Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-06-02
THE TRE.sTI' R.sTsFIFD.

The United States Senate has, after due
dellberation, acquiesced in the common
sense opinion Of the people of this country,
and ratified the treaty of Washington,
framed by the joint high commission for
he purpose OF settling the questions upon
which our government and that of Great
Britain have for so long been at variance.
The vote was reached on Wednesday night,
May 2lth, and stood so to IL. That the
treaty is regarded with favor on the other
side Of lie water we have the statement of
the London Times, that the settlement by
he commissioners of the Alabama claims
i, honorable to England, and that the OBJ
iect of both countries has been realized;
that though the treaty represents no per-
iect compromise, ii is still acceptable for the
sake of peace, and has been practically rat
ifed by the people Of both countries.
Had the treaty been prepared beforehand
by our cabinet, or by the Senate committee
On foreign relations, its wording would
have been somewhat different. But then
if it had leen written in London, ii would
have been entirely different 1t was nev-
table, therefore, that when a conference
was agreed upon, as an alternative to keep
ing the question open and full of irritations,
making war possible at any moment, it
was inevitable, we say, that there should
he mutual endeavOr 10 reconcile conflict
ing claims. The question is, have our sub
,tantial demands been met? Happily,
there is no doubt on that point-they are
all embodied in the treaty, and are sure to
"a, 1, 4 a..
it of the treaty are rightly carried out by
the arbitrators appointed under it, II is
his grand conviction that has made the
treaty triumphant over all the objections
and sophistres that have been raised against
it by sincere men in some cases and by sell
fish politicians in others. The gist of the
treaty in its working capacity IL to submit
our individual claims to the consideration
of equitable tribunals, under the guidance
of accepted principles that Is all we
want or ought to ask.
The manner of enectiug this grand adj
justmeut will ever be regarded as the mo-
hlest triumph Of true diplomacy which can
be found on record Of modern times. Here
we're questions at issue between two proud
spirited nations which would inevita-
bly, have brought on war quarter of
century ago, which We're, in fact, more inn
pOrtant and dangerous than those which
originated the war of lsl2. Paris at this
moment is deuged with blood for causes
triing in comparison. And yet such has
been the advance of good sense aud good
feeling among both Of the great Anglo-Sax-
on nations that the idea of a conference to
compose outstanding difficulties was greet
cd on both sides of the water as soon as it
was preached. II Is but fair to admit that
the English government met our own fully
half way, and has left nothing undone to
perfect the arrangement. II sent over able
representatives., who, of course, took care
of its interests, but they were not bigoted
or superclious men, incapable of seeing
the other side of a question, or insensible
to the claims of justice. We believe that
The joint high commission deserves the
gratitude of every member Of the English
speaking race on the globe; and that by its
action and by its embodiment in the treaty,
as Earl de Grey has recently said, of "a
large improvement on the principles Of in
ternational law" II has done more than any
other agency of the times to discredit and
10 away with the curse of war. As between
England and the United States, the effect
will be to remove all traces of the bitterness
which has subsisted dnring the last decade,