New-York tribune., 1871-06-02
LORD RUSSELL'S OPPOSITION TO THE
WASHINGTON TREATY.
From The Saturday Rerttrc, May 2

II will be difficult to argue against Lord
Russes motion Of Monday next but 10 VIII probaDy De
rejected by the House OF Lords and 1t Will certainly MOI
be adopted by the House Of Commons Until lately IL
would have been an idle trusn to declare tat Ie Ell M
binding rule Of conduct except the law OF nauons anu
the municipal law Of h is 6s6rT eoTy ycrcoeS ed
post facto penal law TO be applied win tne formal as
sent Of the accused party tsx M e WeG Tf have better
suited the honor Of England by admitting that tne
American doctrine was sound De9re they agMeu % ~ 20 ~
regulate the decision OF the arbitIators Ihey nave
probably not observed that their Treaty involves iar
wider consequence than the establishment iGr tne l
damages for the captures OF the Alabama III thelr con %
cession is ratified by the Government WIDE Gqor viii
be opened to the reclamatiOns Of captous begeients
and neutras. Whenever charge Is Drought agaIst te
English Government It VIII be nrsed tao % I ~
grievance hardship without the further PROOF lnat
international right has been violated d rrro,osea nv
concession which, according TO the apolOgst OF te GOV
ornment costs nothing SeyGnd @ 19g an e
try but an indefinite extension OF responsibility Tor acts
which have hitherto been permissible may not perhaps
be ultimately conducive to peace The Americans
have, with exception, obtained everything Tor when
they at any time eontended ~ wond seem % reno oS ,e
ing existence OF the war - not one OF e matters III
cluded in the apology On the other hand the reference
to arbitration Is dangerously loose far 1t is governed
by OF the enactments invented Tor the OCCASION
The arbitrators will have power to award unlimited
damages supposed Oense of having allowed Eng
sh ports to basis for military operations, OF
even for the supply Of munitions OF Val war m no
to gain by calling the attention OF the world to the I'M
pleasant results of the Washington negotiation The
Americans will not fail to celebrate their triumph ana
the conquered not called upon voluntarily To attend
the procession victims or eaptiyes
From TIE Spectator Nay 90
We are pleased to hear that Earl Russell will
propose without disguise circum0cuon the rejection
the Washington Treaty for that Treaty must then be
debated out and shown as we are certain u cul 10
shown for the best and most permanent interests
of both the peoples concerned Nothing could be more
dangerous the cordality of relations with the
United than for the electors To fancy that their
Government had betrayed the country into an undgnl-
fled attitude and they without ful DEBATE, 10
entertain that fancy. Earl Russell Will tell them so
planlyhe does tell them so, In the very words OF MS
mOtiOn-and his taunts will fall on minds prepared
for their reception by two very powerful ideas
One Is that the present Ministry Is always sub
mssiye every foreign transaction, ana the Other
is that a retrospective enactment can never be SUD
stantiay Just They require to be told and told by
responsible statesmen, well as by journalists that the
Ministry whatever its attitude In Europe has In America
question OF the claims OF the American Irish to special
imnunities Ireland that it put down RePs rebellion
at the risk Of all manner OF complications; that 1t
snubbed Mr. Fishs own argument, through Lord Caren-
DON with even much of Intellectual gsto that IT
silently deed all Mr. Summers threats, and that at this
moment and in this transaction IL is acting under no
coercion whatever except the coercion or sound policy
and of the national conscience. Nobody, not even Mr.
Sumner, is threatening We are only asked In regu-
lar form and with all respect to see III the lawyers on
both sides cannot terminate an extremely dlsagTeeaDe
and long standing quarrel by some reasonable arrange