. And for
the above mentioned reasons it is inn
possible for Her Majcsty's Government
to give any sanction on their part to
the course announced by Prince Gort-
chal>OfI. If, instead of such Il dcc!ari-
ton, tho Russian Government had adj
dressed Her M;jCSty'S Government and
the other powers who arc parties to the
treaty of 1896, and had proposed for
consideration with them whether any
thing has occurred which could be
held to amount to an infractiOn Of the
treaty, fft11-tt ff1r-t.---i<- anything
in the terms which, from altered cir
cumStancrS, presses
! WITH UNDUE sen ERITr rrDN RUSSIA,
or which in the course OF events had
become unnecessary for the due protcc-
ton of Turkey, Her Majcsty'S Govern
nlcnt would not have refused to cXain-
inc the question in concert with the
coSign,tarics to the treaty, whatever
might have been the result of such
! communications. A risk of future com
| plicatiOnS and IL very dangerous pre-
cedent as to the validity of intcrn:t-
| tional obligations would have been
avoided. I am, &C.,
(Signcd) GKAEVfff.t.
T.. S.-Iou will read this despatch
and give Il copy of it to Prince Gort
! chakOtf.
Queer Scriptur:tl ideas prevailed II
the middle ages. We find the follow
ing in an English paper: In the Stras
bOurg library there was IL wonderful
collection of Bibles first printed, the