The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-02-15
THE TREATY TzaREATEEED.

The Washington Treaty has suddenly
awakened in England an almost unac
countable opposition The publication o
the American side of the case, as prepare
for the Court of Arbitration at Geneva
has been the occasion of stormy dis
cusson on the part Of the English Press
Lit Is even threatened that Chief Just ice
Cock burn will withdraw from the Com
mission, and that the English Govern
ment will repudiate the Treaty If the
| American claim is allowed
We speak of this turn of affairs as al
most unaccountahle; the present state OF
| political affairs in EnglaGd would account
Tor 1t In some measure, If the press were
not so much Of one mind in its onslaught
upon the American cause ; il seems more
probable that the fear Of heavy damages
has inspired the people aud the press
with determination to oYerawe the
Court by an outside clamor. Such an
imputatlon IS no more unworthy Of our
| English cousins, than their aVowed
determination to repudiate the Treaty,
after all the solemn sanctions it has re-
ceived.
| This threatened rupture Of the Treaty
on the part of the British Government,
is all the more extraordinary in view OF
| tie fact that every thing was taken into
consideration before the Treaty was form
ed and ratified, and that nothing has yet
been decided under it. The case on the
American side has simply been prepared
| for the chosen Court of Arbitration,
whose decision the American people
| threaten in advance to repudiate. That
such course is uni justitiabe is evident
from the very preliminaries TO the Treaty.
The Preamble shows that the points now
called up were the very ones under con-
sideration. 1t reads: "Whereas differ
ences have arisen between the Govern
ment of the United States and the Gov
ernment of her Britanic Majesty, grow
ing out Of the acts committed by the sey.
eral vessels which have given rise to the
claims generally known as the Alabama
Claims; and whereas Her Britanic Ma
jesty has authorized her High Commits
sioners and Plenipotentaries to express
in friendly spirit the regret felt by Her
Majesty's Government for the escape
under whatever circumstances Of the
Alabama and other vessels from British
ports, and for the depredations commit
ted by those vessels now, in order to
remove all com plants and claims on the
part of the United States, and to pro
vide for the settlement Of such CLANS
which are not admitted by Her Britanic
Majesty s Government, the high con
tracing parties agree that all the said
claims growing out Of acts committed by
the aforesaid vessels, and gene ally known
as the Alabama Claims, shall be referred
to a Tribunal of Arbitration" &c. The
duties of the Court Of Arbitration are
thus defined in the body Of the Treaty ::
The arbitrators shall meet in Geneva,
In Switzerland, at the earliest day con-
venient after they shall have been named
and shall proceed in partially and careful
ly to examine and decide all questions
| that shall be laid before them on the
part Of the Governments Of the United
States and Her Britanic Majesty respect
lively"
1t does not appear that anything re-
mains to be done on the part of our gov
ernment. 1t was not for our interest,
excepting in the common interest Of hu-
manity, to have these questions referred
to any Board Of Arbitration. When the
| British Government refused to meet the
demands of the United States, and to
satisfy the claims for damages arising out
of the unfrendly course Of the English
toward ourselves, heavy as the losses had
! been. in an intern ational point OF view l;
would have been more to our interest tt
leave the question open as the means o.
incalculable advantage to US In future
com plications. England would be the
sufferer But the settlement was under
taken on both sides in the right spirit
The negotiations were conducted IN The
right split. They were ended and rati
fed in the right spirit. The court wa
selected in the same spirit. Aud now
that a heavy bill is presented mot ye
even allowed by the court) John Bul
flares up and threatens TO run his horl
through the Treaty and tear 1t to pieces
We should say, Let him do it, were ther.
not so many interests at stake IN which
the world at large is much more deerl
interested thai we are. The expression
of kindly international feeling on bot
sides we're regarded, at the time Of th
forming of the Treaty, as full of promise
for the settlement of such disputes among
nations by arbitration instead of by war
Our government and people, although
having most to lose BIZ such a course
we're not backward in securing such
settlement. If the Treaty should b
thwarted after having beer thus solemn
ly ratified. and the Court of Arbltratlo.
disregsrded or broken up, the responsl
biIity would not rest with the UNITED
States, but with the English people ant
the English Government.-Neao lor'
| Observer.